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If you’ve never worked with a marketing agency before, you might be surprised to see a Brand Audit line in the proposal when you reach out for marketing services. Your first thoughts might be, “Wait, I didn’t order this. Why are they including a brand audit in my estimate? I only need to gain new clients, and a Google Ads campaign would do just fine. Or, I just want a new logo. Why do you I need a brand audit for that?”
Our response? A brand audit might be more helpful than you think.
Here are a few reasons why a brand audit is a good idea, especially if you’ve never done one, or have never worked with a professional marketing agency in the past.
No matter the size of your business, whether you’re a start-up or a company that has been around for a while,the chances are there are some blind spots in your marketing that will prevent you from being effective and growth-focused. Here are a few of them:
Your Marketing Strategy
First of all, it’s important to recognize that when we say “brand audit,” it doesn’t mean that we will be analyzing the colours of your logo or the design of your business cards. Yes, this could be included in the audit, however, the primary goal of a brand audit is to analyze how integrated your marketing strategy is. During a brand audit, we ask questions like:
- Is your message clear and consistent?
- Is your brand consistent and aligned with your business goals?
- How does your business show up in Google when people search for it?
- Do you utilize all Google tools to improve your brand’s visibility online?
- Have you considered your customer’s sales journey?
- Have you tailored your messaging toward each step of the journey?
Failing to considera complete picture of how your brand is performing is not only a short-sighted decision, but it’s also irresponsible, as far as we’re concerned. Every marketing campaign should work toward your business goals in a well-strategized manner, first and foremost.
Your Competition
Your competitors come in two forms: the ones you know about and the ones who show up on Google when people search for services similar to yours. And yes, those can be different. This is actually one of the most common blind spots to be aware of.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- How does your business measure up to your competition?
- Have you done a competitive analysis in the last year?
- Can you name 3 online competitors and their USP off the top of your head? It’s shocking how often businesses managers don’t know their competition or say that they don’t have any… to that we reply, saying that you have no competitors is nearly impossible!
If you don’t have formal research on what your competition is doing, and what it will take to actually compete with them you are missing out!
It’s shocking how often businesses managers don’t know their competition or say that they don’t have any…
Website Performance Audit
Last but not least: your website. When was it designed? Was it designed by a professional web design agency or a friend you know? There’s nothing wrong with hiring a friend to design your website—if they are a professional web designer—,but there’s a huge difference between hiring a web design agency and a web design freelancer. You will (almost) always save costs by going with a freelancer, but there are reasons for that. A web design agency works to ensure that your website acts as a smart, streamlined business tool that brings you sales. Without their help, you might end up under the illusion that your website is bringing in business when it is really just an online business card.
This is the reason why we always recommend a brand audit for new clients. If you’ve never done it – do it – it’s like a general health check up for your body. Which you also should do, if you haven’t done it in a while!
If you are curious if your website has all the necessary components of being a cool website – go ahead and download our ebook on that below. It’s a pretty one, too!
These are some reasons why we always recommend a brand audit for new clients. If you’ve never done it, do it! It’s like a general health check-up for your body (which you should also do if you haven’t done it in a while)!
Plus, if you are curious whether your website has what it takes to be considered a cool website, go ahead and download our ebook on that very topic below. Don’t miss out on the chance to have your website stand out above the rest.
Curious to know what we can do to help you grow your business? Has it been a while since you did a brand audit? Or maybe you’ve never done one ever? Give us a call (604-559-7509) or stop by our marketing agency in Vancouver—we always have chocolate!
Curious to know what we can do to help you grow your business? Has it been a while since you reviewed your marketing strategy? Or maybe you’ve never done it before altogether? Give us a call (604-559-7509) or stop by our marketing agency in Vancouver – we always have chocolate!