Brand Values are one of the six pillars of brand story strategy.

And if you know how important they are, you’ve probably taken the time to articulate them clearly, write them down and even communicate them with your team.

But how do you make sure you’re communicating them clearly? In everything?

If brand story is built (or broken) through every customer interaction, then we need to make sure that our brand values are shining through at every customer interaction too.

How do you do this?

The answer is a Brand Values Audit.

And in this article, I’m going to show you how to do one for your business.

Why should I do a Brand Values Audit?

When your brand values are in alignment with the values of your customer, they can be one of the key drivers of brand loyalty.

In 2012, a Harvard Business Review Study found that 64% of consumers who have strong brand loyalty cited shared values as the primary reason.

So, while price and loyalty programs can play a part in loyalty (particularly with larger brands), when it comes to loyalty, shared values also play a part.

Your business’s values also determine how business decisions and choices are made, the way your business acts, the kinds of clients or customers you attract and retain and the kinds of staff, suppliers, partners and associates you develop relationships with.

Assuming you’ve created a Brand Story Strategy that considers how your brand values and the values of those you serve are in alignment, you now need to go about making sure that you’re maximising your loyalty potential by showing your brand values through everything you SHOW, SAY and DO.

A Brand Values audit helps you achieve this and be consistent in the way your brand values show up for your customer throughout your business.

How to do a Brand Values Audit in Your Business.

Brand Values show up through everything you SHOW, SAY and DO.

When you’re doing your audit, you need to make sure you’re covering these three things in each area of your audit (we’ll get to what you should be auditing in a moment).

SHOW
Visual Identity

The way we SHOW our values is through the visual elements we use in our brand and marketing.

This includes branding elements like your logo, colours and photography.

It also includes how these visual elements come together in your marketing – does the layout, style and approach you’re taking to your visual elements work to support your brand values, or contradict them?

SAY
Communication

These are the words and tone of voice we’re using.

And not just in our marketing, but in all our communications – the way we answer the phone, our emails, sales tools and documentation?

Are our choices helping to show what we value? Or are they creating a disjointed feeling for our customers, where what they know and what they hear are sending different messages?

DO
Behaviour, processes and procedures

These are the choices we make in our approach to customer service. It’s the actions we take – or don’t take – each and every day.

Are you setting yourself and your team up for success? Or are your systems and processes letting you down in the way you deliver?

Once you start aligning your brand values with what you SHOW, SAY and DO you’ll be on your way to building brand story.

The Areas of Your Business You Should Be Auditing

The Brand Audit asks you to think about what you SHOW, SAY and DO across all the areas of your business including –

Products & Services
Customer Service
Marketing
Suppliers & Partners
Clients & Customers
Employees

Across each of these areas you need to ask –

What are we doing well?
What should be doing more of?
What should we STOP doing?
What should we START doing?

Let’s take a look at each of the areas and dive into a little more detail about how to approach your audit.

Products & Services

Do your products or services align with your values from the beginning to the end of the customer journey?

For example, if one of your values is sustainability, how are you demonstrating this value through the products and services that make up your offering? Is all your packaging from sustainable sources? Does it look like it’s from sustainable sources? Are you doing carbon offsetting? What other sustainability measures are you implementing and do you talk about them in your marketing?

Customer Service

What does your customer service journey look like?

How are your values showing up for your customer at each stage of the journey?

For example, if one of your values is People, how are you putting people at the heart of your customer service? If one of your values is creativity, or fun, how are you demonstrating that in the way you show up from the moment your customer walks through the door to the end of the purchase cycle?

How is your customer service demonstrating your values after the sale is complete?

Marketing

Are you making marketing decisions that are in alignment with your brand values?

How does your visual identity and your tone of voice communicate these values?

Are you using the right words? Is something missing? Do you brand images reflect your values? Are they working as hard for you as they could? Are they the right colour palette to help your customer feel what it is you value, without you having to directly say it?

Are you advertising in the right places? And is the way you advertise in alignment with your values?

Suppliers & Partners

Choosing suppliers and strategic partners that share your values is another important way you show what you value.

Are you choosing the right strategic partnerships? Ones that help you double down on the way your values show up to your customers?

If one of your brand values is people, then do your suppliers match the way you look after people in your business? If your value is sustainability, then how do your suppliers and partners match the way you deliver on this value?

Clients & Customers

In the same way that shared values help customers feel loyal to you, having processes in place to make sure that you’re choosing clients whose values align with yours doesn’t just lead to happier clients, it leads to a happier business.

Particularly relevant in service-based businesses, what questions can you ask potential clients that will help you determine if they’re a good fit?

What things do they say in the sales process that gives you confidence they’re a match? What might they say that sets off alarm bells?

What adjustments could you make to your sales process to help you attract more of the clients you love? And avoid the ones whose values don’t align with yours?

Employees

Having all your team members on the same page with your brand values helps you to deliver a consistent experience to your customers and clients.

What processes do you have in place for successful onboarding of your team when it comes to brand values? Are you delivering on your brand values with your team?

How can you create more opportunities for your team to take action on your brand values so they show u p in every customer interaction?

This seems like a lot. Is a Brand Values Audit it really worth it?

I mean, you’re already swamped right? And you already have some loyal customers. How on earth are you going to find the time to do this? Does it really matter?

Yes, it does matter.

But no, it doesn’t have to be hard, or complicated.

It’s okay to start small with your Brand Values Audit

You don’t have to do everything, all at once.

Building a memorable and loved brand requires consistent effort.

It’s about small, consistent actions that move you towards a strong brand story over time.

Brand Values are more than just some words on paper.

When you take the time to get clear on your brand values and make sure that what you show, say and do in the day-to-day of your business is in alignment with them, you’ll bring life to your values, making them more than just words on paper.

Regularly auditing brand values in your business will ensure you maximise their impact in building a brand story that will create loyal customers who are advocates for your brand.

And that’s what we all want for the brand we’re building.