Audit Your Communications Activities With These 6 Steps

You know you've reached peak-level adulting when you prioritize scheduling your yearly health check-ups to ensure you're in tip-top shape physically, mentally, and emotionally. And just as it's essential to look after your health, it is also crucial to constantly examine how you share your brand's story.

An audit of your communications efforts provides an opportunity to measure how your messaging aligns (or doesn't) with your brand and business goals and objectives. It's a chance to review how well you share your story and how that story resonates with your core audiences. To have a clear vision and strategy for how you want to communicate, you must understand where you are today.

But where do you even start when auditing your brand communications? While the task might seem daunting, it' doesn't have to be.

With these six steps, you can conduct a much-needed audit of your brand communications:

Take inventory of all the vehicles you currently use to share your brand's story.

Let's start with a list. How many vehicles do you use to share your brand's story? Your website, blog, e-newsletter, brochures and, flyers are a given. But what about your email signature and email subject lines? How about past media coverage or profile descriptions on your various social media platforms? As a matter of fact, how many social media platforms are you actively using? Are there any platforms languishing in the abyss? Even your logo tells a story, so be sure to count it as one of the vehicles used to share your brand's story. To understand the scope of your current communications, you must count even the smallest pieces.

Evaluate past and existing communications. Has your message been consistent?

OK, so you've done a full tally of all the vehicles you use to share your story. Now, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work evaluating whether your messaging has been consistent. How have you explained who you are and what you do on your website and social media platforms? How about that pesky logo? Does it share a consistent story with your overall brand message? Though tedious, this step is crucial for understanding whether your messaging and storytelling are consistent.

Review analytics to measure how your message is being received.

How receptive have your core audiences been to the information shared via blog posts, e-blasts, and social media content? Review and evaluate analytics collected from your website, social media platforms, and traditional media coverage to determine what your audiences know and think about you.

Gather direct feedback from customers, clients, employees, and vendors. 

Seek feedback from your target audiences. Whether through surveys, reviews, or direct conversations, your audiences' feedback will help you avoid costly mistakes and cultivate lasting relationships with existing or future customers or clients.

Conduct a SWOT analysis

We can feel your anxiety and hear your groans in protest already. But honestly, the acronym, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, makes the task sound a lot scarier than it is. A SWOT analysis is a simple yet powerful tool widely used in strategic planning. It can help you analyze how you can build on strengths, close gaps on weaknesses; seize opportunities; and prepare for, mitigate, or avoid threats. So, since you've followed steps one to four, you've collected the necessary data and can now conduct a SWOT analysis. You've got this! 

Create an action plan for your communications strategy moving forward.

Once you've collected, reviewed, and evaluated all the data and conducted a SWOT analysis, you will be armed with useful findings to develop your key messaging points and strategic communications plan. 

Conduct a communications audit every couple of years to ensure your brand communications are up to date, sharing the story you wish to convey, and reaching and resonating with your target audiences.

Still not convinced you can go it alone? We are here to help! Contact us to ask how you could get a free audit today!