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Men from MarsBrand strategy
A Year-in-Review Template for Your Brand
A simple one-page template to look back on your brand’s year: what worked, what did not, what you learned and what to do next. Free to copy.
A good brand grows by learning. A short review at the end of the year turns experience into decisions, and it takes less than an hour. Copy the template below and fill it in with your team.
In this article
Before you start
Gather a few things: your enquiry or sales figures, your best and worst reviews, your most popular posts and pages, and any examples of work you’re proud of. If you ran a year-end brand audit, keep the results to hand.
The template
1. The numbers
- Enquiries or sales this year, compared with last year
- Website visitors and the pages they used most
- Reviews and ratings
- Repeat customers or referrals
2. What worked
List three things that brought good results. For each, write why you think it worked. Examples: a product, a campaign, a message, a partnership, a new packaging design.
3. What did not work
List three things that didn’t. Be honest and kind. Note what you learned rather than who was responsible.
4. What customers said
Write down the words customers use about you. Are they the words you want? Do they match your positioning?
5. What changed in our market
Did new competitors arrive? Did customers want something different? Did prices or habits shift? See our competitor analysis guide.
6. What we are proud of
Name two or three things that show your brand at its best. These are worth doing more of.
7. What we will do next year
Choose no more than three priorities. For each, write who is responsible, a date and how you’ll know it worked.
Turn the review into action
Take your three priorities and turn them into a simple plan. Our brand strategy template is a good frame, and our guide to planning your brand budget will help with the money.
Share it
Share a short version with your team and, if it suits your brand, with customers. A “what we learned this year” message builds trust and gives people a reason to come back.
Keep it
Save each year’s review in the same place. After a few years you’ll see patterns that are hard to spot in the moment, and you’ll be able to show what has changed.
Need an outside view?
Sometimes it helps to have someone else look at your brand. We’re happy to talk. Book a free brand consultation or see our branding agency London page.
