You’re in business because there’s something you do, and you do it well. Whether it’s healthcare, helping the homeless, or inspiring community action, your organization serves a purpose and piques people’s interests. But what if your business isn’t attracting the crowd you think it is, for the reasons you think it should? You know your brand from the inside out – but do you know it from the outside in?

Take this quick seven-question quiz to see whether you could be in the midst of a brand identity crisis:

 

  • What do you know about your typical customer?

 

      a. Their general age
      b. Their general area
      c. Which of their needs or wants your organization addresses
      d. How they prioritize that need or want compared to other needs and wants
      e. All of the above
      f. None of the above

 

  • How do you know?

 

      a. My organization was created to serve this type of customer.
      b. My customers are me or someone I know.
      c. Someone told me
      d. Current sale/lead/traffic/donation data verifies my customer’s identity.

 

  • How do customers learn about your organization?

 

      a. They visit our website.
      b. They follow us on social media.
      c. They know us by reputation.
      d. The know us from our ads.
      e. All of the above
      f. None of the above

 

  • How do you know?

 

      a. It mirrors how we spend our marketing budget.
      b. It mirrors how we learn about competitors.
      c. We have current data to support this.
      d. Several customers have told me personally.

 

  • Why do your customers choose you over competitors?

 

      a. Price
      b. Quality
      c. Accessibility
      d. What we stand for
      e. Habit
      f. We are too different to have direct competitors.

 

  • How do you know?

 

      a. Several customers have told me personally.
      b. We have current data to support this.
      c. It mirrors how we spend our marketing budget.
      d. It is one of the principles upon which our organization operates.

 

  • What information does your website tell your customers?

 

      a. Your name, address and phone number
      b. What you do
      c. Why you are different
      d. What to expect from a relationship with you
      e. All of the above
      f. None of the above

Are you experiencing a brand identity crisis? Check your answers, and find out now:

(Best) Answer Key: 1. (e), 2. (d), 3. any, 4. (c), 5. any, 6. (b), 7. (e)

How to Avoid Crisis Mode:

Marketing your brand effectively involves more than just an awareness of your organization’s culture and goals. It involves familiarizing yourself and your stakeholders with who your customers are and who they think you are. It involves smart, current data, and it involves consistent effort and an open mind. One of the best—and most low cost—ways of gathering this data is through your website and social media analytics. Analytics tell you more than just who visits what webpage and when—campaign-targeted landing pages reveal customer interests; forwarded e-referrals indicate loyalty and satisfaction; growing or declining social followings reveal whether you’re speaking your customers’ language or frustrating them with gibberish.

While it’s true that not every individual owns a computer or is a web savant, you’d be hard pressed to find someone living life completely offline. Web access still awaits many in the offices and on the touchscreens of their everyday lives.

Your customers and potential customers are online, and they have an opinion about your brand. If you don’t know what that opinion is, how can you reinforce or correct it? Use your digital assets to read the pulse of your prospects, and stay on message.