How's Your Branding?

Your business has evolved—but has your brand kept up?

Take this free five-minute quiz to discover how well your brand reflects the business you’ve become, what may be holding it back and where your biggest opportunities lie.

Take the Brand Check

Industry *

How long have you been in business? (years) *

PART ONE

THE FIRST IMPRESSION

Your potential client has just discovered you.

You haven't spoken to them.

You haven't had the opportunity to explain how experienced you are.

All they have is what they can see.

1. Someone discovers your business for the first time. Within 10 seconds, would they understand what you do, who you help and why it matters? *

Absolutely. It’s immediately clear.

Mostly. They might need to explore a little.

They’d understand what we do, but probably not why we’re different.

They'd need to do some detective work.

2. Your dream client Googles your business right now. How do you feel about what they’ll find? *

Confident. What they see represents us extremely well.

Pretty good, although there are things I’d improve.

Our online presence doesn’t reflect the business we are today.

Can we ask them not to Google us just yet?

3. Imagine they open your website alongside three of your competitors. How comfortably would you sit in that comparison? *

Very comfortably. Our presence communicates quality and confidence.

We’d hold our own, although some things could be stronger.

Our business is better than our presentation makes it look.

I suspect our competitors would appear more established than we do.

4. Before somebody has ever spoken to you, does your brand give them the feeling that there is a genuine, established business behind it? *

Definitely. It feels credible, current and real.

Mostly, although we could show more.

We’re established, but you probably wouldn't know it from looking online.

Our digital presence makes us look much smaller or less established than we are.

PART TWO

LOOK, FEEL & RECOGNITION

A strong visual brand should do more than make things attractive.

It should create recognition, communicate personality and give people a sense of what working with you might feel like.

5. Does the overall look and feel of your brand reflect the level at which your business operates today? Think about your logo, colours, fonts, photography, video, graphics, website, social channels, presentations and marketing collateral. *

Yes. It feels considered, current and distinctly ours.

Mostly. There are a few areas that could evolve.

It suited us once, but we’ve outgrown it.

It has evolved piece by piece and no longer feels cohesive.

6. If your logo disappeared, would people still recognise your brand? *

Absolutely. We have a distinctive visual style and personality.

Probably. We have some recognisable elements.

Maybe, but our identity isn't particularly distinctive.

Without the logo, it could probably belong to anybody.

7. When someone moves between your website, LinkedIn, social media, proposals and other marketing, does it feel like one business?

Yes. There’s a clear visual thread throughout everything.

Mostly, although there are inconsistencies.

You can tell it belongs to us, but it isn't particularly cohesive.

t’s a bit of a visual lucky dip.

8. How intentionally has your brand personality been defined? *

Very intentionally. We know how we want the brand to look, sound and feel.

We have a strong sense of it, although it isn't formally defined.

We know who we are, but it doesn't consistently come through.

We’ve never really thought about our brand this way.

9. If your brand walked into a room full of your ideal clients, what would you want people to think?Choose the closest fit. *

“They really know what they're talking about.”

“They feel warm, genuine and trustworthy.”

“They’re confident leaders in their space.”

“They think differently. I like their ideas.”

“They feel polished, sophisticated and established.”

“A combination — but I'm not sure we’re communicating it clearly yet.”

PART THREE

SHOW, DON'T JUST TELL

People trust businesses they can see.

Your imagery gives potential clients clues about your people, your culture, your expertise, your scale and what it might actually feel like to work with you.

10. Do your current photographs reflect the business you are today? *

Completely.

Mostly, although there are some gaps.

Not really. The business has evolved significantly.

Our photographs belong to another era.

11. Does your imagery show more than what you look like? Does it demonstrate your people, expertise, process, environment, culture, personality and client experience? *

Yes. Our imagery tells the story of the business.

We have a reasonable mix.

It’s mainly headshots and standard corporate photographs.

It’s mostly “stand there and smile at the camera.”

12. Do people get to see the humans behind your business? *

Yes. Our people are an important part of our brand.

To some degree.

Not nearly enough.

You could visit our entire digital presence and barely know humans work here.

13. How well are you using video to build familiarity and trust? *

Very well. People can see, hear and get to know us before they enquire.

We use some video but could be much more strategic.

Occasionally, but there’s no real plan behind it.

Video? That's somewhere on the never-ending to-do list.

14. If you needed to create three months of quality marketing tomorrow, would you have enough professional photographs and video content to do it? *

Easily. We have a strong content library.

Probably, although we’d repeat a few things.

It would be a struggle.

Three months? We struggle with Tuesday.

PART FOUR

TRUST BEFORE THE CONVERSATION

Before somebody enquires, they’re quietly gathering evidence.

They want to know that you are real.

That other people trust you.

That you have experience.

That you have done this before.

That choosing you feels safe.

15. How easy is it for a potential client to find evidence that other people trust your business?Think testimonials, Google reviews, case studies, client stories, media, awards, partnerships and results. *

Very easy. We have strong social proof throughout our brand.

We have plenty, but could showcase it better.

We have happy clients, but most of the evidence is hidden.

We need to build this significantly.

16. Does your website demonstrate your expertise — or mainly describe your services? *

It shows our thinking, results, people, experience and credibility.

A bit of both.

It mostly tells people what we do.

It’s essentially an online brochure.

17. Can a prospective client see examples of the work, outcomes or transformations you’ve created? *

Yes, clearly and strategically.

Some, although we could showcase more.

Very little.

Not really.

18. Does your online presence communicate the level of expertise that actually exists inside your business? *

Absolutely.

Mostly.

The business is considerably stronger than our online presence suggests.

Not even close.

19. Does your digital presence feel alive? Are there recent images, current team members, fresh content, updated projects, active social channels and signs that the business is actually operating today? *

Yes. It feels active and current.

Mostly, although some areas could use attention.

Parts of it feel neglected.

Someone could reasonably wonder whether we’re still in business.

PART FIVE

CLARITY & POSITIONING

Looking good isn't enough.

If your ideal clients can't quickly understand what makes you different, your brand is making them work too hard.

20. If we asked one of your best clients why they chose you instead of a competitor, would their answer match what you want your business to be known for? *

Absolutely.

Mostly.

We know why we’re different, but don't communicate it particularly well.

I'm not sure we've clearly defined that ourselves.

21. Complete this sentence:“We are the obvious choice for __________ because __________.” How easy is that? *

Easy. I know exactly what belongs in both blanks.

I know the answer but would need to refine the words.

Give me a minute…

Can I come back to this one?

22. How well does your current messaging reflect the business today? *

Extremely well. It’s clear and distinctive.

Mostly, although it could be sharpened.

We’ve outgrown quite a lot of it.

Different parts of the business are saying different things.

23. Is your brand attracting the type of clients you actually want? *

Yes. Our positioning and audience are well aligned.

Mostly.

We’re trying to move into a different market or level of client.

Our current brand is attracting people based on who we used to be.

PART SIX

DOES THE EXPERIENCE MATCH THE PROMISE?

Great branding creates an expectation.

Great businesses deliver on it.

The strongest brands make the two feel seamless.

24. From first enquiry through to delivery, how consistent does your customer experience feel? *

Very consistent and intentional.

Mostly consistent, with a few gaps.

It depends on the client or team member.

We’re still making parts of it up as we go.

25. Does the experience people receive once they become a client match the impression your brand gave them beforehand? *

Absolutely.

Most of the time.

There’s a disconnect between the two.

Our outside presentation and inside experience need much better alignment.

26. If your five favourite clients were asked to describe your business in three words, how confident are you that they'd choose the words you'd want associated with your brand? *

Very confident.

Fairly confident.

I'm genuinely not sure.

Fascinated — and slightly terrified — to find out.

PART SEVEN

WHERE YOU'RE GOING NEXT

Your brand shouldn’t only represent the business you were when it was created.

It should help you get where you're going.

27. How much has your business changed since your current brand was created? *

Very little. Our brand still fits us extremely well.

We’ve evolved, but the fundamentals remain similar.

Quite significantly.

We are practically a different business.

28. Are you asking your brand to attract a different calibre or type of opportunity now? That could mean larger clients, premium clients, corporate work, new markets, partnerships, investors, speaking opportunities or talent. *

No. We're attracting exactly what we want.

Slightly.

Yes. We're deliberately stepping into a different space.

Absolutely — but our brand hasn't caught up yet.

29. Imagine your dream opportunity arrives tomorrow. The perfect client. The dream partnership. The major tender. The media opportunity. The speaking invitation. Would you feel completely confident sending them to your website and digital presence? *

Without hesitation.

Yes — although there are a few things I'd love to polish first.

I'd send it, but I'd feel slightly nervous.

This question has just exposed the problem.

30. Which statement feels closest to where you are right now? *

Our brand accurately reflects the quality of our business.

Our brand is good, but it could be doing much more for us.

The business has evolved faster than the brand.

There is now a noticeable difference between how good we are and how good we look from the outside.