The document outlines an 8-step process for conducting a digital marketing audit to define growth and improvement priorities for small businesses. The steps include setting goals and objectives, defining ideal customers and products/services, reviewing past marketing efforts, identifying competitors, reviewing digital campaigns, analyzing digital infrastructure, and measuring success metrics. The audit is intended to help small businesses attract and retain next generation customers through an effective digital marketing strategy.

1. The Digital Marketing Audit
8 Steps to Defining Growth and Improvement
Priorities For Small Businesses
Excerpted from
The Small Business Digital
Marketing Playbook: How to
Attract and Retain The Next
Generation Customer
By Walter Lis

2. The Digital Marketing Audit
1. Set Goals and Objectives
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• Awareness
• Acquisition
• Activation
• Retention
• Referral
• Revenue
• Community

3. The Digital Marketing Audit
2. Define Your Ideal Customers
• Job titles or functions
• Industry or SIC codes
• Geographic location
• Company size
• Other demographic, ethnic or behavioral
descriptions
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4. The Digital Marketing Audit
3. Define Your Product or Service
• Benefits, pricing and distribution methods
• Competitive strengths or weaknesses
• Economic, legal, social, technical, seasonal or
governmental factors
• Current product and industry awareness
• Sales or market share history
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5. The Digital Marketing Audit
4. Review Your Marketing Efforts
• Exactly what tactics have you tried?
• What’s worked and what hasn’t?
• What advertising, promotional or PR tactics have
you tried?
• Do you attend or exhibit at particular trade
shows, special events, seminars?
• Have you used market databases or tracking
systems to target customers?
• What have you not tried but have considered?
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6. The Digital Marketing Audit
5. Identify Competitors
• Describe their products/services
• Who ranks at the top for certain keywords?
• What kind of social media presence?
• How much authority do they have?
• What does their backlink profile look like?
• Do they have any link magnets that are
attracting an audience?
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7. The Digital Marketing Audit
6. Review Your Digital Campaigns
• Your organic footprint for branded and
category/industry keywords
• Your email marketing program performance –
lead nurturing
• Your social media presence - effective reach
per channel, potential audience size
• Paid advertising campaigns performance
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8. The Digital Marketing Audit
7. Analyze Your Digital Architecture
• Website usability, accessibility
• Social media management
• Organization content development
• Link and lead magnet development
• Optimization strategy and process
• Online/off-line marketing integration
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9. The Digital Marketing Audit
8. Measure Success
• Define objectives and metrics
• Organizational data collection/dashboard
• Goal tracking
• Reporting protocols
• Organizational engagement program
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10. The Small Business Digital Marketing Playbook
How to Attract and Retain The Next Generation Customer
or visit walterlis.com