If you are having any doubt that your brand is not working, try this little test.

1. Open Word.
2. Write down the key claim or message from your website.
3. Pick 5 competitors.
4. Go to their websites and write their key claim or message on the same document.
5. Show the document to a colleague, a friend, your partner. Ideally, a customer.
6. Ask them to identify your claim or message.

It does not matter if your competitors are lying, if you are the only one who could truthfully claim what everyone is claiming, if your technology is better, if you have a more accurate vision for the future, if your founder has an incredible track record.

The customer does not care.

You are not trying to make an argument in the court room. You are competing on the market.

Note: if you pass the test, it does not mean your brand is working. A message is easy enough to imitate and brand is a combination of multiple items that should reflect the way you see the world. But if you don’t pass the test, then your brand is definitely not working.