Marketing Audits: 5 Key Considerations to Take Your Company’s Marketing to the Next Level

Many companies have sought WordWrite out over the years to help address issues of stagnant sales and engagement with audiences, in the wake of major societal and economic shifts, and even global health crises. Several clients have come to us looking for marketing auditing services to evaluate their existing strategies and determine what is working, and what needs a complete overhaul.  

The sentiment that we’ve echoed repeatedly to clients – and even internally when revamping our own marketing – is that you should never “set it and forget it.” Like crisis communications, you shouldn’t only reevaluate your marketing during a major event or change, but rather handle it proactively throughout the year, setting aside time each quarter to take stock of what needs improvement.  

Here are several key factors to consider when conducting a thorough marketing audit:  

1. Share a clear and compelling story: Is your business story compelling, consistent, and well understood internally, by team members and leaders at every level, and externally, by clients, prospects and industry partners? If your answer is anything other than a resounding “yes,” then you have some work to do to ensure that your company’s purpose is clear. Take note of the key messaging across your website and social channels, and within existing marketing assets; is it consistent with the story you want to share about your company?   
   
   
2. Focus on the appropriate audiences: You may already be reaching certain audiences through your marketing efforts, whether it be through social posts, blogs, paid advertising or media coverage, but the question is: Are you reaching audiences that are relevant to your brand and services? Do they align with your target demographics? If you’re a medical software company selling healthcare solutions, you don’t want to engage just any audience – you want to reach the physicians and providers who need your products and services.  
   
   
3. Keep an eye on competitors: At WordWrite, competitor analysis is a key component in our approach to evaluating clients’ marketing, and the landscape of their industries. We recently conducted a marketing audit for a large construction and infrastructure company, and we looked closely at the paid, earned, shared and owned media efforts of their five major competitors to develop a better understanding of current marketing trends in their industry sector, and to identify what more the company could be doing to differentiate itself.  
   
   
4. Leverage existing content and assets: Often, companies already have quite a bit of content developed that could be refreshed and repurposed for use across different platforms and for various audiences. There may be white papers or case studies that include valuable material that, with a few updates, could be converted into social copy or talking points for a webinar or podcast episode. Be resourceful in working with what you already have, and adding new tools as you go, rather than starting entirely from scratch.
    
5. Showcase thought leadership: Every company has thought leaders, often the CEO or other members of the C-suite, who possess valuable insights about the industry and the niche solutions the company provides. Capturing thought leadership through blogs, newsletters, podcasts, webinars, or contributed content in news outlets is one of the most effective ways to position your team as knowledgeable and reliable experts in your field. When auditing your marketing, think about what untapped thought leadership opportunities you could incorporate to reach more audiences and get your story out into the world. 

Successful marketing requires consistent work and adjustments, and an understanding that your marketing will evolve as your company changes and grows. Learn more about WordWrite’s marketing audit services for professional service organizations.