Ah yes. January. We’ve been expecting you.
January, you really are the Monday of months. You’ve taken away from us those blissful alarm clock-free mornings and the daily blank canvas where anything seemed entirely possible. And don’t think we haven’t seen you slowly and steadily filling up our work diaries. We’ve even had to join a gym because of you January.
Happy now?
Actually “Happy now?” is the pertinent and timely question here.
If you’re back in the groove of 2025 already, then carry on, you’re doing great. You’ve remembered WHAT you do, WHO you do it for and most importantly WHY you do it. By now we can assume that you will have:
- Organised yourself
- Planned and banked some easy first days (and wins)
- Cleared your inbox
- Caught up with your colleagues
- Sustained your recharged energy
- Further researched your industry
So, personally… you’re happy? TICK.
But (and this is the really important bit)… are you brand happy? How up to date is your brand strategy? Is your brand positioned where you want it to be?
January is the first month of a year where literally anything can happen. Where do you want to be a year from now? What do you need to achieve your aspirations? First and foremost, you need to have a clear brand strategy. Your brand positioning is crucial to the success of your business.
Not sure if you’re brand happy or not? We can help with that, and it all starts with a brand audit.
Contrary to popular belief, auditing your brand can be swift, painless, easy, and even enjoyable. Brand audits can be wholesale belt n’ braces or a quick state of the nation overview. They can be a quick check-in to make sure you’re still on track, that your brand strategy is current and fit for purpose and that your brand is positioned appropriately, or they can be a deep dive and analytically driven.
Wherever you’re at, they’re designed to help… not hinder. Auditing your brand will bring clarity and direction to your brand strategy and strengthen your brand positioning.
How will this benefit your business?
- Help you to determine the positioning of your business and to plan corrective strategies.
- Empower you to discover the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your business (SWOT).
- Guide you to align your offerings more accurately with the expectations of potential and existing customers.
- Enable you to gather perceptions (positive or negative) about your business.
- Provide an opportunity for you to assess whether your brand continues to evolve with your business and remain ahead of the pack.
- Ensure your vision, mission and values continue to resonate and remain loyal to your brand.
But, but…
How does a brand audit work?
1. Create an Audit Framework
The first step of your brand audit process is to create a framework. Before you start examining your brand, make a list of topics to be covered and how you will go about the process. Mind-mapping or even old school scribbling down everything that relates directly or indirectly to the brand are simple tools that can be used here. You’ll need to ask yourself:
- What is the purpose of your brand?
- What is your brand strategy?
- Where is your brand positioned?
- Does it still align with the business’ vision, mission and values?
- Who are your competitors and what are they up to?
- Who is your target audience, and has it changed?
- What’s your main offer – what makes YOU so special anyway?
- What are your brand strengths and weaknesses?
- Where is your brand sitting in like-minded competitor positionings?
- What are the current and anticipated industry trends associated with your brand?
- What are your differentiators? Pricing, customer service, USP, etc.
2. Question your brand
Checking your website analytics is a good first step to get a bird’s-eye view of the health of your brand. It’s also good to hear directly from your customers to find out how they perceive and speak of your brand.
3. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
Have you ever wondered what a real customer experiences when they engage with your brand? Then put yourself in their shoes.
4. Actions and next steps
Ultimately, a brand audit is redundant if you don’t devise an action plan for the issues highlighted. A detailed report using your findings in the brand audit process will set actionable targets and will address those issues.
The greatest investment you can make for your business is in yourself and your brand
When your action plans are executed, monitor the progress by repeating the brand audit process. Remember that a brand audit is a continuous exercise and must be undertaken regularly. Useful prompts can include:
- Daylight saving – Check your brand.
- End of calendar / tax year – Check your brand.
So, the next time you feel that your business is chugging, not purring, it could be a clear sign that you need to audit your brand. Look out for the following:
- Website traffic is down.
- New followers on your social channels are down.
- New business has slowed.
- Existing clients are less engaged.
- General enquiries are less common.
- Things just feel stale.
Wherever you are on your brand journey, we can help you get further. If you think your brand would benefit from an audit to start the year in the right way, then get in touch. We’ll make it happen.
