Firstly, it is comprehensive and therefore covers all the major marketing areas in a firm/business/organisation - it does not simply stamp out fires or correct ill-directed efforts. It also guides and provides new avenues for spend and revenue return.
Secondly, it is systematic and involves a well-laid-out sequence of diagnostic steps which should cover the firm's marketing environment, its internal systems, and each specific marketing activity.
Thirdly, the marketing audit must be seen as being independent. The objective for the audit remains to deliver a clear, unbiased view into the performance of a company/firm/organisation for the benefit of the bottom line.
The purpose of the audit is not to provide lip-servicing or praises, but to provide constructive, objective criticism of the marketing spectrum in general, and current marketing management practice in particular. Whether the firm uses an in-house team or outside auditors to conduct it is a matter of choice.
A point to note is, the marketing audit is periodic and is not conducted only in good times, or only when sales have turned into a downward trend or spiral. Most companies that find themselves in predicaments do not complete these regularly - effectively operating the front-end of your business and the driver of sales blindly, and based solely on internal trust or long-gone successes.
The auditing of Martech and the validity of the Martech stack within the marketing mechanisms of a business/firm/organisation is important not only for future-proofing but pressure testing for efficacies.
Martech can consist of a variation of technology deployed for marketing outputs, these include but are not limited to:
- CRM
- Database Management (CDP, DMP, GMP)
- Project Management Tools
- Reporting Software/Tools
- Campaign Management Platforms
- Google Ads Manager
- Facebook Ads Manager
- LinkedIn Business/Advertising Manager
- TV-Syncing Technologies and other innovative (“new”) technologies
Often these tools and mechanisms are tasked with driving in either volumes/targets or driving inefficiencies into a business, in the form of lead or sale optimisation rates or through other outputs essential to the firm/business/organisation in question. These require the same amount of transparency as the rest of the marketing environment for optimal results.
UpBeet Digital offers consulting packages to help deliverance against these outcomes helping your business achieve the desired results outlined in the recommendations provided after the audit period.
With a team consisting of business, business ecosystem, marketing, data, and legal specialists, we are perfectly positioned to assist your business.
Sources:
*Researchgate.net (2020 - in-depth global study)
*IAB
*GDPR Best Practices
*W3C Standards Best Practices
