It’s no secret that auditing is often perceived as a dirty word, but what if we looked at it differently?
I’m not talking about the IRS. I’m talking about how you can use auditing as a tool for marketing your business! Auditing businesses is one of the things I love to do most.
Auditing client accounts helps me see where there’s room for improvement and ways I can help save them money. In this role, it is common to find ways for businesses to run more efficiently and cost-effectively – two things that are a win for anyone!
Let’s explore the world of auditing and discover how it can help you succeed in your eCommerce business!
What is Marketing Auditing?
If marketing auditing feels like a mystery to you, someone who audits your business can help you:
- Implement fixes for things that are potentially broken in your business
- Identify what you should be doing differently to run your business most efficiently
- Review different areas of your business you might not fully understand
- Determine your goals to make your business more successful
There are a lot of similarities between a marketing audit and a financial audit, but the intent of any audit is to provide an objective insight into your business.
Some people don’t see the value in hiring someone else to audit their business. While auditing clients’ accounts in the past, I have found plenty of things that they could have been done differently. If it wasn’t for me doing an audit, the chances of them finding and fixing these things would have been pretty slim.
You see, having someone audit your business is like having another pair of eyes look over the details that you may not be paying attention to. You might be so close to your business that you can’t see the forest through the trees!
If you’re looking for some feedback on your website, join my Facebook group! I love to hop on Facebook Live and audit people’s websites for free! Yes, for free. If that’s something you’re interested in, click here to become an exclusive member of our crew!
When You Should Audit Your Business
Whether you’re seeing extreme growth or no growth in your business, there’s always room for improvement. There is no reason to feel resistant about getting an audit. If something isn’t working well in your business, you should be aware of it. No one’s business is perfect, so let go of that perception. No matter how good the next person may be doing, they still have problems to address.
It can be helpful to hire someone new because they won’t have any preconceived notions about the current state of your business. A third party can provide you with a fresh perspective of what needs to happen to move your business to the next level.
When I work with e-commerce business owners, I’m always ready to audit their website, Facebook ads, or whatever else they might want me to review. Auditing truly helps you understand your business. It can help you create a strategic roadmap so that the future of your business doesn’t look so jumbled up!
Who Should Audit Your Business
Now that you know when you should audit your business, which is basically any time, you should understand the kind of people that are qualified to do a marketing audit for you.
If you’re going to have someone audit your website or audit your Facebook ads, they should be an expert in their field. They need to be an expert in Facebook advertising. They need to be an expert in marketing.
Why would you waste your time hiring someone to audit your website if they don’t know anything about SEO, backlinks, and meta descriptions? It won’t serve you any purpose.
They need to be able to provide an objective insight for you so that you really can get the “behind the curtains” experience.
If you’re looking for an in-depth audit from expert marketers, contact us here at Digital Dawn Agency! Whether you need a deep dive into your website or advertising, we have the laser eyes that will help you propel your business to the stars!
The Benefits of a Marketing Audit
A marketing audit can dramatically improve your business. It’s a good way to stay organized, achieve your goals, and have a detailed view of the e-commerce market.
You’ll get insight into any gaps or opportunities that may exist relative to your competitors and learn about any changes needed before they happen. In the event that a situation arises out of the blue, there will already be plans in place to remedy the situation!
If you’ve been feeling like something is missing from your current business strategy, here are a few more benefits of a marketing audit!
Improves Efficiency
Whether auditing improves the efficiency of your marketing or your operations, it can show you things you may not have seen otherwise. An audit pushes you to look further into detail and evaluate how business is being conducted.
This is especially helpful for e-commerce business owners because you don’t always have a direct line to your customers. Auditing helps you become more aware of how customers are responding to your products and understand what marketing techniques connect with them the most!
Evaluate Risks and Blind Spots
It’s normal not to get everything right. If you’re doing something incorrectly from a marketing perspective, an audit can show you exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it.
One of the most important sections in your marketing plan is a list of goals you intend to achieve over time. Audits provide clarity on what needs work to reach your goals.
Reveal New Avenues
The evaluation of an audit can reveal new avenues because it determines the ROI of any campaigns or initiatives. It’s often easy to forget about new opportunities because you get caught up in what’s working currently, but it doesn’t hurt to reassess your marketing efforts!
Auditing identifies changes you can make to quickly improve traction in your business. Making even small changes can have a positive impact on your business, so take advantage of the chance to improve when you get it!
What You Can Expect During a Digital Dawn Audit
I have done hundreds of audits over the years. Over time, I have been able to pinpoint 10 to 15 key errors that show up in a website audit or Facebook Ads. 9 times out of 10, these errors are found while evaluating someone’s business!
This is why Digital Dawn Agency has defined checklists for each specific audit – whether it’s for Facebook, Instagram, or your website. These checklists help us quickly identify the areas in which you may need support.
No matter what accounts you need help with, you can rest assured that our team will go through every detail of your site to make sure you’ll receive the best recommendations for your unique business needs.
Audits Can Point Out Good Things, Too!
An audit looks at all areas of your business, including the good parts! Although the intent of an audit is to find areas of opportunity to help mitigate risks, it should also confirm the things that you’re doing well in your business. Having a third party give you a thumbs up can be a great motivator!
Here at Digital Dawn Agency, we use a video recording tool to walk through our audit methodology. We will go over the key errors that you might be making and show you what you’re doing well!
Here is a step-by-step rundown of how an audit goes with us:
- Run our checklist depending on which account you need audited.
- Do an internal audit so we can see what you need help with.
- Make a detailed video of the audit that you can look back on for reference.
- Write up a document and take screenshots of the things you’re doing well and provide you with recommendations and examples of some things you should be doing differently.
- Schedule a call for a live walkthrough to help you better understand the changes and recommendations.
An audit shouldn’t be considered a dirty word. It should be considered the best way to move your business forward. If you’re looking to improve your digital marketing strategy or operations, an audit is a great way to identify changes that need to be made.
If you want a third-party opinion on how your business stacks up against competitors, contact us today!
Our team at Digital Dawn Agency will take care of everything from start to finish – all wrapped up neatly into one, easy-to-digest package for you! We would be more than happy to take a look at your business and see how we can help you with a customized audit.
BIO
Dawn Sinkule, the Founder of Digital Dawn, is an MBA graduate, Strategy and Business Growth Consultant as well as a Certified Online Business Manager with more than 16 years of corporate experience working for a Fortune 50 company. Dawn and her team work with passionate six figure business owners who want to grow, expand, and explode their businesses. Dawn and the DD team provide your choice of self-implementation or fully done for you solutions, and both include detailed business strategies, automation, systems, and most importantly the satisfaction of knowing your business is heading the right direction. Her clients get not only the experience of a Fortune 50 leader, but also a personalized and customized strategy as well as an implementation team: AKA your secret weapon for success.