1. WHY SHOULD YOU DO THIS BRAND CHECKUP?

2. INSTRUCTIONS

3. BRAND CHECKUP QUESTIONS COVER

1. Branding 101:

Our company clearly understands what a brand is, how “branding” is different from “marketing,” and what is necessary to create a great brand experience.

🔹 What this means: A brand is more than just a logo—it’s how people feel about your business. Branding is about identity and reputation, while marketing is how you promote it.

💡 Example: Imagine Bella Bakes, an online bakery. If she changes her logo, but keeps her signature pastel color palette, fun Instagram tone, and excellent packaging, customers still recognize it’s her brand. However, if she suddenly switches to dark colors and a corporate tone, customers might get confused.

📌 Quick Check: If you changed your logo today, would customers still recognize your brand through your packaging, social media, or website?

2. Key Core Competencies:

We know clearly where we naturally, easily, and consistently excel. We avoid products and/or services for which we do not have differentiated core expertise or knowledge.

🔹 What this means: Your brand should be known for one or two things it does exceptionally well. Trying to do too much weakens your focus.

💡 Example: SwiftFix Car Wash started as a mobile car wash service and became popular because they clean cars at home or work. If they suddenly added car repair and tire sales, they might confuse customers and lose their unique edge.

📌 Quick Check: Are you offering too many different services that don’t align with your brand’s strength?

3. Target Market & Competition:

We clearly understand the “burning problem” our target market experiences every day, and we are committed to help our target market solve that problem. We understand clearly where our competition is weak (and strong) in our market space, and the opportunities and threats that this creates for us.

🔹 What this means: Your brand should solve a clear problem for a specific audience. You should also understand what makes you different from competitors.

💡 Example: EcoStyle Fashion, an e-commerce store, sells sustainable and vegan handbags. Their competitors sell cheaper, synthetic bags. EcoStyle markets itself to eco-conscious shoppers who are willing to pay more for sustainability.

📌 Quick Check: Can you define in one sentence how your business is different from competitors?

4. Brand Positioning & Brand Promise: We understand the concept of brand positioning, our positioning is clearly articulated, and we actively and regularly review our positioning. Our brand promise is our “true north.” It acts as a guide light for us, and it deeply resonates with our target market. We have a system in place to monitor how well we keep that promise.

🔹 What this means: Your brand positioning is how you want to be seen, and your brand promise is the commitment you make to customers.

💡 Example: FreshFix Meal Kits promises healthy, 15-minute meals with local ingredients. If they suddenly add junk food snacks, they break their brand promise and lose trust.

📌 Quick Check: If someone asks, "What does your business stand for?" can you answer clearly in one sentence?

5. Brand Personality: We understand our brand personality, brand archetype, and story. We apply all of these to our branding and marketing.

🔹 What this means: Just like people, brands have personalities—they can be fun, serious, luxurious, or friendly. Your brand’s personality should stay consistent everywhere.

💡 Example: CozyPaws Pet Grooming has a warm, friendly brand that uses playful language and pastel colors. If they suddenly switched to a professional, serious tone like a corporate vet clinic, it would feel off-brand.

📌 Quick Check: If someone reads your social media, website, and emails, do they all sound like the same "personality"?

6. Core Brand Values: We understand our core brand values, and we do not waver from them. They form our DNA and our non-negotiables as a culture.

🔹 What this means: Your values define your brand culture and build trust with customers.

💡 Example: GreenNest Cleaning Services promises eco-friendly home cleaning with non-toxic products. If customers find out they use regular chemical cleaners, they would lose trust and damage their reputation.

📌 Quick Check: Are your business practices matching your core values, or are there inconsistencies?

7. Marketing Strategy: We understand how branding and marketing are symbiotic, and we have developed a marketing strategy that maximizes this symbiotic relationship.

🔹 What this means: Branding is the foundation, and marketing is how you communicate it. They should work together to attract the right audience.

💡 Example: Summit Fitness, a high-end gym, brands itself as exclusive and premium. But if they start running cheap discount ads on Facebook, it confuses customers and cheapens their brand.

📌 Quick Check: Is your marketing aligned with the brand image you want to maintain?

8. Design: Quality & Consistency: We understand the power of world-class design, and we get compliments regularly on our visual branding across all media and channels. We are committed to the key competitive advantage of design excellence. Our visual brand across all media—print, web, and mobile—all form a powerful, consistent, and coherent picture of exactly who we are, and what sets our solution apart.

🔹 What this means: Your website, social media, business cards, and packaging should all have a consistent look and feel.

💡 Example: Luxe Glow Skincare has elegant black-and-gold branding on its website, but its Instagram page has bright, colorful neon designs. This inconsistency makes customers unsure if they’re interacting with the same brand.

📌 Quick Check: If someone visited your website and social media separately, would they immediately know it's from the same company?

9. Social Media Branding: We understand how to leverage the power of our brand on social media, and we have a consistent brand footprint across all social media.

🔹 What this means: Your brand should have the same name, logo, colors, and message across all social media platforms.

💡 Example: TidyHome Organizers, a home organization business, uses professional images and minimalist branding on Instagram. However, their Facebook page is full of low-quality photos and outdated branding, making them look unprofessional.

📌 Quick Check: Do your social media pages look unified, or does each platform feel like a different brand?

10. Brand Vision-casting: 
We spend enough time brainstorming, dreaming, and strategizing about what our brand can be and how it can delight people — and how we will make it happen.

🔹 What this means: Great brands don’t just exist—they grow and evolve with time.

💡 Example: BoxyCharm Jewelry, a small handmade jewelry brand, started with only rings. They planned to expand into necklaces and bracelets over three years, following a clear vision of growing into a luxury jewelry brand.

📌 Quick Check: Do you have a 1-3 year plan for how your brand will grow?

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