A simple diagnostic test to gauge the health of your brand is to take your brand’s pulse. It’s really easy. All you have to do is ask five separate audiences two questions.

Here are the audiences you need to ask:
> Yourself—first!
> Employees—pick one each from sales, service, marketing, administration, product management, manufacturing, and finance
> Customers—choose one or two of your best customers, one or two of your marginal customers, and one or two of your “yet to become” customers
> Suppliers—select a few different ones like your bank, raw material suppliers, IT suppliers, business service suppliers (health insurance, etc.), and / or creative suppliers / printers, etc.
> End users (could just be different types of customers)

And here are the 2 questions to ask:

1. What are the three or four things that immediately come to mind when you hear, or see, our brand name?
2. What specific characteristics do you associate with our brand?

The first question is deliberately vague in asking for “things,” because what you want to know is whether there is anything associated with your brand other than your product and service (i.e. does your audience connect any emotive feelings with your brand?).

The second question will reveal answers that show you whether you have any “perceived” attributes that distinguish you in any unique or meaningful way in your marketplace.

Because you’re asking yourself these questions first, you are likely to think about it and maybe even do a little homework to make sure you are correct—that’s OK—it’s a natural instinct to want to be right! But, when you ask these questions of other people, don’t prompt them. The only truth is what they say without your help.

Also, the answers that you give after you’ve done the research “to be right,” will also become the benchmark for how you read the answers from other people.

Here’s the conclusion:

Unless your employees, customers, and end users have a common thread of answers that point to your brand having unique, important, and valuable attributes, both functional and emotive, then your brand needs a visit to the doctor.

NOTE: The very worst set of answers will be if people across the spectrum are not consistent AND / OR the answers are generic. This will actually mean that your brand is UNhealthy.

Let me know how you get on. Maybe getting a check up could be the best thing you could do for your brand’s health in 2012.