Unleashing the Power of Data: The Importance of a Brand Audit

Branding

Aug 24

We’re proud of the personal touch we deliver with every client interaction.

Data doesn’t get us as deep in our feels, but it’s imperative to successful branding and marketing.

Data Analysis: The Key to Successful Marketing

Analyzing data may not sound edgy or sexy, but discovering what works and what doesn’t in your marketing strategy allows you to make some explosively successful decisions. A thorough brand audit can change your world. You don’t need a team of highly paid data scientists to uncover the truth about your branding and marketing strategies.

Conducting a thorough and valuable brand analysis takes time and diligence, but having a structure and plan for conquering that mountain of data means you can take it all one step at a time..

hiker with backpack crossing bridge in the wilderness

The Art of SWOT Analysis

To that end, we suggest using a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)! A SWOT analysis allows you to dive deep into that critical data to find out what's working, what's not, and what you can do about it!

When it comes to SWOT - take your time! Think about the answers to your questions rather than jumping to quick conclusions and easy solutions. Try to block out your business biases. This is your chance to make a real difference in whether you're ascending that marketing goal summit or simply spinning your wheels.

Ready to jump into that brand audit? We'll help you start!

The First Step: Understanding Your Brand

First, we will conduct an in-depth study of your branding and marketing strategies.

We'll consider your target audiences, what pain points you aim to hit, and why they choose you over a competitor.

Then we'll think about how and where you're delivering your message. Are you using social media (and if not, why)? Do you have a brand style guide so your team can present a unified message? How do you answer the phone?

This leads us to another important point: check out your competitors. What are they doing differently than you? How do they position themselves as the right choice for their customers? Is it working? If so, why?

Discovering if what you're doing is effective helps you decide between staying the course or seeking new inspiration to lead you in a different direction.

Evaluating Your Brand Perceptions

Next, take time to examine your current brand perceptions. Do you perceive your business as others perceive it?

You put communications into the world daily with every customer interaction, newsletter, and social media post. You know what you mean to say. The question is, do others?

Rest assured, if this core question sets off a slight existential panic, we've got you!

An easy place to start? Brand research!

Online surveys or interviewing your audience can be quick and painless.

Start within! Ask your employees and any shareholders or others with financial or other interests in your business how they perceive your brand. Contact existing or potential clients, trusted vendors, or industry experts.

The SWOT Analysis in Action

When conducting a brand audit for clients, we gather our trusty data and ask tough questions.

→ Where do the client's strengths lie? We look at what makes them unique and how that translates to success.

→ How about weaknesses? Did the data point to any holes in the current strategy? Having an outside view can be vital to minimizing biases.

→ Where are the opportunities? Remember, you can reframe weaknesses as opportunities to do better!

→ What about threats? We look at industry changes, challenges your audiences may be facing, and shifts in the algorithms in the marketing channels being used. Threats can also be opportunities to change course and align better with your goals.