If you are an internet entrepreneur, e-commerce expert, or a traditional business that leverage the power of digital to gather leads and sales, then this article might be worth reading.
See, creating a marketing plan without performing a proper digital marketing audit can cause you to invest in unnecessary initiatives and to overlook gaps in your current strategy. Many marketers forgo performing an in-depth audit because it can be an intimidating and time-consuming process.
However, a proper digital marketing audit might just be the one thing you need to create a startegy that actually works.
So, that becons the question...
How is a digital marketing audit done?
Well, if you can afford it, hire a professional.
Of course, my business does it. And we pride ourselves that we have helped many businesses to achieve greater success once we have completed an audit and implemented critical strategies. (Simply email us at apps@clawpublishing.com for more info)
That said, besides the above, there is one major reason why it is better for an external party to conduct an audit....
Objectivity.
You have spent countless hours - and maybe dollars - creating your digital footprint. Working on your site. Developing social media platforms. Redoing the storyline. Writing killer content. Bettering the images. Building a sales funnel. Perfecting that call to action.
Problem is, just like editing a book yourself, no matter how many times you look for spelling mistakes, you won't find them. You'll become "blind" for your own mistakes. The same applies for your digital footprint.
In short, if you can afford it and if you are serious about your digital efforts then get an objective professional to conduct an audit.
I get it, sometimes the old cash flow is a bit tight.
But do not skip the porcess.
To go at it alone, get some perceived objectivity.
In other words, ask people you know to user test your website.
Better yet, get actual clients to do so and listen to their valuable feedback.
Parts of the audit will be analytical and if you have some techincal knowlege, or have the knowledge inhouse, you would be able to conduct an acurate audit.
The digital marketing audit should follow a structured approach. I propose the following framework:
1. Search and web Audit
This will audit your digital visibility, rank, keywords, onpage optimisation, ofpage optimisation, tecnical issues, mobile responsiveness and user experience.
2. Social Media Audit
We all know social is uge.
You know it is essential and you have to be there.
So make sure your social strategy alligns with your Marketing startegy.
Things to consider here would be:
Current engagement analysis - ie number of followers, how do they engage with your social media and on what do they currenly engage the most.
Facebook target analysis - Use Facebook audience insgight to determine your market size, where they hang out, demographics. Play around and you will find invaluable information
Current Social media profiles - does it all allign? Does it support one another?
3. Content Audit
If social and search constitute the current marketing standard, content marketing represents where these two distinct channels come together and where the current trends for digital marketing as a whole are pointing.
Publishing high-quality content can dramatically enhance your SEO efforts and having quality content to post is all but necessary for finding success on social media.
Duplicate content analysis. Make sure the current content on your site is unique!
Content sheduling. Howe ofthen do you deliver quality content? In what formats and does it appeal to your target adience?
Story analysis. It is an old saying, but story sells. So, ask yourself is my brand/products story clearly vissible through the content on your website?
4. Digital Competative Audit
It is up to you how broad or deep you want to go with this.
However, critically evaluating your major competitors digital footprint might yield you golden nugets of inforamtion. Look at their websites, social media, search, content and sources of traffic. Reverse engineer sales processes.
Does Your Digital Marketing Strategy Need An Update?
Make it your goal to bring your out-dated digital marketing strategies up-to-date. If you don’t have the time or personnel to deal with auditing your digital marketing strategy on your own, consider hiring a marketing partner with over a decade of experience building high-performing digital marketing strategies that will fulfil your business goals for the year ahead.