When it comes to lifestyle brands, you are telling your customer the story of your brand. As the business owner you most likely have a thorough understanding of your brand’s values. But it doesn’t matter how well thought out they are if you aren’t able to effectively communicate them to your customers. This is where a brand audit can be useful. A brand audit allows you to imagine your brand from the perspective of your customers and this will give you a clear understanding of whether or not your brand is saying and doing everything you want it to.
If you’re really serious about taking your lifestyle brand to the next level, consider getting a brand audit from an experienced Brand Designer.
Why brand audits are so useful for lifestyle brands
Your company brand is “your story, values, logo design and colours, slogan, website, social media presence, email presence, content strategy, employees, and your company culture.” An in-depth brand audit will allow you to see clearly whether or not these aspects of your branding are attracting your ideal clients. When conducting brand audits for my clients the goal is to end up with a clear understanding of your branding and how effective it currently is. As the business owner you might not want to hear about how ineffective your branding is and I get it. Your business is your baby, but if you can keep an open mind a brand audit can reveal opportunities for significant growth.
What is involved in the process of a brand audit?
Everyone will be slightly different but I like to break down branding into three sections for my clients:
- Internal branding – You want to be looking at your brand values and mission and how these factors contribute to your overall brand identity. This means checking that the brand values are reflected in the logo, website and social media, printed marketing materials, and any proposals or invoices (digital collateral). It also includes company culture and how you onboard any new employees.
- External branding – You also need to be looking at your logo, colour palette, and typography to ensure it aligns with your values/mission. This means making sure these external elements embody your brand, are aesthetically pleasing, memorable and functional. This stage also includes the company backstory and any customer-facing marketing materials.
- Customer Experience –
Now it’s time to look at everything your customer comes into contact with on their journey with you and your brand. This can include invoices, business cards, Ts&Cs, price lists, quote forms etc. The same questions from the external branding stage should be applied to these aspects of your brand to ensure a high quality of customer service that is consistent with your brand image.
For most brands but especially lifestyle brands, consistency is really important. This means the branding needs to be consistent across all channels and you will need a targeted market strategy to reach your target audience’s preferences and requirements. You need to consistently resonate with your target audience by honing in on their values and aspirations.
What is involved in the process of a brand audit?
First of all, you need to know the exact purpose of the brand audit – what do you want to analyse? If you feel overwhelmed at this stage try using a mind map to note everything down. Ask yourself, what is the ultimate goal of this audit? Identify the specific areas of your branding that you think need the most attention and start here.
You need to focus on what you want to achieve so that you can create a plan. This plan should outline goals and objectives, key aspects of branding, and the platforms needed for these. Don’t just think generally. For example, “what does good branding need to do”, we’ve gone over that. Think specifically about your brand, your unique perspective, your ideal customers, and also their unique perspective. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to brand audits and you need to get specific to succeed.
If you feel like you need more information you can try collecting feedback from clients (and employees). Carrying out surveys and collecting data will help shape your branding strategy. You can also research competing brands to get an idea of how your brand fits into the market you are part of. However, always remember how unique your brand is and that this is your biggest strength! Don’t get lost in trying to be more like the competition.
After receiving/reading/finalising your brand audit, I always emphasise to my clients the importance of tracking your progress. It will take time for you to see the results of any changes you made during your brand audit but once you have the results you should start analysing. There is no point doing all that work and just hoping for the best. Sometimes we don’t get things right on the first try and this is why it’s so important to re-evaluate, see what’s working and what isn’t, and to accept the fact that your branding is not set in stone. The biggest brands are constantly evolving, re-inventing themselves and making little tweaks here and there as times, trends and tastes change.
What is involved in the process of a brand audit?
Use this blog as a starting point if you want to try and conduct an audit of your own branding. But if you’re serious about growing your business in 2024 and want to review your brand with the help of an expert, let’s have a chat about your lifestyle brand today.
