Marketing tactics such as content creation, a well-designed website, email marketing and even paid media don’t work well in isolation. Achieving predictable and sustainable growth is nearly impossible without a cohesive framework guiding these efforts. In short, tactics without strategy are just guesswork.
Developing scalable and measurable strategies may sound straightforward, but where do you begin? The first step is conducting a detailed audit. The audit lets you assess what’s working well and identify areas that need adjustment, tweaking or improvement.
There are several key factors to consider when conducting a detailed marketing audit. But before diving into them, it’s essential to understand why the audit matters. Without taking a deep, objective look at your current efforts, you risk moving forward without clear direction — like piloting a ship without a rudder.
Dig deeper: 5 ways to transition from tactical to strategic marketing
Defining your target audience
A critical part of the audit is clearly defining your target audience or customer persona(s). This step shapes many of the strategies and tactics you’ll implement. By understanding your audience, you can craft messaging and content that truly resonates with them. You’ll also gain insight into their challenges and pain points — because everyone has them.
Addressing these pain points effectively strengthens your connection with your audience and helps differentiate your products or services from competitors. Additionally, developing well-defined personas guides where and how you deploy your marketing efforts, ensuring you reach your audience on the right platforms.
Let’s consider a couple of examples to clarify. Imagine your business provides services to help other companies manage their finances and payroll. Your target audience is B2B, likely consisting of mid-size to larger companies, with decision-makers within those organizations.
While creating short, funny videos on a platform like TikTok may seem like a great idea, most of your target audience doesn’t spend time there, and it’s unclear that you’re targeting businesses (B2B). A better strategy would be to create informational or thought-leadership content on a platform like LinkedIn, which is more aligned with B2B networking. Visitors on LinkedIn are more receptive to this type of messaging. Many of the decision-makers you’re targeting are active on this platform.
Dig deeper: How to turn your ideal customer’s pain points into entry points
Marketing strategic development
One model I frequently use in marketing, though not exclusive to this field, is the SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). This approach has been widely used across various industries, examining internal and external factors to identify key areas. The SWOT analysis provides valuable clarity and direction, helping you better understand how to reach your objectives and goals.
Competitor and marketplace analysis
Once you’ve identified your organization’s SWOT and refined your customer persona or ICP, it’s time to gather intelligence on your competitors. Even if you’re doing well, understanding where your competitors excel and where you can gain an edge is crucial.
Identifying your top competitors may seem straightforward but often requires more research than expected. At a basic level, a quick Google search can reveal businesses targeting the same search terms, products, or services as you.
However, to dig deeper, you’ll need lead pipeline and CRM data at a minimum, and possibly more advanced third-party tools to refine your research. Your top competitors may not dominate search results or have massive social media followings. However, they could still pose a threat if they’re more effective at acquiring and converting leads into sales and revenue.
Analyze competitors’ websites, social media presence, and engagement. You can also look at company growth metrics, such as headcount, to understand their growth trajectory, messaging and target audiences.
Dig deeper: Why you should always ask why: Strategy must lead tactics in marketing planning
Messaging and CTA
Now that you’ve identified your variables and assessed those of your primary competitors, it’s time to define your goals and the next steps for your messaging.
- What actions should your visitors and prospects take next?
- Is your call to action (CTA) straightforward and easy to find — whether through buttons or contact forms on your website or landing page?
- Do your CTAs (and yes, you may have multiple) align logically with the content, emails, digital ads, etc.?
A primary reason for underperforming ad or email campaigns is failing to connect the CTA with the solution the visitor is seeking. Potential customers don’t appreciate a “bait and switch” — and can you blame them?
Helpful tools and resources
With the advancements in technology and AI, there are now many resources that can make the audit process more manageable. While this isn’t an exhaustive list (there are hundreds of tools available), here are some of the most helpful ones I’ve found:
- HubSpot: Not just a great CRM, HubSpot offers many lesser-known tools, including an AI-assisted tool that helps you generate marketing personas based on industry, demographics, and behavior.
- Delve AI: A more sophisticated platform that uses first-party data (like Google Analytics and CRM data) and second-party data (e.g., social media engagement) to create data-driven buyer personas.
- Semrush Persona Builder: Originally an SEO and keyword research tool, Semrush now offers a Persona Builder with 3-4 templates you can customize to fit your specific needs.
- ChatGPT: While ChatGPT doesn’t have a specific persona builder, you can use prompts to help generate and refine personas for B2B and B2C businesses.
Now that you understand the importance of conducting a marketing audit and have some tools to help you get started, it’s time to move beyond trial-and-error marketing. Once your audit reveals a clear strategic direction, your marketing performance will become more predictable and scalable.
Dig deeper: Strategic vs. tactical decisions: How to find the right balance
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