What is a brand? Is it a logo? A name or slogan? A graphic design or color scheme?
Your brand is the entire experience your prospects and customers have with your company. Its what you stand for, a promise you make, and the personality you convey. And while it includes your logo, color palette and slogan, those are only creative elements that convey your brand. In B2B companies, your brand lives in every day-to-day interaction you have with your market he ima!es you convey he messa!es you deliver on your website, proposals and sales materials he way your employees interact with customers A customers opinion o! you versus your competition In your industry, there may or may not be a strong B2B brand. But when you put two companies up against each other, the one that represents something valuable will have an easier time reaching, engaging, closing and retaining customers. A strong brand strategy can be a big advantage. "ave you ever audited your brand? I! you#re not sure whether you#re communicating it e$ectively and consistently, this e%ercise can help you match your goals to what the market sees, hears and e%periences. "ummary #$#%CI"# "&''A%Y (hen to Address I! you#re a company with a product&service in the already in the marketplace, you#ve completed your competitive positioning and are ready to de'ne your brand strategy I! you#re missing your revenue targets and are unsure why I! you#re planning on revising some o! your brand creative elements Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page ) o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com Note + I! you haven#t yet launched your product, move to ,%ercise 2- + *hoose )our Brand .ype (ho "hould +articipate Business leaders company !ounders, owners, presidents and vice presidents /arketing and sales leaders /arketing coordinators and sales reps (here to &se the %esults 0eview your results and use the rest o! the Brand (trategy e%ercises to update or improve your brand strategy. (hy its Important )our brand should bring your competitive positioning to li!e and capture the mindshare o! your slice o! the market. It#s challenging to do well, but immensely valuable when done so. (trong brands create tremendous economic goodwill on company balance sheets. (hat Builds &pon it All o! your interactions with the marketplace imeframe to Completion A !ew days to a !ew weeks, depending on your situation +otential Business Impact "igh ,eliverable )ou#ll determine the view o! your brand !rom inside and outside your company and map out a plan to correct any ine1ciency. -ext "teps I! your brand strategy needs improvement, continue with the rest o! the e%ercises in Brand (trategy. ar!et Completion ,ate +A%ICI+A-" Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page * o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com +A%ICI+A-" A"." / 0# "A%#, +#%"/- %#"+/-"IB1# ,&# ,A# -otes Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page 2 o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com Audit Your Current Brand (hat to Complete ). "&''A%I3# Y/&% B%A-, *. A&,I Y/&% B%A-, I-#%-A11Y 2. A&,I Y/&% B%A-, #$#%-A11Y 4. A-A1Y3# A&,I %#"&1" (here it 5its in Brand "trate!y (ummari2e )our Brand Audit )our Brand Internally Audit )our Brand ,%ternally Analy2e Audit 0esults *hoose Brand .ype *on'rm )our 3alue 4roposition (elect a Brand .heme 5etermine 3alue o! )our 6eatures 7 Bene'ts *hart )our ,motional Bene'ts 5etermine What )our Brand /eans *reate )our Brand 4ersonality .raits *reate )our Brand 4romise 5e'ne )our Brand (trategy *reate )our Brand 4ositioning (tatements Write )our Brand (tory (elect Brand 3isual 0e8uirements Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page 4 o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com /atch 3isual 0e8uirements to ,%isting Brand 5e'ne Brand 9perational 0e8uirements /atch 9perational 0e8uirements to ,%isting Brand ). "&''A%I3# Y/&% B%A-, .he 'rst step in your brand audit is to have your leadership team summari2e your brand. )ou#ll use this to compare to the results o! your internal and e%ternal surveys. I! you#re not sure how to answer some o! the brand strategy 8uestions, you may want to take more time to !ully de'ne your brand strategy before conducting your brand audit. .hat#s 'ne, and i! you#d like to do so, :ump to ,%ercise 2- + *hoose )our Brand .ype. A!ter you#ve completed the rest o! the Brand (trategy e%ercises, return to this step and enter your results. B%A-, "&''A%Y +A%ICI+A-" (hat is our value proposition6 +%I'A%Y 7A1&# +%/+/"II/- "#C/-,A%Y 7A1&# +%/+/"II/- (hat are the most powerful emotional bene8ts we deliver to our customers6 Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page 9 o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com (hat are the three thin!s our brand should mean to our customers6 ) * 2 (hat are our se!ments !reatest pains6 (hat are 8ve human :brand personality; traits that describe how we want the market to view our brand6 B%A-, +#%"/-A1IY %AI" ) * 2 4 9 (hat is our brand promise6 /ur *9<word brand positionin! statement =a statement that captures the concepts above> is? Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page @ o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com Aere is our brand story? I! you#re a small company and the ma:ority o! your team participated in this section, then you may decide to use this as your internal brand audit and can :ump to part ; o! this e%ercise. *. A&,I Y/&% B%A-, I-#%-A11Y "ow do your employees and stakeholders view your brand? .o gain a better understanding, conduct an internal brand audit. .his will help determine i! your company clearly understands your brand strategy. .he survey comple%ity and number o! participants will depend upon your company situation. )ou#ll want enough detail to evaluate the true perception and a large enough sample si2e to make sure that the results are relevant. 6irst, list the people who can participate in your survey. I! you#re sending your survey to more than ;< people, store them in a spreadsheet. C&"/'#%" 7#-,/%" #'+1/Y##" Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page B o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com C&"/'#%" 7#-,/%" #'+1/Y##" "&%7#Y 5/%'A =e%t, determine your survey !ormat. )ou have a number o! options to choose !rom CA//"# Y/&% '#A/, ,#AI1 +%/" C/-" #mail &se an online survey pro!ram like www.2oomeran g.com or www. (urveymonkey. com to launch your survey and tally your results ,asy to set up "elps you structure your survey 8uestions .abulates responses >ets you pass hidden 'elds to your responses so you can group them >ow cost /ay need to be deployed several times to get people to respond 3iewed as impersonal =eeds a compelling headline and intro to get people to participate 'ail "end a self< addressed stamped envelope with a cover letter and a paper survey /ore space to create a compelling message, to thank the customer !or participating, and communicate any incentives /ay be better than email !or reaching customers who don#t use computers =eeds to look very pro!essional /ay be viewed as tedious 5oesn#t 't with the ?innovation@ value proposition Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page C o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com CA//"# Y/&% '#A/, ,#AI1 +%/" C/-" +hone +lace calls directly or use a third party to make impartial calls Areat way to get detailed answers and probe !or more in!ormation as needed /ay bring to your attention unhappy customers who you can help immediately 5issatis'ed customers may be uncom!ortable telling employees about their issues *ustomers voicing a concern to another live person o!ten e%pect action to be taken immediately Combin <ation Contact the customer via two methods + !or e%ample, call or email them about a survey, then send it by mail Improving awareness will improve your response rate 0ein!orces the importance you place on customer loyalty 9$ers another chance to communicate with your customers /ore costly "&%7#Y 5/%'A %#A"/-I-0 7#-,/% Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page D o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com "&%7#Y E&#"I/-" A!ter choosing your delivery method, create your 8uestions. (ome suggested 8uestions are below. .hey#re designed as open-ended 8uestions rather than multiple choice or ratings so that you gain true unsolicited, uncolored !eedback. .hese work well with a !airly small group o! survey recipients Bas you#ll need to manually evaluate each response and assign it a rating a!terwardC, but it will lead to more accurate, actionable results. I! your survey is large, consider closed-ended 8uestions with ratings on a scale o! - to D or check bo%es. E&#"I/- C/''#-" -. What do you think Einsert your product or company nameF stands !or? 2. What are the key bene'ts Eproduct&companyF delivers? ;. "ow would you describe your e%perience in working with Eproduct&companyF? G. When purchasing !rom&working with Eproduct&companyF, what#s a word or phrase that describes what you e%pect !rom us each time? D. I! Einsert your product or company nameF were a person, how would you describe him&her? What human personality traits match the brand? H. What is the main thing your think o! when you hear Einsert your product or company nameF? I. 9ther J. 9ther %#"+/-"# %A# Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )F o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com )ou don#t need to collect a survey !rom every recipient. Instead, you#re aiming !or a ?statistically valid sample si2e,@ or the number o! responses you need to be able to con'dently apply those results to your entire group o! customers. (tatistics is a comple% 'eld, and consumer marketers must take into account all sorts o! calculations to accurately measure and apply their results. .here are a number o! key metrics !or a B2B marketer to consider, including he total number of people to whom you want to apply the survey results BAC he G of those people who respond to your survey BBC When your ?total number o! people@ BAC is very small, you need a higher percentage o! them to respond BBC to be con'dent in your results. I! A is very large, then you can con'dently use a smaller percentage. (tatisticians and researchers use the term ?con'dence rating@ to indicate how statistically accurate a survey#s results can be considered. KDL is a standard con'dence goal. 0roup youre !oin! to survey -umber of potential respondents in this !roup =A> =population> G who should respond to the survey =B> -umber of completed surveys desired =C H AIB> It#s very di1cult to estimate a response rate i! you haven#t done a similar campaign to a similar group o! people. (ome !actors to keep in mind A phone survey will deliver the hi!hest response rate but will be the most e%pensive survey to implement. )ou can probably reach J<L o! your list, depending on the amount o! time you spend making calls. A mail survey will produce a far lower response rate than phone. )ou can raise your response rate by calling or emailing recipients ahead o! time and asking them to respond. An email survey is very simple for participants but is subJect to the same factors as any other email campai!n + you need a compelling headline and a solid message to get them to participate rather than delete. An email survey is the least personal !or the recipient, and thus the recipient may not take as much care with the responses. If you oKer an incentive, you can dramatically increase your response. Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )) o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com -umber of completed surveys needed =C> +roJected minimum response rate =,> =as a decimal> -umber of surveys to send out =C L ,> As you get ready to launch your survey, here are a !ew additional tips to keep in mind I+" -/#" I! you#re not using an online survey system, set up your worksheet to tabulate your results B#5/%# you 8naliMe your survey. .hat way you can make sure you#re asking your 8uestions in a way that can be captured and measured in your spreadsheet. 4eople are busy. .eep the survey as short as possible. Ask people to respond within a fairly short but fair period of time N for example, )F days. A deadline is important or else the piece may end up in a pile o! unimportant mail. I! the deadline comes and goes and you haven#t received your minimum number o! surveys, call or email the people who havent responded and ask them i! they#re willing to help you improve. Consider providin! an incentive to respond. hank recipients who invested the time to participate. A personal note, a letter or even a small thank-you gi!t is a simple but e$ective gesture. %#C/''#-,AI/-" Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )* o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com When your surveys are in, tabulate them into a report and create your plan !or acting on the in!ormation. +urpose of survey ,ate 'ethod used A B C , 0roups tar!eted -umber of surveys sent per !roup -umber of completed surveys received %esponse rate -umber of surveys needed for statistical validity L met6 Con8dence level Attach a copy o! the survey and a copy o! the results. 2. A&,I Y/&% B%A-, #$#%-A11Y =ow, survey your customers, vendors, partners and any !ormer customers or other e%ternal market participants you#re able to reach. 0epeat the survey steps !rom part 2 o! this e%ercise, but revise any o! the 8uestions to !ocus on the e%ternal market. 4. A-A1Y3# A&,I %#"&1" A!ter you#ve collected the results, it#s time to analy2e them. )our end goal is to determine i! your e%isting brand strategy matches the market#s perception and your team#s perception o! your brand, and i! it doesn#t, where are the disconnects. "urvey 0roup Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )2 o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com 5etermine how you#ll rate the responses. .his depends upon the survey type and volume o! responses, but your end goal is to evaluate how well the ma:ority o! the responses reMect your brand summary as outlined in section - o! this e%ercise. 0ate the response to each 8uestion on the !ollowing scale
%AI-0" D N the response is an e%tremely strong match to your brand strategy ; N the response is a general match to your brand strategy - N the response does not match your brand strategy at all -&'B#% E&#"I/- %AI-0 - 2 ; G D H I J %#"#A%CA "&''A%Y 0%/&+ A7#%A0# %AI-0 #'+1/Y##" 7#-,/%" C&"/'#% " /A#% Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )4 o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com A11 "A'+1# B#" O (/%" %#"+/-"#" E&#"I/- B#" "&++/%I-0 %#"+/-"#" B#" -/-<"&++/%I-0 %#"+/-"#" ) * 2 G 9 @ B C 5I-A1 A-A1Y"I" 6or each group, determine your results. A-A1Y"I" -#$ "#+" )es *ongratulationsO Peep up the good work. =o *ontinue on with the section to determine how you can strengthen your brand, and then apply it to the materials and messages you use in the market. Q*orporate Identity and /essaging can helpR =ot sure )ou may want to ask !or additional !eedbackS however, i! you#re not sure, then there are probably some areas you can improve. *ontinue with the section to determine how you can strengthen your brand, and then apply it to the materials and messages you use in the market. Q*orporate Identity and /essaging can helpR I! you selected No or Not Sure !or any group, outline the areas that don#t match. Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )9 o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com B%A-, A%#A 0%/&+ I-#%-A1 ,I"C/--#C #$#%-A1 ,I"C/--#C .o resolve any disconnects, continue with the ne%t e%ercises in Brand (trategy. B%A-, C/''&-ICAI/-" )ou may also wish to audit your marketing materials to determine whether you#re consistently conveying your brand promise and personality. .his is also covered is greater depth in ,%ercise 2H + 5e'ne )our 3isual 0e8uirement i! you#d like to address it there. C/%+/%A# I,#-IY Is it consistent with your brand promise6 Is it consistent with your brand personality6 -#$ "#+" >ogo ) = ) = *olors ) = ) = (tationery ) = ) = Business envelopes ) = ) = /ailing labels ) = ) = Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )@ o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com 9ther printed identity ) = ) = 9ther ) = ) = (#B"I# Website ) = ) = +%I-#, 1I#%A&%# *ompany brochure ) = ) = 4roduct&service data sheets ) = ) = White papers ) = ) = *ase studies ) = ) = 0e!erence lists ) = ) = "ard copy newsletter ) = ) = 9ther ) = ) = +%#"#-AI/- 'A#%IA1" 4ower4oint template ) = ) = 4roduct demo ) = ) = 4roduct sample ) = ) = 6olders ) = ) = 9ther ) = ) = #'+1A#" 4roposal template ) = ) = ,mail templates ) = ) = (ales letter templates ) = ) = 9ther ) = ) = I-#%ACI7# //1" ,mail newsletter ) = ) = *ompany blog ) = ) = 0(( !eed ) = ) = 3ideos ) = ) = /A#% //1" 09I calculator ) = ) = I! some o! your materials need improvement, you may want to hone your brand strategy with the rest o! this section be!orehand. Q(ales .ools and >iterature, *opywriting 7 Araphic 5esign, Website and /essaging can help.R Audit Your Current Brand Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )B o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com %eport ). I-#%-A1 B%A-, A&,I %#"&1" *. #$#%-A1 B%A-, A&,I %#"&1" .his report summari2es our results !rom completing ,%ercise 2< + Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand. ). I-#%-A1 B%A-, A&,I %#"&1" Audit ar!ets Audit ype Audit ,ate /ur internal brand audit revealed that? Any disconnects between our brand summary and our audience are as !ollows B%A-, A%#A 0%/&+ I-#%-A1 ,I"C/--#C Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )C o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com .o resolve any disconnects, we plan on addressin! the followin!? I#' ACI7IY 0/A1 *. #$#%-A1 B%A-, A&,I %#"&1" Audit ar!ets Audit ype Audit ,ate /ur external brand audit revealed that? Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )D o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com Any disconnects between our brand summary and our audience are as !ollows B%A-, A%#A 0%/&+ #$#%-A1 ,I"C/--#C .o resolve any disconnects, we plan on addressin! the followin!? I#' ACI7IY 0/A1 Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page *F o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com MORE Ways to Grow Your Business FAST... Found this document useful Continue the conversation, connect with Do It! Marketing founder David Newman, and access more free resources and tools to !row your "usiness# Blo!# http://www.doitmarketing.com/bog Tools# http://www.doitmarketing.com/toos
S$ecial $re%iews& "onuses and !ifts from the book, D! I"! Marketing #$M$C!M, %&'(): Book? http://www.doitmarketing.com/book Get instantly connected to 'a%id for smart ideas to grow *our business: Twitter# http://www.doitmarketing.com/twitter (in)ed*n# http://www.doitmarketing.com/inkedin Face"oo)# http://www.doitmarketing.com/facebook *ma!ine what you could achie%e with MORE leads& BETTER $ros$ects& and B*GGER sales for +!,, *our members, empo*ees, customers, reseers or franchisees. -e can work with *ou in whatever wa* makes the most sense, incuding... Mar)etin! +eynotes or Mar)etin! Seminars to add a !iant dose of "usiness,"uildin! '-A to *our ne.t cor$orate meetin!& customer e%ent or association conference !ur /rofessional Ser%ices Mar)etin! /SM 0.12 .trategic -ork .essions for $rofessional ser%ices firms who want to !row !ur customi/ed 3,on,3 Mar)etin! 4oachin! /ro!ram for "usiness owners who want to estabish themseves as thought0eaders to win more "usiness& more easily and more often You made a %ery smart decision to downoad this resource from our ibrar*. "o M$1IMI23 its impact, put these ideas into action within %4 hours, share them with others on *our team and continua* ask *oursef, How can I APPLY this concept to my own business? *f * can "e $ersonally hel$ful to you& et5s tak. 6ooking forward to connecting! David Newman ": #7'&) 8'709:;4 3: david<doitmarketing.com -: www.doitmarketing.com p.s. If youd like some immediate !"" help no strings, no gimmicks #o online now and get your free Thought Leadership Platform Audit: http$%%www.doitma&ketin#.com%audit Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page *) o! *) More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com