How are your brand's vital signs?

Making your brand more human might simply involve a few nip/tucks here and there. On the other hand, it might demand surgery that’s more than skin deep.

Introducing the B2B More Human Healthcheck

To find out where your brand is now, get the ball rolling with our top-level self-assessment tool. Just complete each section to find out how your brand stacks up against the B2B More Human principles.

Don’t overthink it. Remember – this is intended to give you a quick sense of how human your brand is right now – no more than that.

Let’s see how customer-centric or product-centric your marketing is. Imagine looking at your website cold, with no prior knowledge of your brand and answer the questions opposite, selecting a score between 1 and 10 in response to each.

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1. Value proposition

Q:

How clear is it who your brand is for, and the problem it solves?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = not clear at all. 10 = crystal clear and immediate.

2. Features vs benefits

Q:

Is your top-level content weighted more towards what you do (product, features, facts), or how you make your customers’ lives better (benefits, value)?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = heavily focused on what you do. 10 = heavily focused on the difference you make.

3. ‘We’ vs ‘You’

Q:

Does your copy contain more references to ‘we’ than it does to ‘you’?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = we, we, we. 10 = you, you, you.

Total ÷ 3 =

Average
Score

Next up, it’s about figuring out how clear, natural and authentic your brand image is – and your language is a great place to start. Again, pretend you’re seeing your website for the first time and answer the questions opposite, selecting a score between 1 and 10 in response to each.

1. Jargon & corporate waffle

Q:

Would a prospective customer understand all the terms and language you’re using?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = jargon & complexity-heavy. 10 = clear, simple, and not an acronym in sight.

2. Accessibility & inclusion

Q:

Do your words and language meet a reasonable reading-age requirement?*

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = Well above or below FK Grade 8. 10 = Bang on FK Grade 8.

*The Flesch Kincaid readability calculator can help here. Search ‘good calculators Flesch Kincaid’, drop a paragraph of your web copy into the box and hit ‘Calculate’. Then do the same with two other paras. The widely-accepted reading age gold standard in FK is US Grade 8 (age 13).

3. Tone of voice

Q:

How clearly do your brand values and personality come through in your copy?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = Not clearly at all – we sound soulless. 10 = Loud and clear – sounds exactly like us.

Total ÷ 3 =

Average
Score

Now let’s get to grips with how much of your work is rationally-led (short-term performance) vs emotionally-led (longterm brand building). You’ll need to think back over your last 12 months’ marketing activity and answer the questions opposite. You know the drill.

1. Campaigns

Q:

What was your rough split of brand vs tactical marketing?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = Heavily weighted to one or the other. 10 = A pretty even split.

2. Sales presentations

Q:

Are you telling a clear, audience-first story that starts with a customer problem, then presents you as the solution – before finally highlighting the products/services that enable this?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = No story, and product first. 10 = Clear story with problem, solution, then product.

3. Tracking & measurement

Q:

Are you tracking brand associations and brand salience as well as short-term sales performance and ROI metrics?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = It’s all about the short-term numbers. 10 = We track the feelings and the figures.

Total ÷ 3 =

Average
Score

Last but not least, we’re getting under the skin of how distinctive your brand is compared to your peers. Pick your three fiercest competitors. Fire up their websites and have a scan of their main pages, then, as before, consider the questions.

1. What you’re saying

Q:

How similar is what they’re talking about to what you are?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = We’re all saying the same stuff. 10 = We’re saying totally different things.

2. How you’re saying it

Q:

How similar is the way they’re talking to the way you do?*

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = Just like us. 10 = Worlds apart.

3. What you look like

Q:

How similar is their visual treatment to yours?

A:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 = We look identical. 10 = Completely unalike.

Total ÷ 3 =

Average
Score

Ready to humanise your brand?

Ali Williams is a Co-founder of mark-making*, with over 25 years’ hands-on experience of helping B2B brands connect with people.

If you’d like to make your brand more memorable, meaningful, and chosen more often, a chat with Ali might just be the best 30 minutes you’ve spent in a while.

Schedule a call Book a workshop

How are your brand's vital signs?

Introducing the B2B More Human Healthcheck

To find out where your brand is now, get the ball rolling with our top-level self-assessment tool. Just complete each section to find out how your brand stacks up against the B2B More Human principles.

Let’s see how customer-centric or product-centric your marketing is. Imagine looking at your website cold, with no prior knowledge of your brand and answer the questions opposite, selecting a score between 1 and 10 in response to each.

1. Value proposition

2. Features vs benefits

3. ‘We’ vs ‘You’

Next up, it’s about figuring out how clear, natural and authentic your brand image is – and your language is a great place to start. Again, pretend you’re seeing your website for the first time and answer the questions opposite, selecting a score between 1 and 10 in response to each.

1. Jargon & corporate waffle

2. Accessibility & inclusion

3. Tone of voice

Now let’s get to grips with how much of your work is rationally-led (short-term performance) vs emotionally-led (longterm brand building). You’ll need to think back over your last 12 months’ marketing activity and answer the questions opposite. You know the drill.

1. Campaigns

2. Sales presentations

3. Tracking & measurement

Last but not least, we’re getting under the skin of how distinctive your brand is compared to your peers. Pick your three fiercest competitors. Fire up their websites and have a scan of their main pages, then, as before, consider the questions.

1. What you’re saying

2. How you’re saying it

3. What you look like

Ready to humanise your brand?

Ali Williams is a Co-founder of mark-making*, with over 25 years’ hands-on experience of helping B2B brands connect with people.

Get real human inspiration and insight, delivered direct to your inbox >

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How are your brand's vital signs?

Introducing the B2B More Human Healthcheck

To find out where your brand is now, get the ball rolling with our top-level self-assessment tool. Just complete each section to find out how your brand stacks up against the B2B More Human principles.

Let’s see how customer-centric or product-centric your marketing is. Imagine looking at your website cold, with no prior knowledge of your brand and answer the questions opposite, selecting a score between 1 and 10 in response to each.

Next up, it’s about figuring out how clear, natural and authentic your brand image is – and your language is a great place to start. Again, pretend you’re seeing your website for the first time and answer the questions opposite, selecting a score between 1 and 10 in response to each.

Now let’s get to grips with how much of your work is rationally-led (short-term performance) vs emotionally-led (longterm brand building). You’ll need to think back over your last 12 months’ marketing activity and answer the questions opposite. You know the drill.

Last but not least, we’re getting under the skin of how distinctive your brand is compared to your peers. Pick your three fiercest competitors. Fire up their websites and have a scan of their main pages, then, as before, consider the questions.

Ready to humanise your brand?

Ali Williams is a Co-founder of mark-making*, with over 25 years’ hands-on experience of helping B2B brands connect with people.

Average score

You scored = 0/10

Not ideal for sure. But don’t lose heart, the great thing about being in this position is the sheer amount of opportunity you have. Massive potential for both quick-wins and more fundamental strategic change.

Not bad! You are strong in some areas and less so in others, with stacks of potential for overall improvement, through quick-wins and more fundamental strategic shifts.

Congratulations! This is impressive stuff. But let’s not be complacent, there’s always scope for improvement. Your challenge now is to identify just how human you can be.

Just a few details please

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