Marketing audits and marketing strategy:
The Agency process

Marketing Audits

Discovery call
We start with a virtual coffee chat to see if we’re a good fit. There’s no sales pitch on that first call, and you can’t hire me then, either. We talk first, and if everything looks good, we think about it, then decide.

If we’re good to go your payment books your place in my calendar. Then I send you a questionnaire so I can get a solid understanding of your business, your customers, and where you fit within your industry. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. Those details are crucial.

Investigation
This is where the fun starts. I take the information you send in your questionnaire plus what I uncover in my investigation to see what’s performing well and what needs some attention.

Report
Audits take 4-6 days. Then we book a time for me to give you my feedback, and to talk through my high-level recommendations.

We can get together on Zoom via video or audio only. Totally up to you.

Or if you prefer, we can “talk” live on a Google doc.

Sound good? Get in touch to see if we’re a good fit.

Polaroids of a microphone, hand writing in a notebook with a cup of coffee and croissant, and a turquoise typewriter.

Marketing Strategy

If you’ve done a marketing audit with me and would like a full strategy, we apply what you already paid to your marketing strategy session.

Your payment secures your place on my calendar.

Then I send you a questionnaire to get the process started. You can fill out as much or as little as you like — there won’t be a quiz later! This is to help you clarify some of your goals and get the conversation going.

Then we get together to map out your strategy.

Planning
Strategy is what you do — tactics are how you do it. We’re talking long-term goals like brand awareness, and shorter-term projects like special event promotions.

We work out a 90-day marketing plan, then move on to tactics, processes, and tools — how you want to reach your audience and the best channels and tools to get you there.

Review
How do you know your marketing’s working? Compare your goals — things like brand awareness, signups, and sales — to what actually happened.

We look at the information you’ve gathered over the quarter (or a small time span, if you’re promoting a specific event), analytics, and customer feedback. We use that intel to make your marketing work even better.

We also talk about the potholes you might have hit. They might be minor, requiring a bit more pre-planning, or they might be tooth rattlers, like a tool that is slowing you down rather than helping you work better.

Timelines
Marketing strategy sessions normally take place on a single day, in three one-hour sessions with 20-minute breaks in between.

We do a quick follow-up a week later, then set a time to meet for a review. It could be a month, or 60 or 90 days, depending on the projects you have coming up.

Where We Meet
Marketing strategy sessions take place on Zoom. If you’re not comfortable talking in person, we can “meet” live on a Google doc.

Want to talk more? Grab a spot on my calendar to chat about how we can work together.

Who this is for

Small and solo creative and progressive businesses and organizations are my specialty.

You might be building a new strategy or pivoting your business or marketing plan.

You might have a plan in place that isn’t performing the way you want it to.

Or you might be burning out trying to create daily content for multiple platforms and want a better way to do things. Let’s talk about it.

Writing down the Agency marketing strategy process.

The Agency of Words gratefully acknowledges that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the territory of the Mi’kmaq, comprising present-day Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, parts of Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Maine. The Mi’kmaq have been connected to this land and these waters for thousands of years and continue to be so in the present. We also acknowledge colonialism continues to do harm and pledge to work continually to be good allies.

© Stacey Cornelius 2024