The following questionnaire is designed to help business owners, managers and marketers to better understand the roles played by different functions within their organisations and the status of each in terms of digital marketing operations.

Why PDF?

PDF, or “portable document format” is a widely used file format that combines the look and feel of a conventional desktop publishing document with sophisticated features that make it ideal for distribution and consumption on the go.

PDF is a favoured choice for people who want to keep a copy of their original document without the need to store multiple files, which is helpful if you want to distribute it to others, for example, via email.

Who is this questionnaire for?

This questionnaire is designed for business owners, managers and marketers who are responsible for the digital marketing activities of their organisation.

Including details on inbound marketing, content strategy, social media, SEO and PPC, the questionnaire explores the present state of play of your digital marketing activities and how you can take action to move forward.

How long will it take to complete?

While we have tried to keep this questionnaire to a minimum, it is still rather extensive, especially if you wish to get the full benefits from it. Therefore, it is recommended that you work through it in stages, pausing to reflect and plan at regular intervals.

Will it be of any benefit to my organisation?

We hope that this questionnaire will help you to establish a clear foundation for effective and efficient digital marketing operations within your organisation. As well as providing you with a snapshot of your current state of play, the PDF will also link you to a number of resources that can help you to set up automated email campaigns, for example.

With additional support and training, you can also take advantage of the questionnaire to regularly review and scrutinise the key performance indicators that you will use to measure the success of your digital marketing strategies.

What are the key findings?

Once you have completed the questionnaire, you will have a clear idea of the current state of play of your digital marketing activities. Based on your responses, you can then map out a clear course for the future.

What changes or actions do I need to make?

You can use this questionnaire to establish a baseline and then take a close look at specific areas where you need to make changes, improvements or additions to move forward effectively. Areas that you consider untapped can also be an indicator of where you should focus your attention.

For example, you may have identified that your SEO is lagging behind your competitors and you have decided that it’s time to push ahead with an SEO strategy. Before you embark on a major overhaul, it would be wise to re-ask yourself the basic questions: What are my goals? Where do I want to go? What is my plan for getting there?

Which functions do I need to prioritise?

Once you have outlined your digital marketing strategy and mapped out your priorities, it’s time to consider which departments will be responsible for its execution. In most cases, it will be a combination of internal departments such as marketing, communication and PR or external agencies. When deciding who within your organisation should be responsible for the daily running of your digital marketing efforts, it is important to consider who has the most experience in this area. Look for people with experience in content creation, distribution and marketing. With so much focus on digital marketing, it is important to have experts who can guide you on the best ways to approach this focus.

What do I need to do first?

In most instances, you will start by setting up automated email campaigns with your CRM or CMS. As you get to know the format, you can start to think about what you will add next. Content creators, for example, can add articles to a blog. Your SEO partner can help you to structure your content and add keywords where they make sense, without interfering with the natural flow of your content.

Once you have your automated email campaigns set up, you can consider what else you will need to do to effectively engage with customers through digital channels.

How do I measure the success of my digital marketing efforts?

It is important to regularly measure the success of your digital marketing activities, especially in the early stages. This is to establish whether your efforts are paying off and to identify any problems before they have the opportunity to compound.

You can use a wide variety of sources and metrics to establish what works and what doesn’t. It is a good idea to look at both quantitative and qualitative data, which can then be used to establish the strength of your marketing campaign.

Many businesses, especially in the SME space, don’t have the time or resources to track the success of their digital marketing activities manually. Fortunately, there are a number of tools available that can automate the process of assessing the performance of your digital marketing campaigns.

What’s next?

If you have decided that this was a useful exercise for your organisation, we recommend taking a close look at your findings and mapping out a plan for moving forward. Don’t be afraid to review and reassess your approach and strategies at regular intervals as you grow and evolve in this fast paced and constantly changing world of digital marketing.