Marketing Communications Audit - What is it and why is it necessary?

As a product manager or marketing manager in a fundamental responsibility is to develop and implement an effective strategy for communication and marketing. One place to start is with an audit of communication.

An audit is a review of all ongoing marketing and other communication vehicles to answer some basic questions:

or what we are saying our company / brand / product?
o Is the message consistent across the formats and the public?
o How we are presenting the information?
Or who are we talking about?

The results of the audit should help to clarify the communication strategy and provide a framework for future projects.

The easiest way to start is to gather all existing materials and put on a big conference table. Materials should include corporate and product brochures, packaging, business cards and letterhead, annual reports, advertising, direct mail, investor kits, and displays on the website. Even things such as internal memos, press releases, promotional items, corporate t-shirts or caps and PowerPoint templates should be included.

Once everything is ready, some basic questions can be answered. First, not all the elements look like they are from the same company? There is some consistency in the layout, the use of color and font?

Secondly, is the clear positioning of the company? In other words, if you asked several people to review a number of your communication and tell you what they perceived as the company's mission and the value proposition, the answers would be consistent? Or would it depend on what the pieces have been revised?

Thirdly, what are the key messages are communicated? Those messages are coherent or fragmented? Are the messages consistent with your intent?

For many companies, the answers to these questions are not encouraging. The fragmentation and inconsistency are common, especially as an organization grows and as the responsibility of the communications is lost.

Unless there is someone inside the company charged with maintaining an overview, and the power to impose guidelines and standards, it is often inevitable that the water is muddy communications.

Some might say, "So?" There is a feeling that as long as any business enterprise is to communicate effectively with his constituency, there should be a problem except for the purists marketing. The fallacy of this argument becomes apparent when you start talking to various stakeholders within the organization, as well as customers and investors is that they are getting the wrong message, or you're not sure what the message is first site.

The communications control is really just the first step. Understanding the impact of the messages are having requires research and development of a process of ongoing review implementation requires dedication and integrity.

One thing is to give words to the consistency of communications, but another is to put in place the means to make it happen. Regularly reviewing your communication strategy, and evaluate the material to make sure you meet your goals, it improves the clarity of the message and respond better to the needs of your customers, investors and employees....