Most business owners know their brand could be better. Few can say exactly where it’s letting them down.
It matters because people judge your business on how it looks before they’ve spoken to you. If the brand looks cheaper than the work, you get knocked down on price, or you never get the call at all.
This is a quick brand audit you can do yourself. Ten plain questions. Answer yes or no and your score adds up as you go. It takes about six minutes.
Only say yes if it’s true today, not if it’s on your to-do list. At the end you get a score out of 100 and what to do about it.
The 10-point brand check
- You can say what you do, and who for, in one sentence. If you can’t, your customers can’t pass you on. Write the sentence, then put it at the top of your website.
- Your logo works when it’s tiny. Phone screen, pen, corner of an invoice. In one colour too. If the detail fills in or the name can’t be read, it needs a simpler version.
- You use the same colours and fonts everywhere. Not “roughly the same blue”. The same blue. Write down the colour codes and font names once, and use nothing else.
- Your website, socials and print look like one business. Put them side by side and check. If one looks like a different company, that’s the one to redo first.
- How you look matches what you charge. Priced at the top end but looking like the budget option? It’s your price that gives. People pay more when the brand looks worth it.
- You can find the right logo file in under a minute. If it takes longer, the wrong one gets used. Keep every version in one folder and share it with anyone who needs it.
- You look as good as your best competitor. Open their website next to yours. A customer comparing the two does exactly this, and decides in seconds.
- Customers describe you the way you’d describe yourself. Ask three of them. If their words don’t match yours, your brand is saying something you didn’t mean.
- You sound the same everywhere. Your website, quotes and emails read like one person wrote them. Pick how you talk, formal or friendly, and stick to it.
- You’re proud to hand it over. Card, van, website. No apologies. If you catch yourself saying “ignore the logo, we’re updating it”, it’s already costing you.
0/100
What your score means
90 to 100: your brand sounds strong. You’re in good hands. Keep it consistent as you grow, and run the check again whenever you add a service, a van or a new website.
50 to 80: good bones, a few gaps. Fix the ones you answered no to, easiest first. A tidy-up usually does it: one set of colours, one set of logo files, one way of talking.
20 to 40: it’s holding you back. Your work is better than your brand suggests. Read six signs it’s time to rebrand and see how many you recognise.
0 to 10: it’s OK, we’ve got you. Everyone starts somewhere. Start with your logo and your one-sentence description, then build out from there. Not sure how much you need? Logo or brand identity explains the difference.
Your brand should look as good as your business actually is.
What to do next
Fix your lowest-scoring area first. One thing done properly beats ten half done.
If question five was a no, start with why branding sets your price level.
“Excellent service. Chris really knows his stuff and is super helpful to work with. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a professional and creative approach to their branding.”
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Want a second opinion? Get a free mini brand audit. Tell us about your business in five minutes and we’ll send back your brand score, how you compare with a competitor and the three changes that would make the biggest difference. Or have a look at our branding work.
