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31. A Marketing Audit: The Starting Point for Growing Your Creative Business


woman holding notebook with words "to do" on page, holding pencil over notebook, on top of table

“I know my marketing needs work, but I’m so frustrated and strapped for time I can’t deal with it.” If that sounds familiar, today’s your lifeline. We’re talking about what a marketing audit really is, why every creative business owner needs one, and what it actually includes.


First things first: I hate the term “marketing audit.” It sounds like an IRS letter you open with your heart in your throat - someone marching in to list everything you did wrong and strong-arm you into fixes. Hard pass. I’m also not in love with the “doctor’s checkup” comparison. Necessary? Sure. Fun? Not for me. So let’s use a better analogy: a tune-up.


Every few thousand miles, you take your car in - not to rip the engine out - but to help it run better and catch little issues before they become expensive problems. That’s the spirit of a marketing audit: a practical diagnostic that tells you what’s working, what isn’t, and what to do next, so your marketing system runs smoother without demanding more of your time.


The Three Reasons Every Creative Founder Needs a Marketing Audit

  1. It stops the guesswork. You’re smart; you can sense, “My website isn’t pulling its weight” or “The leads coming in aren’t my people.” So you throw a Band-Aid on one area - new copy here, a prettier page there. But without a full diagnostic, you’re tinkering in one corner and ignoring the misfires elsewhere.

  2. It protects your time. DIY may be doable, but when you’re the CEO, the creative, the manager, and the marketer, there’s not enough of you to go around. Even if you “can” do your marketing, you become the bottleneck. A real audit pinpoints the right fixes in the right order, so progress doesn’t depend on you wearing every hat.

  3. It aligns marketing with your business goals and operations. No more silos. We’re aiming for an orchestra - brand, website, email, social, offers, and analytics each play their own part, but together they make a song that moves buyers forward.

What a Comprehensive Audit Includes

Think of this like the mechanic’s scan tool, only for your business. I review the customer journey, brand/messaging, website, email, social, offers, and the analytics that reveal where people drop off.

1) Customer Journey

You may hear marketers overcomplicate this. Here’s my plain-English version:

  • Awareness: How people first find you (word of mouth, networking, SEO, podcasting, guest interviews, ads)

  • Consideration: Building a relationship before the sale (email, blog, podcast, social, testimonials, before/afters, webinars)

  • Purchase: How they actually buy or book (your website flow, calendar/scheduler, proposals, sales collateral)

  • Retention: What happens after they sign the contract? (onboarding emails, updates, project communication, extra support)

  • Loyalty: Staying close to past clients (referral programs, special emails, review requests,

In the beginning, it’s okay to focus on the first three - awareness, consideration, purchase - then add in retention and loyalty as you go. The point is to make sure each stage has a job and a path forward.

2) Brand & Messaging

Visuals matter (fonts, colors, logos), but so do the words you use to describe who you help and what you do. Are your visuals and your message telling the same story? Is it obvious who you serve and what outcome you deliver? If your brand language says “we do everything,” ideal clients won’t see themselves.

3) Website

Is it simple to navigate? Do I instantly know what you want me to do next? What’s the primary job of your site - credibility, opt-ins, or booking? Above the fold, I’m checking for an outcome-first headline, proof (a testimonial or before/after), and a clear CTA. If your site is pretty but directionless, visitors drift.

4) Email

I look at your welcome sequence (onboarding new subscribers) and your regular sends. Are you actually welcoming people? Offering help? Sending consistently? Email is where many buyers decide. If you only broadcast promotions without proof or next steps, you’re leaving money on the table.

5) Social Media

Are you posting regularly, and does “regularly” mean something strategic? Mix matters: face-to-camera reels, statics, occasional lives, and engagement prompts. Each platform should have a role (Instagram for discovery/credibility; LinkedIn for authority/partnerships) and a clear handoff to your site or email.

6) Analytics

On the backend, I want to see your Google Analytics: which pages get traffic, where people drop off, and whether your highest-traffic pages point to a logical next step. If visitors aren't going beyond your homepage, we fix the homepage. I’ll also check your email tool (open/click rates, link performance) and social analytics. Example: If you send an email to 200 subscribers and only 43 open? That might be a subject line issue. And because I track industry benchmarks, I can tell you if your numbers are healthy or need help.

The Goal: A Marketing System That Works Together

A real audit doesn’t gut your marketing. It gives you a diagnostic and a sequence: what to fix first, what to ignore, and how to make the pieces reinforce each other. You’ll stop guessing, recover precious hours, and finally see your marketing act like an orchestra - each channel playing its part in harmony.

If hearing all this made you think, “Yes, that’s exactly what I need,” I’m going to be launching Marketing 360, my comprehensive audit where I review your customer journey, brand/messaging, website, email, social, and analytics, then hand you a prioritized plan you can activate fast.

 
 
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