A prospective client reached out to your agency in search of guidance and consultation, and you can’t seem to get a phrase they used in email correspondence out of your head.

“We are A HOT MESS,” they told you.

“Our brand feels out of touch and overly complicated for the times we’re living in,” they said. “We need a new website redesign, our brand’s look reimagined and redesigned.”

 This isn’t the first time you’ve heard this from clients looking to reinvent their image, and it is likely to not be the last.

But back the truck up. Before you aid them in the process of a brand redesign, ensure they take a few necessary steps into consideration.

 Every brand has differentiating attributes, and here are 4 ways to evaluate brand essence:

1. Uniqueness in Brand Positioning

Evaluate the ways your brand sets itself apart from the competition. Have a clear understanding of your brand’s positioning alongside your creative team and ensure your brand’s defining characteristics are being acted upon. Additionally, evaluate the competition. If competition has adapted to the times, decide whether it would be a beneficial return on investment for your brand to do the same. Lastly, ensure your audience has a clear understanding of your brand’s approach and long-term goals.

2. Assess Brand Value

Evaluate your brand’s values. Does your brand ethically align with the morals of your current target audience? Do you need to reevaluate your target audience?

3. Consistency is Key

Does your audience respond well to one platform in particular that you're sharing? If this is the case, remain consistent in your engagement here. Losing an audience over a lack in gaged metrics can easily be avoided by tracking social analytics using services like Google Analytics and Hubspot.

 4. Authenticity & Sustainability

A brand’s essence cannot be created out of thin air. The essence contains the fundamental principals of the brand upon its founding. In order to sustain as a brand, you cannot change too much, too fast. Evaluate the sustainability of your brand. Figure out what people like. Getting rid of something that’s working and contributes greatly to your authenticity is not good.

Above all, any agency worth hiring should be asking questions about your KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) to measure your brand’s essence before you go through with a brand redesign.

It is essential for brand essence to be focused, in tune with a language that shows level of expertise yet takes great care to understand the customer.

 For additional information on defining and dissecting your brand essence, download our free eBook, The 9 Criteria for Brand Essence.