Creating a Comprehensive Brand Audit Template
A brand audit is necessary for evaluating a brand’s identity, position in the market, and communication strategies. This is no simple task, so a well-designed brand audit template can help provide structure for an effective audit.
Introduction to the Brand Audit Template
Following a template makes it easier for teams to collaborate during the auditing process and target relevant sections of the document.
A comprehensive template should follow this brand audit checklist:
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Assess brand consistency: Consider whether the brand’s visual communication style matches its business objectives and company values. Brand assets should present a consistent, clear message.
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Identify strengths and weaknesses: In which areas does the branding strategy excel, and where could it use improvement?
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Research competitors: Who are the market leaders and what branding strategies do they employ? Where are the opportunities for differentiation?
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Describe customer perception: What are your customer’s preferences, needs, and expectations? How can your branding values help you engage better with customers?
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Inform decision-making: What are the key insights and data points that can guide future branding and marketing initiatives?
A brand audit template covering these key areas will be an essential resource for teams across an organization.
Structuring Your Brand Audit Template
While brand audit templates will vary according to industry or company size, they should always emphasize clarity and simplicity in both design and content. Remember, the template should be easily digested by anyone in your organization, regardless of their branding or marketing expertise.
Here’s a brand audit example outline you can follow:
Brand Identity
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Company name and other basic info
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Mission statement, company vision, values, taglines, keywords
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Value proposition
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Brand personality and brand voice
Visual Identity
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Logo
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Color palette
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Typography
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Visual assets
Audience
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Target audience
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Customer personas
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Website traffic analytics
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Social media analytics
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Customer perception and feedback
Competitors
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Competitor landscape
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Competitor branding strengths and weaknesses
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Market opportunities
Reflection
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Key takeaways
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Branding successes
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Areas for improvement
As often as possible, include visual references and quantitative data that help document your findings. Digital asset management (DAM) platforms are helpful for brand management and organizing visual assets in one place for easy reference.
Customization for Industry Relevance
The template above is a general guideline and should be tailored to match industry-specific needs.
For example, a digital media company will be more concerned with Instagram engagement rates compared to an HR solutions provider. The HR solutions provider will likely emphasize web traffic or LinkedIn metrics in its brand audit.
The same practice should be applied to brand audit frequency. While brand audits can be conducted at any time and should ideally be carried out on an annual basis, there are specific contexts that increase the need for an audit. These include:
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Rebrands, when a company wants to refresh its visual identity or brand voice
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Expansions, when a company wants to target new audiences or enter new markets
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Mergers or acquisitions, when a company needs to adopt a different visual identity or incorporate another brand’s assets
Incorporating Stakeholder Insights Into the Template
Before creating your template, engage key stakeholders and get their input on the types of insights they want to see gathered during the brand audit. This includes both internal and external sources, as different parties will have priorities that should be represented in the template.
Here are some strategies for gathering stakeholder insights from internal and external sources:
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Conduct internal surveys and interviews with executives, marketing teams, designers, or customer service representatives.
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Organize workshops or brainstorming sessions to encourage idea-sharing among different departments.
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Reach out to customers with surveys to gain an understanding of your brand’s public perception.
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Consult industry experts or hire external consultants who specialize in brand audits.
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Monitor social media channels and other online sources of information like reviews, comments, or forum discussions to better understand your brand perception.
By gathering information from a diverse range of sources, you’ll be better equipped to understand your brand’s strengths and weaknesses.
Technology Integration for Template Efficiency
There are a variety of tools that you can use for template creation and management. A quick search online will reveal hundreds of brand audit templates that you can download or use to guide your template creation process.
When it comes to filling out the template, take advantage of digital asset management software to streamline the data collection and analysis process. DAM platforms serve as the backbone of your content management strategy, providing a single source of truth for all your brand assets.
To ensure that your brand audit template remains user-friendly and accessible, follow these tips:
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Keep it simple and avoid jargon
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Use clear headings and sections
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Include guidelines for filling out the template
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Consider usability across different devices
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Include examples or tooltips
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Remain consistent with general brand guidelines
Iterative Use and Continuous Improvement
Brand audits are not meant to be a one-off task. In fact, they continue to increase in value over multiple cycles, rewarding you with deeper insights the more often they’re conducted.
By adopting a cyclical approach to brand auditing and using the same base template, you can track changes over time and learn from past behavior.
Take a cue from Coca-Cola’s playbook, one of the most successful branding experiments in history. Over its 130-year history, the beverage company has continuously reviewed and refined its image and messaging tactics to reach customers in markets all across the globe.
Regularly conducting brand audit template reviews and updates allows you to:
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Keep up with market changes
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Identify areas for improvement
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Track brand evolution
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Learn from past behavior
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Engage stakeholders with data and insights
