One of the most frequently asked questions I receive when speaking with CEOs and CMOs is: Am I getting the best results I can from my digital marketing investment?
Granted, this can be a sensitive conversation, especially if either existing in-house staff manage some element of their digital program, or perhaps if it’s currently outsourced to a third-party vendor. Regardless, the question is one that should be given consideration.
Finding the Answer to Your Digital Marketing Questions
I bet if you’ve nursed an ache or pain for a while, eventually you decide to visit your physician. In turn, they probably run a few tests as part of their examination in order to make a sound diagnosis and plan of care based upon supporting evidence. The same holds true for your digital marketing program.
Determining the performance level of your digital marketing program begins with a digital audit. A digital audit discovers your unique brand position online, looks at how it compares to that of your competitors, and identifies where your biggest gaps and opportunities lie.
Investment Benefits of a Digital Marketing Audit
You made an investment in your personal health when you made the decision to visit your physician, which resulted in benefits such as peace of mind and long-term savings on future health issues. In turn, there are many benefits to investing in a digital marketing audit, including:
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Fine-tuning or establish your strategy for the first time
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Getting an edge on your competition
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Setting clear, realistic marketing goals
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Using the correct marketing KPIs
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Eliminating wasteful spending
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Focusing on what works, not on what someone thinks will work
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Ensuring your program is ever-evolving as digital marketing continually changes
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Saving money and improving ROI on all levels
Conversions Equal Effectiveness
A digital marketing audit involves research and analysis to understand what digital marketing elements exist, how well each element is working, and how it compares to your competitors.
By analyzing each digital element as it relates to the appropriate level in the sales funnel, an audit will reveal the appropriate strategy and tactics to yield the highest result. The audit zeros in on the following sales funnel orientation:
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Top of Funnel - Traffic and brand awareness that result in visitors
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Middle of Funnel - Conversions of visitors to Marketing Qualified Leads
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Bottom of Funnel - Sales Qualified leads that are ready to talk with your sales team
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Retention - Effectiveness of brand loyalty, referral and upselling tactics
Related: Increase your traffic, leads and sales with a data-driven website >>
Data-Driven Elements of a Digital Audit
A core set of elements should be included in a digital audit. When considering a digital audit, insist on the review of these pieces:
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Existing goals
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Website user experience relative to the persona’s buyer’s journey
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Website functionality and performance
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Website sales funnel orientation
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Keyword strategies
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Content effectiveness and optimization across all channels (web, social platforms, blog, etc.)
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Search engine optimization (SEO) across all channels
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Social media and blog analytics
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Email marketing strategies
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Search Engine Marketing & Pay-Per-Click advertising (Google AdWords, etc.)
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Online reputation management
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Competitor brand positioning and tactical execution
Expected Outcomes of a Digital Marketing Audit
A great deal of time will go into the analysis of your digital program that will result in either validating your existing strategy or identifying opportunities to get better performance outcomes. When working with an experienced digital marketing agency, you should expect to receive quality deliverables in the form of:
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A documented report demonstrating the actual data derived from the analysis
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A documented report demonstrating the breakdown of the findings by each level of the sales funnel
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A strategic plan outlining the optimal strategic and tactical steps to take to enhance your digital program
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Dedicated time with an objective digital expert to review the findings and discuss the rationale and expected outcome of the strategic recommendations
What Else Do I Get From a Digital Audit?
Whether you are just initiating plans for your digital marketing program or you have an existing digital marketing program, it’s critical to invest in a digital marketing audit before engaging in any inbound marketing strategy.
The strength of the audit is in the data you discover and interpret. The numbers will tell the story of your online brand presence and will reveal the important steps you need to take to bring the ROI you need.
The digital marketing audit end result is a strategic plan of action that identifies how you can improve your online brand presence, beat your competitors, generate leads, and grow your bottom line.
You invest in quality checks in other aspects of your business operation — doesn’t it make sense to invest in the area of your business that generates your revenue? Discover how a digital audit will put your digital marketing program on a path to high conversions.
