A marketing audit is exactly what the name describes, a comprehensive analysis of your internal and external marketing to determine a plan of action and improve your nonprofit organization’s performance.
When done right, this allows your leadership team to evaluate the current strategy as a whole, seeing what’s working and what could be improved. This allows you to make decisions based on real data rather than industry trends or general best practices.
How to Conduct a Marketing Audit
Many organizations conduct marketing audits when something is going wrong, but when performed on a regular basis, they can also be preventative. Periodic audits allow your marketing team to measure their current strategy and identify areas to correct or redirect before they become an issue.
Here are the basic steps to conducting a marketing audit.
1. List and describe all goals and objectives
These goals should be S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time sensitive) and align with your larger organizational targets.
2. Review detailed donor personas
Do you know who your ideal donors or constituents are? If you don’t have a good idea of who you’re talking to through your marketing, you will find it difficult to run effective campaigns.
3. Do a S.W.O.T. analysis
Be honest about your charity’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats so you are working within a realistic framework.
4. Document your assets, services, products and resources
When you gather your various marketing assets, you’ll have all the information in one place and will be better able to consider your options.
5. Analyze data
Once you’ve taken the time to gather your data, now it’s time to look at it as a whole. Make notes of what you notice as you go.
6. Draw conclusions and create an action plan
What’s working? What could be going better? Where are the gaps? Create an action plan based on what you discover in your audit.
A marketing audit gives your charity the facts and analysis you need in order to make a realistic strategy that will move you towards your organizational goals.
Who Should Conduct a Marketing Audit?
In many cases, your in-house marketing team can conduct your organization’s marketing audit. However, if this is your first marketing audit, if you don’t have an in-house team or if something’s going wrong and you can’t seem to identify it, then it’s time to bring in an outside auditor.
If you want an educated, outside perspective for your comprehensive marketing audit, give the crew at Anchor Marketing a call today. Our strategy-first, results-oriented approach means we’ll guide you with clear navigation and give you the marketing support you deserve.
