The short answer
A marketing audit is a structured look at everything you currently do to attract customers, with a plain-English report of what is working, what is not and what to do first. It is worth it when you are spending money on marketing without being sure it works, or about to spend more.
What it should cover
- Goals and customers. Who you want, what they are worth, and what you want from marketing.
- Your message. Whether it is clear what you do and why someone should choose you.
- Your website. Clarity, speed, mobile experience, trust signals and how easy it is to enquire.
- Search presence. How you show up in Google and AI assistants, including your Google Business Profile.
- Paid ads. Accounts, targeting, spend, wasted clicks and tracking.
- Tracking and reporting. Whether you can see where enquiries come from.
- Email and follow-up. How enquiries are handled and how past customers are kept in touch.
- Competitors. What others in your market say and do.
- Rules and risks. Claims, consent and privacy basics. See NZ marketing rules.
What you should get at the end
- A short written report in plain English, not a pile of screenshots.
- A list of quick wins you can do straight away.
- A prioritised plan: what to do first, next and later, with rough effort for each.
- A way to measure progress.
Signs you need one
- You spend on ads or a website but cannot say what it brings in.
- Enquiries have dropped and you are not sure why.
- You are about to hire an agency or increase your budget.
- You have inherited marketing from someone else.
Questions to ask whoever does it
- What exactly will I receive, and in what form?
- Will you need access to my accounts, and will I keep ownership of everything?
- Is the audit independent, or is it a way to sell me a service?
- What happens afterwards?
An audit is the start of my strategy work. If you want me to look at yours, say hello.
A note on sources
This article is my own view of how I run audits, so it has no external sources. Ask anyone offering an audit what exactly you will receive.