If your brand was a cup of coffee, what type of coffee would it be? So, we’re asking: How can a brand audit refresh your business?

Imagine stepping into your favourite coffee shop. A welcome smile awaits, and the familiar aroma reminds you this is the place where you are delighted to spend the next hour simply relaxing.

You know the coffee experience will be perfect, just as you like it because it always is. The smooth, rich flavour sets you up for the rest of the day. One thing’s for sure, you’ll be back – again and again and again.

But, life’s not always full of the perfect coffee experience, is it?

Along the way, you’ve probably tried dishwater that claimed to be coffee.

At least you have a suspicion it’s going to be dire, so you can choose to refuse. Unlike the cup of coffee that’s full of promise, the first bitter sip is just wholly disappointing.

Just as your coffee shop can set your expectations from the get-go – including the ambience of the coffee shop, the design of the cup, and the look, smell and taste of your chosen latte, cappuccino or espresso, equally, your customers have an expectation as they familiarise themselves and interact with your brand.

Where along the coffee scale does your brand sit?

It’s a serious question to consider. How eye-catching, inspiring and dependable the interactions your prospects and customers have with your brand, will determine how successful your business is.

How do you know where your brand is on the coffee scale?

The answer is a Brand Audit.

Conducting a brand audit is a worthwhile exercise. There are many benefits. You can:

• Double-check that your brand accurately reflects the business as it is today (not how it was when you first started out)
• Determine how outsiders perceive your brand (it may be different from what you think)
• Make small adjustments to correct misalignments and avoid misunderstandings
• See how you stand up against your competitors. What do they do well? How can you counteract that?
• Check that your brand will take the business into the future
• Ensure your brand encourages loyalty from your customers
• Retain and attract the best employees

Gather the evidence.

The first step of a brand audit is to gather and list the evidence.

Start with the obvious:

• All tangible marketing materials including business cards, flyers, brochures, letterhead
• Your business plan
• Your business story
• Brand guidelines (colours, fonts) READ OUR BLOG ON BRAND GUIDELINES
• Website including a list of all domains
• Signage

Then the less obvious:

• Keywords
• Email Signature
• Invoices
• Vehicles (wrapped, clean)
• How does your business answer the telephone, and what is your voice message?
• What do people see when you pop up on the Internet? Check your Google account and online directories you registered with many years ago.

A useful way to build this list is to think about all the touchpoints a prospect has from first becoming aware of your business through to when they become a customer and a returning loyal customer.

Review your list

Having gathered the evidence, the next step is to review it. You may scatter the hard copy marketing material on a table. What does it say? Dishwater, or strong and robust? Is it consistent?

When did you last update your website content?
Does it reflect an accurate image of the business?
Are all other online instances consistent?

How do your employees perceive your brand?
Ask your customers too, if you can. What do they think?

Now, write a brief report of your findings. The framework of a SWOT analysis could be helpful here.

You may be quite attached to your brand. After all, it’s your baby. Nevertheless, it’s important to keep an open mind throughout the review.  This is when a third party’s opinion will be most useful. Of course, you can do a DIY brand audit, but when you consider the benefits that this review brings to the business the opinion and advice of a brand specialist completes the job properly.

We invite you to take the Brand/Coffee test.

By now you’ve probably realised we are just as passionate about our coffee as we are about creating desirable brands.

If you’re serious about creating a strong and trusted brand, get in touch, and let’s arrange a chat over a nice cup of coffee.

Contact us for a FREE Brand Audit

Please give us a call at 07813 33978 and let us know what you need. Alternatively, complete our FREE Brand Audit and let us talk through how your brand can work for you during these challenging times.