Why You Should Consider A Brand Scan For Your Small Business

 

Brands are like living, breathing beings that have their own voice, personality, image, and life. Every brand starts out with excitement, drive, and promise. Then it grows and becomes something that can stand on its own two feet.

But then any brand could reach that dreadful plateau. Or the bump in the road. Or the lost sense of direction. It can all be part of a brand’s life cycle.

Throughout this cycle, brands will inevitably grow out of themselves. New competition will enter the market and you’ll have to find the right place for you. Losing customers to the next latest and greatest thing might get you stuck in a rut. This sure wasn’t part of your agenda. 

What you do want to do is honor that cycle. Honor it by respecting the fact that your brand will change over time—as it grows, falls behind, develops, and has bad days—but find a way to routinely make a change so your cycle is less like a roller coaster and more like a smooth ride. Honor it with a Brand Scan.

 

You’re Being Audited

OK, audit is a scary word, usually associated with something that went wrong and now you’ve got to fix it. So let’s not go with “audit,” let’s go with “scan” instead.

You’re worried about losing sales and not connecting with your customers—you’re missing your mark one way or another. You need expert advice to make the changes necessary to your brand’s life cycle … you need a Brand Scan.

A Brand Scan is an open, honest, and thorough examination of your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, values, and competition. It’s designed to:

• See where you stand among competition
• Identify your current customer base
• Determine whether your brand is aligning with customer expectations
• Refine your brand marketing strategy  

There are pieces of your current brand that need to continue to be highlighted while others are being overlooked by unsuccessful marketing campaigns and off-brand messaging.

With a Brand Scan, you can uncover the areas where you should evolve and the areas where you should pump the breaks and cut back. A scan of every piece of your business will help you determine the positioning of your company and find out what people are really saying about you (the good and the bad). Each and every component of your brand needs to be analyzed so you can come out on top.

 

Is Your Brand In Check?

 

 

 

 

When’s The Right Time To Scan Your Brand?

You’re thinking this whole Brand Scan thing seems cool, but how do you know it’s for you?

There are some key things to look for in your brand to see if you’re in a place where a Brans Scan will be helpful.

 

Your brand is evolving.

You’ve made the decision that it’s time to move forward with your brand. You’re looking to make the proper upgrades, but you’re also not positive if the direction you have in your mind is the right one. A Brand Scan can certainly redefine some blurred lines and point you in the right direction.

 

The focus of your brand seems to be too broad.

Are you putting your attention towards too many things—different audiences, multiple personalities, too many voices, what you see right as a business owner instead of what your customers might be wanting, etc.? Focus is a key component to any booming brand.

 

You’re too close to your brand and need a second look.

It can be difficult to get a look at the entire picture when you’re so deeply invested in every aspect of it. It’s always beneficial to get a branding expert’s look on your story and company characteristics in order to unearth elements of your brand that need help from an outsider.

 

You’re not sure who you’re marketing to.

The spray and pray concept isn’t an adequate marketing plan—you need to know who your primary audience is and focus every plan, strategy, and piece of marketing material towards those people.

 

You’re dreaming of expanding to new audiences, but don’t know how.

If you think it’s time to grow with a new primary audience, great! You’ll need to identify what you’re doing right based on your core competition by looking at customer data. This will help define where to double down and where to pivot your attention.

Who knows, maybe what you thought was a pain point for your brand actually isn’t one, and there’s something else that needs addressing. Certain elements, your brand voice, and overall image might need adjusting to become appealing to someone completely new.

 

You’re making a leadership transition.

Are you passing off your brand to the next generation? Or maybe you recently hired a new CEO? Pass off a brand that is concise and consistent so you can watch it thrive even after you’ve moved on.

 

You’ve hit a plateau.

Feeling stagnant is not a fun place to be. Did you get to a point where you’re making a profit but continue with the same tactics that have gotten you to where you are now?

Despite the changing market and the needs of customers developing over time, you’re still running with the same strategies. With each step in the cycle of your brand, you’re going to need to make innovative changes in order to take the strive towards successful growth. A Brand Scan will help determine what can stay the same and what needs some updating.

 

You’re on the edge about whether or not you should rebrand.

Some brand help is definitely needed, but are you unsure whether or not you need an entire rebrand? Start with a Brand Scan, develop a plan, and go from there.

A Brand Scan will provide recommendations that point you in the direction of urgent changes versus the bright and shiny aspects you’re doing well—the things that can withstand without any major change.

 

Here’s Where The Brand Experts Come In

If things are messy, it can be difficult to recognize the problems and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Bring in an outsider to take a look at what’s working and what can be tossed out. 

At Bareknuckle, we’ll look through your existing brand, inspecting it with a fine-tooth comb—messaging, visuals, newsletters, social media, eblasts, website, anywhere where your customers might reach your brand. 

 

What You’ll Get Out Of A Brand Scan

The BK team will dig deep into your brand, figure out what’s good and what needs work. We’ll present the valuable information we found … but then what? With a Brand Scan, Bareknuckle will give you the plan you need to put some changes in action. 

Here’s a look at what a Brand Scan includes: 

• You’ll have a clear understanding of where your brand is currently at today.
• BK will identify and weigh your competition. What are you competitors doing well? In what areas are other brands lacking a personality? What can you take away from how the competition is succeeding?
• You’ll be able to clearly identify your current audience (the ones who are buying from you now) and determine whether or not this is still an adequate primary audience.
• Become aware of any new or potential audiences that we could expand to and further grow. 
• The BK team will provide recommendations for improvement plans ahead and give you some kickass ways to go about putting them into action.
• And you’ll get a moving forward agenda that includes goals, ideas, and plans for the future!

 

 

Feeling like it’s time to scan your brand? Get around the table with Bareknuckles’s brand experts and let’s see what’s happening and not happening for your brand so we can develop a plan that rejuvenates your life cycle.

Buy us a beer and let’s see what this process might look like for your business.

 

Is Your Brand In Check?