Baseline Analysis (The BOCA Curve) - Bureau Of Small Projects

Name*
First Last
Organization*
Email*

How Well Do You Know Your Competition?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
It is important to understand the competitive landscape, understand your target market, know who your competitors are and learn what they do well -- and what they do poorly. You need to know what your competitors do well because you need to be at least as good as they are; knowing what they do poorly lets you spot opportunity and the low-hanging fruit.

How Strong Is Your Value Proposition?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
What is it that you do - and even more importantly - what is it that you do differently and BETTER than your competition? The Value Proposition is the most important part of the branding process -- and the part that even seasoned professionals often don’t seem to understand. And it’s hard. Defining your Value Proposition is a lot like the game of “GO.” It’s a question that takes a second to ask and a lifetime to answer.

How Memorable Is Your Name?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
No organization will use anything as often as they use their name. Every business card, webpage, ad, business listing, and sales pitch will feature it prominently. A name has to work verbally. It must distinguish itself from the competition in an online search. It should be visually different from other names in its category and it should be able to work years from now, even if your company or product changes.

How Effective Is Your Slogan Or Tagline?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
Your slogan is a one-sentence encapsulation of your Value Proposition: what you do differently (and BETTER) than your competition. The purpose of your name is so that people remember you. The purpose of your slogan is to SELL. Once you have a name that sticks, your slogan tells people the “why”: Why they should do business with you. Why they should buy your product. Why they should CARE.

How Memorable Is Your Logo?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
It’s not enough to have a recognizable name, you also need a recognizable logo. A good logo builds trust and will help pull your brand together. Don’t think that you need a symbol or mascot either. Some of the most recognizable brands use just text for their logo. This is especially powerful when you have a catchy name. The definition of branding is: The Promise You Make to Your Customer. A logo is your stamp of approval.

How Clear Is Your Shameless Goal?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
The reason we ask this question like this is that people have a hard time talking about what they want. Your "Shameless" goal is usually about making money or getting recognition. If you say something like "to provide information to your customers" that is a red flag. Providing information is important, but it is a means to achieve your goal, not the goal itself. It sounds simple but when you are not clear about what you want people to do, then they will stop or leave before doing it.

How Clear Is Your Brand Voice & Messaging?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
You brand voice is how your customer will understand what you are trying to achieve with your Value Proposition. Clearly defining your brand's voice, thoughts and concepts creates a more focused approach to your messaging. You must looks at the end game, then creating messaging to get there. Your messaging is the nuts and bolts of what you will do to achieve your goals.

How Focused Is Your Content Strategy?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
Creating subject categories and timeframes will facilitate being out in front of content needs. This provides coordination and planning which is always helpful in a busy organization. Always have an objective whether it’s to provide information, explain new ingredients, highlight new products, focus on social causes or to draw attention to a complementary interest.

How Effective Is Your Website Homepage?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
The homepage of your website is your brand’s first point of contact, so we like to include it in the branding process. In milliseconds visitors decide if they’ll stay or go, so we focus on that first. This is important because, before a customer or client comes to your store or offices, they’ll visit your website. Contrary to the old adage, people DO judge a book by its cover.

How Long Do People Stay On Your Website?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
The easiest way to tell if someone is engaged with your brand is to see how long they stay on your website. That is the beauty of digital platforms. There are so many tools to analyze not only how long people stay on your site, but also target the point where they get bored and leave. This makes improvement easy. It's like a game, go to these spots and make them better.

How Well Is Your Website Organized?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
How easy is it for the user to move through pieces of content and find information? Information architecture is all about finding ways to help the user navigate the website in order to reach their goal. The organizational structure. The connection between different pieces of information and the framework that helps the user understand those connections. Use broad categories at the top, followed by more specific subcategories for the user to navigate through.

How Delightful Is Your Customer Experience?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
Customer Experience Experience can make a HUGE difference to your bottom line. Imagine increasing your pricing by 4 or 5% with a few critical changes. Now, factor in the lifetime value of your customers. How easy is it (or not) for website visitors to achieve your intended goals. Who is – and isn’t -- converting on your site? How do you increase performance and revenue?

How Beautiful Are The Images You Use?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
The big mistake many people make is that they use imagery to explain. Explaining is the job of the text. The purpose of imagery is to get people's attention. This is good news because never has there been more imagery available at a reasonable price. If you only have the ability to do one thing, make that to get better images.

How Well Do You Use Video?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
Video is a tool that can maximize your marketing dollars. We’re not talking infomercials: we’re talking about compelling, emotionally-engaging online storytelling that will bring your organization to life. Doing this successfully requires a balance between art and marketing strategy, and experience is needed to coordinate the two. An amazing video can put you light years ahead of your competition. A bad one? Well, you’ll just look ….bad.

How Is Your Website Traffic?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
SEO is an ongoing conversation. There are three ways people find you online: Organic search, marketing and re-marketing. Say that you’re shopping for shoes online. When you type the name of the shoes in a search engine, what comes up is organic SEO. The first AD will show you relevant shoes. That’s “marketing.” Then you’ll notice that shoe ads follow you around the internet for a bit. That’s “re-marketing.”

How Excited Are People About Your Product or Service?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
This is the most basic of questions. Do people want or need your product or service. Often people start businesses that they are passionate about, but for whatever reason their customers or potential customers do not share that passion. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. It may be ahead of tis time or just too expensive. But if people don't want what you are selling, no amount of marketing will make a difference.

How Fast Is Your Business Growing?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
Has your business revenue increased over the last year? This is just numbers. If your business is growing, then you are doing something right and working on your brand will accelerate that growth. If you business is NOT growing then it is dying and working on your brand is a matter of survival.

How Is Your Advertising Performing?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
Having a great looking website and brand identity but doing no advertising is like dressing up in an Armani suit and staying home on Friday night. You can have the greatest product or service in the world but if people don't know about it you will never get much business. Google, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are still the most common digital ad platforms, but there are many more.

How Is Your Social Media Performing?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
Driving organic traffic (“earned” versus paid media) can be an important part of your marketing mix. Social media can help build your credibility as a thought leader. Of course, it’s a crowded, competitive market, so doing it right is crucial.

HowInfluential Is Your Organization?*
- Green
- Yellow
- Red
How well do you tell your brand’s story and convey what makes you different and better? Do you write articles, give talks or host events? Being a thought leader is vital to any marketing plan. If you have something people want, climb up on a soapbox and shout it to the world!

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The BOCA Curve

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