The Key Benefits of a Brand Assessment and How to Conduct Your Own

When someone chooses a brand, they are making a personal statement about themselves. The stores they shop in, the products they buy, the cars they drive, and even the causes they support. All of these choices and more help create someone’s identity and public persona. Perhaps most significantly, these investments evoke feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction.

A brand’s longevity is directly linked to the strength of its mission, identity, and community relationships. However, brands are built from a foundation of trust and promise that ultimately involve the consumer’s emotional bonds and positive interactions.

The better you understand your audience the better you’ll be able to serve them. Seems so simple, right? Here’s where it becomes complicated - this involves people. Like brands, people grow, change, and evolve. Ask yourself, “How well do you really know your clientele?” People make anecdotal assumptions all the time. Don’t fall for it. In order for you to truly understand how your brand makes someone feel, you must go directly to the source.

A brand assessment analyzes your brand’s identity, performance, and perceptions. It’s an excellent tool for organizations wanting to examine their position in the marketplace, identify their brand’s strengths and weaknesses, and maximize strategic growth opportunities. It’s a process that involves data, research, community input, and time, but don’t let that stop you. Anyone can conduct a brand assessment, and here’s how:

Step 1: List three things you expect to learn from the process that will support your organization's long-term goals. It can be anything that you believe is necessary to know about your brand. Perhaps you want to develop a deeper understanding of your audience and why they chose your brand. Maybe you’d like to learn more about the marketplace and your brand’s position in it. Just be sure you’re taking a big picture approach, and you’re aligned with your vision.

Step 2: Examine the external brand marketing and assess it for consistency, clarity, and tone. Decide what you’re going to review and determine if it supports your overall marketing strategy. This includes everything your audience sees like the website, logos, events, emails, social media, ads, etc. Determine if the tone is consistent throughout your content. Does the messaging reflect your purpose? Is your creative collateral aligned? All these and more will help you evaluate if your tactics are indeed supporting your strategy.

Step 3: Evaluate brand performance and compare it against your goals. Determine what you want to measure; this will involve data, analytics, and a timeframe. Your metrics should directly correlate with your brand’s purpose and connect with targeted actions. These metrics will provide quantifiable data that can be used to gain valuable insights about the impact of your tactics, what’s trending in the marketplace, and areas for improvement.

Step 4: Analyze brand perceptions and learn what your audience believes about you.

Consumer perceptions are formed through direct contact, experiences, online reviews, social media, word of mouth, and more. When a brand delivers or exceeds expectations it can foster a relationship that will hopefully lead to a lifetime of loyalty. Establish what your audience believes about your brand and how it makes them feel. Brand surveys, focus groups, and social media monitoring are great ways to better understand how your audience feels about your brand and the areas you might need to adjust.

Brands are ever-changing and must remain vigilant about their promise, persona, and perceptions to retain a loyal following and remain relevant in the marketplace. Conducting a brand assessment is a process that involves time and resources that can often feel scarce, but are ultimately worth the price.

Not sure where to begin? Contact me for a complimentary consultation. Founded specializes in providing professional nonprofit branding and community engagement services. Let Founded help you strengthen your brand and advance your mission.

Here’s to everyone willing and wanting to make a difference!

Lisa :)