Marketing Audit
Just as “no man is an island,” you probably have competition, much of it closer than you’d like. The ultimate goals in any tight marketing strategy are brand recognition, self-identification in the message, and customer satisfaction. Marketing efforts play a foundational, supporting role to primary branding, advertising and social media efforts, incorporating sales and promotional tools, B2B partnerships, value-add programming, corporate/internal communications, public (media) relations, community outreach, and more.
Marketing
Ahead of audits on public and community relations efforts, the overall marketing evaluation will explore:
- Sales and promotional collateral (specifically, the content of any collateral outside of brand-based articles—i.e. business cards, stationery, signage—such as brochures, one sheets, slide decks and promo items)
- Direct mail and email marketing
- Out-of-home marketing (such as lobby and trade show displays)
- Relationship marketing (including programming around executive intro meetings, summits and panel discussions, brand ambassadors and customer appreciation)
- Internal communication (such as standardized emails, newsletters, message boards, team and company meetings and conferences)
Public Relations
In auditing active PR efforts, we assess the roster of information regarding your organization that media would consider “newsworthy,” and see how well it syncs up with your business goals and objectives.
In addition, we examine the quality and quantity of media coverage; the breadth, scope and impact of individual hits and the coverage as a whole; and then make recommendations accordingly.
More About the PR Audit
It’s more than a press release: A carefully orchestrated Public Relations plan is essential in today’s volatile market. Constantly changing communication channels, 24/7 immediacy, transparency, and consumer savvy make it vital that your company’s PR strategy is consistent and cuts through the clutter of the marketplace to touch your customers.
Public Relations shapes how both internal and external stakeholders view your company. Our expert public relations professionals know how to tell your story in a way that influences people’s perceptions. Our cornerstones of effective PR include creating and maintaining a positive corporate image of you and your overall brand, strategic messaging about your products and services, generating visibility for you in the marketplace, and continually reaching out to influencers within the media or industry on your behalf.
The singular goal of Public Relations is to build and maintain positive top of mind awareness for your brand and your company’s image. A few “PR Basics” will advance your knowledge and understanding and help you maximize your investment to assure your public relations efforts drive your business goals.
- Public Relations efforts must be proactive, consistent and use varied tactics to earn and maintain credibility in the marketplace for a company. Once earned, efforts must continue. Coca-Cola is one of the most recognized brands in the world, because they remain rigorously dedicated to funding their public relations initiatives.
- Public Relations efforts are inherently difficult to measure because there is rarely a ‘call to action’; it is important to remain aware that positive impact is the cumulative result of consistent, ongoing, and varied public relations activities. It is a marathon, not a sprint.
- There is no comparison to the credibility your business or organization can achieve from a single earned media opportunity. Conversely, it is important to remember that this credibility is valued by the public precisely because of the consistent ongoing efforts it takes to earn a single opportunity.
A CFM public relations and external communications audit will:
- Reveal whether your current public relations efforts reach your target audience.
- Reveal whether your communications messages align with your stated vision, mission and goals.
- Compare the impact of your public image with that of your primary competitors.
- Determine the consistency of your various public communications.
- Reveal untapped opportunities for more effective public communication.
This audit can be integrated into a comprehensive Marketing Plan that will work with the audit reports given by our Creative, PR and other divisions to develop a clear plan of action to drive your marketing presence to the top.
Community Relations
Networking and community giving are strong drivers for growth, employee pride and brand awareness. We review and provide feedback on past and present initiatives, plans, and opportunities, including involvement with (local) industry, community or civic organizations, event development/hosting, charitable work and partnerships, and sponsorships.
Internal Relations & Communication Immersion Session (Add-on Service)
Offered as an add-on to the Client Needs Analysis or a standalone, the Internal Relations & Communication Immersion Session is a two-hour, experiential exploration of your internal communications, team-building efforts and professional development programs in order to fairly assess whether or not internal relations and communications are impacting business outcomes (positively or negatively). You will walk away from this session with a preliminary action plan to multiply positives, change course on negatives and create or leverage any opportunities for improvement.