business to business (b2b) marketing audit: what is it and how is it done?
DESCRIPTION
Understanding the definition and intention of a B2B marketing audit, and 6 steps to perform a B2B marketing audit.TRANSCRIPT
B2B MARKETING AUDITWHAT IS IT AND HOW IS IT DONE?
WHAT IS A B2B MARKETING AUDIT?
B2B stands for business-to-business, referring specifically to those businesses that sell products or services to other businesses rather than consumers.
The definition of an audit is “a complete and careful examination of the financial records of a business or person; a careful check or review of something.”
A marketing audit is different from a tax audit because it looks only at how you are using and allocating marketing resources in an attempt to make it more effective.
It is usually conducted by a professional.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF A B2B MARKETING AUDIT?
Increase productivity of marketing budget and resources
Discover other opportunities to market
Beat competitors
Learn the most effective ways of reaching your audience
Produce higher sales rates and increased leads
HOW TO PERFORM A B2B MARKETING AUDIT
Step1: Overview of company and solutions Review all information about the company, including the most
basic, including contact information, company employees, common processes, and sales cycles
Study the efforts made in the past to reform marketing
Review your products or services
Step 2: Marketing goals and objectives Examine your past goals
Evaluate how company priorities have changed
Create new goals that will more appropriately match new priorities
List long- and short-term goals
Focus on growth and improvement
Step 3: Current audience profiles Describe the qualities and traits of your current client base,
including gender, age, location, and job description if available
Evaluate client pool by value and size
Ask yourself if your current audience is your ideal audience
Step 4: Target audience profiles After creating current customer profiles, create an ideal
customer profile with basic information that best fits who you want purchasing your products and services
Determine what changes need to be made in your current processes to reach your ideal audience
Ensure that your goals correctly take into account reaching your target audience; change goals if necessary
Step 5: Analysis of past marketing strategies Review internet and non-internet marketing
strategies
Have past strategies been effective?
What strategies haven’t you tried yet?
Identify strategies you would like to implement
Step 6: Competitor descriptions Identify multiple competitors and study their marketing
strategies
Compare competitor strategies to your own
Create new marketing strategies that may mimic others’ strategies, or discover more effective ways to attain better results
OTHER RESOURCES
For more information on B2B marketing audits, see these helpful sites:
http://www.sprintmarketing.com/b2b-marketing-audit/
http://www.bma-nj.org/blog/8-steps-for-conducting-a-marketing-audit/