How a Marketing Audit Works

A digital-marketing audit typically includes an analysis of the following elements:

• Website. Design, usability, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, financial compliance, website content, search engine optimization (SEO), and mobile-friendliness;

• Social media. Social media platform presence, including the quality and frequency of its content, static-profile information, impressions, and use of advertising;

• Email marketing. Email campaigns, including the design and content of emails, segmentation of email lists, and click and open rates;

• Paid advertising. Paid advertising channels, such as Google Ads and social media advertising, in terms of budget, targeting, and performance; and

• Content marketing. Content-marketing efforts, including the quality and relevance of its blog posts, videos, and other content, as well as its distribution and promotion.

Website audit

This is a comprehensive review of a website to identify any issues or opportunities for improvement. It typically includes an analysis of the following elements:

• Performance: Website speed, uptime, and technical performance;

• Usability: Layout, navigation, and overall user experience;

• Accessibility: Compliance with accessibility standards and its usability for visitors with disabilities;

• Security: Security measures, such as SSL certificates and password protection;

• Content: Content quality, relevance, and formatting of the website's content;

• Search engine optimization (SEO): Metadata, keywords, and other elements that can impact its visibility and ranking in search engine results; and

• Mobile friendliness: Design and performance on mobile devices.

In addition, an audit includes a fundamental metadata and search engine optimization (SEO) review. These are important elements of a website that can impact its visibility and ranking in search engine results. This involves analyzing and evaluating these elements to identify opportunities for improving a website's visibility and ranking in search results. Some key elements that may be included are:

Title tags and meta descriptions

These are the snippets of text that appear in search engine results and should accurately reflect the webpage's content.

• Headings: Headings (H1, H2, etc.) help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of a webpage's content;

• Keywords: Identifying and using relevant keywords in a webpage's content and metadata can help improve its ranking for those keywords in search results;

• Alt text: Alt text is a description of an image that is used by search engines to understand the content of an image, as well as the page on which it appears;

• URL structure: A clear and concise URL structure can help search engines understand the hierarchy of a website's content and improve its ranking;

• Internal linking: Properly linking to other pages on a website can help search engines understand the relationships between pages and improve their ranking; and

• External linking: Linking to high-quality external websites can help improve a website's credibility and ranking.

Identifying and addressing any issues or opportunities in a website audit informs the development of an improvement plan and guides ongoing maintenance and updates. Conduct a website audit regularly to ensure that it is performing optimally and meeting the needs of clients, prospects and leads. It improves a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results, leading to increased traffic and, ultimately, more business.

Social media audit

This is a comprehensive review of a company's social media presence to identify any issues or opportunities for improvement. A social media audit typically includes an analysis of the following elements:

• Social media accounts: Social media platform presence, including the quality and frequency of posts, engagement with followers, and use of advertising;

• Brand consistency: Branding elements, such as logos and tone of voice, across a business’s social media accounts to ensure consistency;

• Target audience: Demographics and interests of the company's followers – compare them to its target audience to ensure alignment;

• Engagement: Engagement with followers, including likes, comments, and shares;

• Content strategy: Content strategy, including the types of content a business is sharing, the frequency of posting, and the performance of different types of content; and

• Social media advertising: Social media advertising, including the targeting, budget, and performance of its campaigns.

The findings of a social media audit inform the development of a strategy and guide ongoing efforts. Conduct a social media audit regularly to ensure that the company's social media marketing aligns with its business objectives and effectively achieves its desired results.

Local and professional listing audit

Local and professional listings are online directories for businesses in a particular geographic area or industry. This involves reviewing and evaluating a company's listings in these directories to ensure that the information is complete, accurate, and up to date. Some key elements are:

• Business name. Ensure the business name is listed consistently across all directories;

• Contact information. Verify that the company's address, phone number, and website are listed correctly in all directories;

• Categories. Ensure that the company is listed in the appropriate categories in each directory;

• Hours of operation. Verify that the company's hours of operation are listed correctly in all directories;

• Photos and videos. Review any photos or videos that are associated with the company's listings to ensure that they are high-quality and representative of the business; and

• Reviews and ratings. Review any ratings or reviews that have been left for the company and respond to any negative feedback in a professional manner.

By ensuring that a company's local and professional listings are accurate and up to date, you improve its visibility and credibility in the local community and industry, which can lead to increased traffic and ultimately, more business.

Email marketing audit

An email marketing review is a comprehensive evaluation of a company's email marketing efforts. It involves analyzing and evaluating the company's email campaigns to identify strengths and weaknesses and provide recommendations for improvement.

Some key elements are:

• Email list. Size and segmentation of the email list, as well as the methods used to acquire email addresses;

• Email design. Design and formatting, including the use of images, layout, and branding elements;

• Email content. Quality, relevance, and value of the content included in emails;

• Subject lines. Effectiveness of the subject lines used in terms of open rates and engagement;

• Call-to-action (CTA). Effectiveness of the CTAs used in terms of driving conversions;

• Email automation. Use of email automation, such as welcome emails and abandoned cart emails, and their effectiveness; and

• Email analytics: Email analytics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, to identify trends and areas for improvement.

By identifying and addressing any issues or opportunities identified in an email marketing review, a company can improve the effectiveness of its email marketing efforts and drive better results.

Next steps

The insights gleaned from a digital marketing audit serve as a powerful tool for developing and refining your digital marketing plan. This ensures that your strategies stay up to date, effective, and in sync with your evolving business objectives. By continually evaluating and adjusting your marketing efforts based on the audit's findings, you can optimize your online presence, drive client acquisition, and foster lasting relationships with your target audience. Embracing the digital marketing audit as an integral part of your ongoing marketing strategy can empower your firm to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape, ultimately leading to sustained growth and success.

Crystal Lee Butler, MBA is the owner of Crystal Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing agency dedicated to working specifically with independent financial advisors. Since 2011, she’s helped financial advisors cut through the noise to attract ideal clients and grow their businesses using proven strategies that we use with our clients every day. As your “Chief Marketing Officer,” our goal is to help you grow your business and put time back on your calendar so that you can focus on what you do best: serving your clients.

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