How can you innovate your marketing strategy through a thorough audit?

At Dasera, precision sets the tone for our marketing audits. Our primary objective is to evaluate our current strategies' effectiveness in connecting with our core audience. We delve deep, questioning the impact of our campaigns and wondering if we're genuinely present where our audience is most active. To this end, various tools offer insights into key performance indicators such as user engagement and conversions. Our data-gathering isn't solely number-driven; we value qualitative feedback to get the complete picture. After thorough analysis, we engage our team with a comprehensive report, highlighting victories and pinpointing growth areas. This meticulous approach ensures that our audits are both streamlined and profoundly meaningful.

Break your audit into four steps: 1. Audit Positions: - Assess roles across teams, not just marketing. - Understand team members' perspectives and goals. - Build relationships to align efforts. 2. Audit Tactics: - Categorize tactics: brand enhancement, lead generation, close rates, client retention. - Analyze results, budget allocation, and measurable outcomes. - Identify effective tactics and explore uncharted strategies. 3. Audit Tech Stack: - Evaluate tech stack efficiency. - Seek improvements, integrate tools, eliminate redundancy. 4. Audit Reporting: - Create standardized reporting mechanisms. - Focus on key metrics: submissions, proposal to finalist rate, close rates, client & revenue retention, LTV.

*Practical Steps* Start with clear goals: - Think about what you want to achieve with your marketing. Is it more customers, better brand recognition, or something else? - Break these goals down into bite-sized pieces – things you can measure and track over time. - Allocate your time and resources based on what's most important for your business right now.

Many companies go overboard with auditing and end up having a thousand things to improve and no clarity on how to achieve them. You are only as good as your worst so start by focusing on the low hanging fruits. Small changes can lead to big impact.

For small to medium-sized businesses, it can be helpful to think in terms of "levers." These levers include leads, conversion rate, average transactions per customer, average sale amount, and margin percentage. Using this formula can help hold all teams accountable, from marketing to sales to production. By placing systems and measurements in place for each lever, the company can make better decisions and prevent departmental blame. This approach encourages teamwork toward achieving objectives while keeping things simple and minimizing the audit budget.

It's beneficial to examine your competitor's website content as it can provide valuable insights into their approach or lack thereof. It's essential to establish your brand's distinct identity in the market. Many companies rely on generic phrases like "locally owned and operated," "affordable," or "budget-friendly." To connect with customers on a personal and conversational level, it's crucial to discover your brand's unique qualities and use appropriate language.

In B2B cybersecurity, staying ahead is paramount. At Dasera, we found the compass in marketing audits. My recent audit revealed: -Data from Google Analytics showed our current trajectory. -Our audience shifted with the cybersecurity climate; we adjusted with research. -We prioritized high-ROI channels. -Competitor analysis clarified our market stance. -Customer feedback highlighted our hits and misses. -We evolved our strategy, embracing AI and refining content. Outcome? Beyond mere innovation, we streamlined tools and campaigns, ensuring relevance. From DivvyCloud to Accurics to Dasera, audits have shaped my strategic approach in the cybersecurity startup world. Marketers, audits are your roadmap through the rocky business terrain.

*Practical Steps* Make the most of what you have: - Review all the things you're doing in your marketing. Do they all make sense for your goals? - Think about your brand's identity. Does it match what you're telling your customers? - Keep an eye on your budget. Are you spending money in the right places to get the best results?

As part of an audit, you need to not only analyze the processes and data that you currently have, but also features of your technology that you have access to but are NOT using. Many companies don't change their processes when product updates come out and end up with huge gaps between what they are paying for and what they are using. It's important to regularly evaluate your systems for ways they can better serve you.

*Practical Steps* Measure, compare, and learn: - Set some standards to compare yourself against. Look at your past performance, what others are doing, and what customers expect. - Don't forget to listen to your customers. They can tell you a lot about what's working and what isn't. - Keep checking back on your standards regularly. As things change, you might need to adjust your strategy.

The insights and recommendations are THE most important aspect of the audit. This needs to be done in an ordinary matter, setting the right priorities. If there are any processes that need to be adjusted, I recommend using process mapping for both mapping current and new processes.

*Practical Steps* Turn insights into action: - You'll probably have a bunch of ideas by now. Pick the ones that will make the most difference and set a plan for them. - Share your plan with your team and make sure everyone knows what they're doing. - Be open to trying new things and learning from them. Sometimes, the unexpected ideas are the best ones.

*Practical Steps* Keep it human: - Remember, your marketing isn't just data and numbers; it's about connecting with real people. Keep your customers at the heart of your decisions. - Encourage your team to be creative and open to new ideas. Some of the best marketing comes from thinking outside the box.