Marketing Audits for Solopreneurs
Using data to make decisions is exhilarating. (At least I think so...does that make me a nerd?) Instead of choosing priorities and initiatives that you *think* will propel your solopreneur business forward, take time to analyze before coming up with a plan. This approach is more methodical and strategic. Making informed decisions rooted in data sets you up for success by creating efficiency, and giving you a concrete way to measure results.
Digging in to understand an area of your business, like your website, is a more strategic way to figure out where you are now and where you want (or need) to go. For example, a website audit may reveal that you are getting consistent traffic to your website but the visitors aren’t staying very long. You might discover that you’re ranking for keywords you hadn’t thought about and would like to rank for different ones. (Enter: Blogging strategy.)
A full marketing and communications audit dives deep into your website, social media presence, email campaigns, and any printed materials that you may have. The benefits of conducting a marketing and communications audit for your your small business include:
Getting an outsiders perspective. If you're a solopreneur, you're living in your business and you're very close to all the ins and outs. It’s helpful to have a new set of eyes on everything to catch little nuances, typos, gaps and inconsistencies. You may think your messaging is as clear as day but if a marketing/communications person tells you it’s not - then imagine how your target audience feels. Enlisting the help of a seasoned marketing expert can help ensure your business and offerings are being portrayed in a clear and consistent way.
Prioritizing what's most important. A marketing audit reveals initiatives that will have the biggest impact on your solopreneur business. You may find that there are big gaps or issues that are more important to focus on over other initiatives that you planned on tackling. Discovering that your website is insecure or has broken links might mean that you have to put blogging on the back-burner while you tackle website clean up first.
Creating a roadmap. Chances are an audit is going to reveal many areas in which you can improve your marketing and communications efforts. This has the potential to feel overwhelming at first. If you can look at it as an opportunity to create a roadmap for the next year (or longer) then it feels more exciting and less daunting. The results from an audit can help you create monthly, quarterly and even yearly goals which can help you stay focused and productive.
By conducting a marketing audit, you're setting yourself up to work more efficiently. You'll have the reassurance that the time you're putting into marketing your business is being spent wisely. So, what are you waiting for? It’s never too early to start planting the seeds that will grow your solopreneur business in the future!