What is the big dream for your company? Could it be industry recognition, expansion, a brand following or larger revenues? A Brand Review can help you get there by giving you critical insights into your company and marketing.
It can even spot weaknesses in your business plan and branding strategies. That’s why it’s always plank one in our Branding Bridge, and a necessary step if you want to reach your business goals.
So, What is the Branding Bridge?
Think of it as your master plan to get the right kind of customers. The ones who will be your greatest fans. It’s also a better way to ensure your customers like, buy and promote your services or products.
By the time you finish building it, you will have a solid strategy for promoting your business.
Time to Take Your Baseline
You know how a doctor has to review a patient’s overall health before he makes a diagnosis?
He goes over medical records, takes all the vital signs and asks about the patient’s history and symptoms.
Have you done a health checkup… for your business?
Have you looked at all your company communications, your business strategies, and assessed what works and what needs some attention?
The Rewards of a Brand Review: Plank One
A review gives you a snapshot of your current business.
It’s also sometimes referred to as a “brand audit”. But with tax season in full swing, we thought that might be a scary word for you. So, we’re calling it a review.
In a Brand Review, there are five main areas you should always look at:
Your Brand Strategy: Do you have a plan to deal with competitors? Or ways to promote your brand that will ensure a steady influx of customers?
Your Brand Alignment: Does your company and staff operate under a cohesive vision, mission and set of values? Do you live the brand?
Your Brand Communication: Are you sending out the right messages about your brand? Do you have all the tools, resources and platforms to clearly communicate your message?
Your Brand Execution: Do you have a solid plan to execute your promotional campaigns? Do you have established goals, timelines, deadlines and does it all align with your brand strategy?
Your Brand Guidelines: Do you have guidelines to protect your brand image? Ones that ensure consistency across all company departments, staff and vendors?
Why It’s Important
By reviewing your overall brand, you can assess what areas might need to be improved.
You can uncover vital areas that may need better tools or resources. You can spot whether your marketing needs a stronger or different strategy, or if your current branding really tells the story you want it to tell.
It gives you clarity. Clarity on what works, what needs work and what goals need to be prioritized.
Regular audits also ensure that you retain your brand consistency over time and should be performed every 2 years. Because brands that remain consistent in their messaging can increase revenue by up to 23%.
Who Should Perform the Assessment?
Business owners, operational managers, general managers, anyone who really knows your organization from top to bottom, as long as they can answer the above questions.
But sometimes, it’s better to have an outside party perform the assessment.
Their judgement won’t be clouded by emotion, company loyalties, or fear of losing their job. They can give you a more objective opinion than someone inside the company.
Ask us about our Brand Review Services and our Brand Discovery Workshops.
Then, on to Plank Two: Your Discovery
The next step is where you discover your short and long-term goals, determine your strengths, weaknesses and unique service proposition – a key to any marketing or branding campaign.
You won’t want to miss this. Our next blog goes over this crucial step that many businesses skip…
Ready to skip to Plank Two? Download our FREE eBook where we explain all 5 Planks for Brand Success! Or contact us for a FREE one-on-one consultation where we can go over your specific business concerns.
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