How a brand audit guides your charity through the present and future

Shape the future you want to see

Branding tells a story. It has the power to create profound statements and memorable moments. It propels you into a future you want to see for your organisation and the public. It streamlines internal and external communications, services, messaging, and charity goals. It gives your content purpose, a focus. It helps reposition your charity for the better, making the charity relevant and stand out in an overcrowded market. It brings your organisation into the future. But where do you start? Start with a brand audit.

What is a brand audit?

A brand audit asks the poignant questions that get you the answers you need to move forward and achieve these goals. It makes the decision regarding how your messaging is perceived, felt and embraced. Do you want your charity to show empathy? Do your graphics and illustrations reflect the trusted leaders you are known to be in the community or nationwide? How does your organisation come across in internal and external communications? Does your team feel safe, creative and okay to speak out or is the messaging robotic and formal?

I find out the answers to these questions through my signature approach of my branding process. I have specific and deliberate questions outlined as part of my comprehensive approach to branding and telling your story through design. I start by asking some basic questions.

For instance, I provide you with a list of descriptions and ask, “What are your 3 core values?” Your answer may include leadership, motivation, and reliability. Or your choices may be integrity, modern, and courage. There are many combinations but I have strategically included adjectives that get you to think. It prepares you for the entire process. It puts you in the right mind-set so I can find out how to create branding that matches your charity’s goals and personality.

My brand audit process includes detailed questions about your audience demographics, aspirations, struggles and how your branding reflects, answers, and supports your target market.

A brand audit is an accurate way to plan for the future

We continue on this customised journey and reach a point where we talk about your vision for your brands future. We discuss the innovations, changes, and digital capabilities you would like to take forward after the pandemic. For example, if your team is working from home then maybe this aspect continues into the future as a new way of work life. To make this clear, develop infographics and illustrations explaining the new practices and messaging. Include new instructions on how to securely use video conferencing, social media, and whatever other organisational regulations and rules have been added post-coronavirus.

I review your brand touchpoints to identify what is aligned, giving the right impression, and discuss with you any areas for improvement where elements are inconsistent or aren’t supporting your brand values, positioning or vision for your next chapter.

Conservation and wildlife charities have changed their messaging to meet the public’s yearning for the outdoors

My process works for many different organisations in the ethical and charity sector. Wildlife, planet, and climate change focused non-profits benefit from going through this process too. Thinking about how to relay and show people experiencing the outdoors while infusing a sense of security and safety amongst patrons is the key to long-term success. The National Trust is a great example of a brand that evolves and stays relevant by making these strategic changes to build their brand design assets and communications ongoing. They re-innovate, filtering any actions, campaigns and messaging through their brand’s purpose and core values.

The National Trust returns to its core values

The National Trust is celebrating 125 years and is highlighting its core values.

“Our lives are overcrowded, over-excited, over-strained. We all want quiet. We all want beauty. We all need space. Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently.”

The above quote is from the Co-founder, Octavia Hill from 125 years ago and it is exactly what The National Trust is doing. It is going back to its mission of highlighting the benefits and wellbeing of the outdoor experience to the public.

How did they reach this conclusion? The National Trust listened to the people during the pandemic. These beautiful, poetic, and serene outdoor spaces are what the public craved during lockdown. These emotions, relationships, experiences, and desires to be outdoors are what people will carry with them into the future. The National Trust understands the importance of that. It is why this messaging is the focus past, present and in the future.

To book your brand audit, contact me today.

Image: Myles Tan | Unsplash