By 
A marketing audit template is an extremely valuable tool for established business owners and their teams. By doing a marketing audit, you get to the heart of the business, uncover challenges and reveal opportunities. But beware of using the wrong type of audit or you will be wasting a lot of time. At Grow, we have developed our own marketing audit template that’s just right for small businesses.
Why we’ve Developed our own Marketing Audit Template
There are too many inept business audits out there. We see a lot of marketing audit templates online that are not right for small businesses. They’re either full of jargon because they were written by academics with little business experience, or they’re just packed with recycled information from outdated marketing textbooks.
Other audits are too general for small businesses, lacking depth or specific details. They’re only relevant to multinational corporations with huge marketing departments, but aren’t fit for businesses with a small team.
Working with hundreds of small business owners has made us realise that we ask quite a lot of the same questions over again, regardless of the sector or industry.
This is why we’ve decided to develop a marketing audit template specifically for small business owners, allowing them to get a proper picture of their business.
Our in-depth marketing audit template asks all the right questions, to really get to the heart of a small business.
4 Reasons why you Should do a Marketing Audit
#1 – Find your strengths and weaknesses
No two businesses are the same, even if they sell almost identical products and services.
Grow’s marketing audit template is exceptionally good at highlighting the strengths that exist within your business, and helps you realise your competitive advantage. It also surfaces the inherent weaknesses in your business.
It’s only by understanding both your strengths and weaknesses that you’ll get the full picture of your business situation. You’ll be in a better position to overcome challenges with ease.
#2 – Sharpen the sword
In this day and age, business owners are unbelievably distracted and rushed, trying to manage all the different aspects of running a business.
Does it feel like you’re running around like a headless chicken? Stop and take a moment.
It’s incredibly important to make time to reflect and sharpen the sword.
Take time to ask yourself, “What’s working? What’s not working? What are your goals for this business?”
Our in-depth marketing audit template includes those questions and many more. Allowing you to stop and reflect for a moment.
#3 – Build a business strategy on firm foundations
We all know the story about the house that was built on the sand. It gets blown away when the storm comes, but the house built on solid foundations remains intact.
Although this is obvious, small businesses often overlook this maxim when it comes to marketing. Business owners tend to rush in to scatter-gun marketing hoping to get more website traffic and more sales. In fact, spending extra time to dig deep into the very soul of the business, allows you to create robust foundations that will stay strong long term.
Grow’s marketing audit template includes questions that uncover your positioning in the market as well as important information about your ideal customers, what problems you solve for them and what benefits you bring.
It then becomes easier to identify your business’ potential quick wins, and what medium and long-term actions you need to undertake.
Thanks to the marketing audit, you will be able to develop a business strategy that stands tall on solid foundations. You’ll be able to with stand any storms that come your way.
#4 – Get the whole picture
Most importantly, it may be one of the first times you’ve sat down and to get a full, holistic picture of your business.
Our audit covers areas like operations, and people, which for small business can be the difference between success and failure, no matter how good their marketing might be.
The audit is also a great way to understand what works and what doesn’t.
If you’re a small business owner, some of your marketing efforts will have failed, and some will have succeeded. Completing a marketing audit creates time to remember what has worked and what hasn’t.
A mathematician would tell you that math is about spotting patterns. An audit allows you to do just that. When you see the full picture, you’re better able to spot patterns. You see the things that work and the ones that don’t. More importantly, you spot opportunities. You’re able to see one piece of the business and put it together with a couple of other opportunities. Suddenly, low and behold, you’re able to consider a new business strategy.
Ultimately, the process of conducting a marketing audit is enabling a more effective all-round marketing strategy for your business.
Completing a marketing audit is like having one of those high-end full medical check-ups. With a full picture of your health, your doctor is in a much stronger position to advise you.
How Long Does it Take to Complete Grow’s Marketing Audit?
It takes about half a day to fill in the full marketing audit template.
If there are questions that you can’t answer or are not clear about, just leave them. Feedback we’ve had from our clients is that the real work is in doing the audit, not in completing all of it. Going through the auditing process has given them time to pause, reflect, and think about their business.
It’s also a way to look in the mirror and see the business you have created, and the business you want to create in the future.
Grow’s Marketing Audit Template
Our marketing audit template is below.
SPECIAL OFFER: Want our marketing expert Alasdair to review your completed audit for free?
Read on for more information.
| Business Vision, Strategy and Goals | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
What is your ultimate long-term business goal?
|
|
| 2. |
What are your business goals in the next 12 months?These goals can be financial and non-financial goals |
|
| 3. |
What are your business goals over the next 3 years?These goals can be financial and non-financial ones |
|
| 4. |
In a typical working week, how many hours do you work? |
|
| 5. |
How much time do you spend on the following areas in your business each week?
|
|
| 6. |
What’s the story of your business?Where did you start from? How did you get to where you are today? |
|
| 7. |
What activities do you most enjoy doing in your business? |
|
| 8. |
What activities do you not enjoy doing in your business? |
|
| 9. |
Please say whether you are strong, average or weak in each of the following business areas:
|
|
| Marketing and Sales | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
What are the 3 key marketing challenges facing your business? |
|
| 2. |
Describe the main products or services that you sell? |
|
| 3. |
Who are your 3 key business competitors? |
|
| 4. |
What 3 characteristics about your company or service help you stand out from your key competitors? |
|
| 5. |
What marketing methods do you use to generate new business enquiries? |
|
| 6. |
What marketing methods have you tried that have been unsuccessful? |
|
| 7. |
How many new enquiries does your website generate each month? |
|
| 8. |
What 3 key problems do you solve for your customers?Please complete the following sentenceFrom my customer’s point of view, the 3 key problems that solve for them are…… |
|
| 9. |
What are the 3 key benefits that you offer to your customers? |
|
| 10. |
Describe your ideal customer for the 3 main products or services you sell? |
|
| 11. |
Do you get referrals from existing customers? |
|
| 12. |
Approximately what percentage of your turnover comes from repeat customers? |
|
| 13. |
What marketing and sales activities are your competitors really good at? |
|
| 14. |
What are the 3 key sales challenges you face in your business? |
|
| 15. |
Do you send regular email marketing to your customers and prospects and if so, how often? |
|
| 16. |
Do you have a system in place to regularly gather and use your customer’s testimonials? |
|
| 17. |
What 5 marketing metrics you track on a monthly basis to determine success? |
|
| 18. |
How do you manage your customers and prospects data? |
|
| Business Administration and Operations | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
What are the job titles of the staff and contractors you have in your business? |
|
| 2. |
What has your turnover been for the last 3 years? |
|
| 3. |
What financial resources does your business have?
|
|
| 4. |
Who does the day-to-day administration for your business? |
|
| 5. |
Is your business able to operate without you when you are on holiday or if you are sick? |
|
| 6. |
How do you manage all the tasks that you and your team need complete in the short, medium and long term? |
|
| 7. |
Please tell us anything else that you feel will help us understand your business.Please tell us anything you think it is important that we know |
|
Are you Ready to Take the Marketing Audit?
The experience of completing the audit will be valuable in and of itself.
You are welcome to use our marketing audit template, and share it with your team or an advisor who is working with you.
What Happens After you’ve Completed the Marketing Audit Template?
Why not make use of our special offer?
SPECIAL OFFER: Alasdair Inglis, MD of Grow, will review your completed marketing audit for free.
Before you submit your audit:
-
- You must have completed at least 90% of the audit for Alasdair to review it.
- You must be an established business owner with a turnover of at least £100,000.
Alasdair will read your completed audit and give you feedback during a 30 minute call.*
Why on Earth are we Doing this?
We believe our in-depth audit is fantastic! It has been truly helpful to many small business owners already.
We know that if you have taken the time to complete the audit, you are serious about developing a strong marketing strategy for your business, and we want to be there for you and the future of your business.
What Happens During the Call?
During the call, Alasdair will give you bespoke feedback about your business, based on your completed marketing audit.
He will highlight your marketing opportunities and potential issues, with some specific advice on how to better market and sell your business.
*We reserve the right to reject feedback applications for any reason. Feedback for the audit cannot be given by email, and will only be done during a half-hour telephone call or Skype session.
The In-Depth Marketing Audit
| Business Vision, Strategy and Goals | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
What is your ultimate long-term business goal?
|
|
| 2. |
What are your business goals in the next 12 months?These goals can be financial and non-financial goals |
|
| 3. |
What are your business goals over the next 3 years?These goals can be financial and non-financial ones |
|
| 4. |
In a typical working week, how many hours do you work? |
|
| 5. |
How much time do you spend on the following areas in your business each week?
|
|
| 6. |
What’s the story of your business?Where did you start from? How did you get to where you are today? |
|
| 7. |
What activities do you most enjoy doing in your business? |
|
| 8. |
What activities do you not enjoy doing in your business? |
|
| 9. |
Please say whether you are strong, average or weak in each of the following business areas:
|
|
| Marketing and Sales | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
What are the 3 key marketing challenges facing your business? |
|
| 2. |
Describe the main products or services that you sell? |
|
| 3. |
Who are your 3 key business competitors? |
|
| 4. |
What 3 characteristics about your company or service help you stand out from your key competitors? |
|
| 5. |
What marketing methods do you use to generate new business enquiries? |
|
| 6. |
What marketing methods have you tried that have been unsuccessful? |
|
| 7. |
How many new enquiries does your website generate each month? |
|
| 8. |
What 3 key problems do you solve for your customers?Please complete the following sentenceFrom my customer’s point of view, the 3 key problems that solve for them are…… |
|
| 9. |
What are the 3 key benefits that you offer to your customers? |
|
| 10. |
Describe your ideal customer for the 3 main products or services you sell? |
|
| 11. |
Do you get referrals from existing customers? |
|
| 12. |
Approximately what percentage of your turnover comes from repeat customers? |
|
| 13. |
What marketing and sales activities are your competitors really good at? |
|
| 14. |
What are the 3 key sales challenges you face in your business? |
|
| 15. |
Do you send regular email marketing to your customers and prospects and if so, how often? |
|
| 16. |
Do you have a system in place to regularly gather and use your customer’s testimonials? |
|
| 17. |
What 5 marketing metrics you track on a monthly basis to determine success? |
|
| 18. |
How do you manage your customers and prospects data? |
|
| Business Administration and Operations | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. |
What are the job titles of the staff and contractors you have in your business? |
|
| 2. |
What has your turnover been for the last 3 years? |
|
| 3. |
What financial resources does your business have?
|
|
| 4. |
Who does the day-to-day administration for your business? |
|
| 5. |
Is your business able to operate without you when you are on holiday or if you are sick? |
|
| 6. |
How do you manage all the tasks that you and your team need complete in the short, medium and long term? |
|
| 7. |
Please tell us anything else that you feel will help us understand your business.Please tell us anything you think it is important that we know |
|
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