The Ultimate Marketing Checklist

We believe you can get your marketing right, every time, with a marketing checklist.

And we want to give you the checklist that we use every day, to make sure you get your marketing right.

We’ve used several digital marketing checklists created by others and they are good, they will get your results, but in our marketing agency we created The Ultimate Marketing Checklist that we use with clients to get results.

The Two Types of Checklists

We won’t go deep into the two types of checklists here, we already did that in this podcast. But, we do want to let you know this checklist is a framework checklist. Meaning, use this to take a high-level look at your marketing.

1. Framework: High-level look
2. Command: Step-by-step

The below checklist is not a step-by-step checklist. Think of it more as a map to explore.

It’s broken down in ten different areas with ten checklist points under each area.

You may spend more or less time in an area based on your needs.

How To Use The Ultimate Marketing Checklist

Before you create your marketing plan, print off this checklist, read through it line-by-line and then use it as a guide.

This checklist will give you key ideas to think about regarding marketing research, your target audience.

Use it when:

• Planning out a new campaign
• Diagnosing what went right with a campaign
• Diagnosing what went wrong with a campaign
• Doing a SWOT analysis on a competitor
• Launching a new website

Strategy

When launching a new marketing campaign this is the most important are to get right.

Spend time thinking through the list below.

Don’t lie to your self. If you product doesn’t solve a problem, pivot, find a problem to solve.

Strategy Checklist

• Is it clear what problem you solve?
• Is it clear who you solve this problem for (your avatar)?
• Is it clear how you solve that problem (your services)?
• Does your website have clear calls to action in every section?
• Have you defined success for the user if they take action?
• Have you defined failure for the user if they don’t take action?
• Have you clearly positioned yourself as the guide?
• Do you have a 3-step plan for the user to take action?
• Is there a lead magnet on the homepage?
• Do you have a clear one-liner?

Offers

After creating your marketing strategy we usually go through the offer checklist.

We’re looking to build an offer ladder.

An offer ladder is a list of all your offers/products and the customer journey you will take them on.

From free to high-ticket.

Offer Checklist

• Do you have an offer strategy?
• Is it clear what your offers are?
• Have you defined your value ladder?
• Do you have a guarantee?
• Does your offer focus on benefits versus features?
• Does your offer clearly solve the user’s problem?
• Does your offer have scarcity?
• Does your offer have social proof/case studies?
• Does your offer improve the user’s status?
• Are your offers priced right?

Content

Creating blog posts without a strategy is a waste of time.

If you build it, they may come.

They will come if you focus on building a content marketing strategy.

90% of Google searches are questions looking for answers.

To appear in the search results, you must learn SEO (search engine optimization) and understand what your key avatar is searching for.

Do the work and invest in your keyword research. Find the terms your avatar is searching for. Look at the exact phrases they are using.

Install Google Analytics on your properties to get your own data.

Content Marketing Checklist

• Do you have a content strategy?
• Do you have clear content SILOs?
• Do you have a clear list of potential content?
• Are you consistently creating content?
• Does your content answer your user’s questions?
• Do you have a posting schedule?
• Are you tracking your content analytics?
• Do you have a content distribution plan?
• Are you contributing to other people’s content?
• Is your content omnichannel-focused?

Email

Social media platforms come and go. You did not own it, your have an embassy in a foreign country.

That said, you own your email list. This is yours.

We coach clients that email marketing can be the lifeblood of their marketing strategy.

Email Marketing Checklist

• Do you have an email strategy?
• Is there an easy way to join your email list?
• Are you sending emails consistently?
• Are you tracking your email analytics?
• Are you leveraging email to collect reviews?
• Do you have different paths to get to your email list?
• Are you tagging your email subscribers?
• Does each email have a call to action?
• Are your emails written in a conversational tone?
• Are your emails getting to your user’s inboxes?

Social Media

Social media marketing can cost you a lot of time and money, especially when done wrong.

Social Media Checklist

• Do you have a social media strategy?
• Have you claimed all of your social media profiles?
• Do you have clear social media goals?
• Do you have a social media posting calendar?
• Are you directing people to your website from social media?
• Are your graphics branded consistently?
• Are you tracking your social media analytics?
• Are your posts inspiring, equipping, or supporting your users?
• Are you mixing in paid social posts with organic posts?
• Are you using text/video/audio in your social media posts?

Paid Media

Your lead generation strategy should have some sort of paid media component to it.

And, you don’t need huge budgets, but you do need to be smart about how you spend those budgets.

Be sure to watch your conversion rate on any paid media campaign. Test. Tweak. Repeat.

Paid Media Checklist

• Do you have a paid media strategy?
• Do you have tracking pixels installed (where it makes sense)?
• Are you tracking conversions?
• Are you tracking your paid media analytics?
• Are you running retargeted ads to unconverted leads?
• Are your ads getting engagement?
• Are you targeting the right audience with your ads?
• Are you targeting the right keywords with your ads?
• Are the landing pages for our ads converting?
• Are you A/B testing your ads?

Print

Offline drives online, and online drives offline.

We have seen firsthand hand-written cards’ power (and sales).

From personalized gifts.

We live in a digital world, making your print material so much more valuable.

Print Checklist

• Do you have a print strategy?
• Do you have a QR code to put on print materials?
• Do your print materials inspire, equip, or support?
• Do your print materials solve a problem?
• Do your print pieces include your one-liner?
• Do you have analytics on our print marketing?
• Is your print marketing part of a bigger campaign?
• Do your print materials contain a call to action?
• Do you send clients physical welcome kits?
• Do you delight your customers with physical gifts?

Offline

As an introvert, I like sitting behind my desk.

Just me and my computer … and sometimes my dogs.

But, you need an offline strategy to get you out of your office, off your computer, and meeting with people face to face.

The checklist below is a mix of offline (meaning in-person) and offline (meaning not your website).

Offline Checklist

• Do you have an offline strategy?
• Have you claimed your Google Business Profile listing?
• Are you showing up where your target customers are?
• Are you throwing the party for your target customers?
• Have you claimed all of your listings and citations?
• Are you passing out your print materials when you meet?
• Are your conversations directing people to a lead magnet?
• Have you published a book in your niche to establish authority?
• Are you sending out press releases?
• Are you speaking at events your target users are at?

Sales

As great as your product or service is, you need a sales strategy to ensure your product wins.

It’s not always the best product people buy, but it’s the one they understand and know about.

Sales Checklist

• Do you have a sales strategy?
• Is it clear how to purchase your product(s)?
• Is it easy to contact someone with questions?
• Do you have pages for each of your services on your website?
• Do you have a CRM?
• Do you have a sales deck that works?
• Do you have sales scripts for all of your staff?
• Are you tracking your sales analytics?
• Do you focus on benefits vs. deliverables in your sales copy?
• Are you consistently asking for reviews?

Service

The cost to retain a customer is much less than acquiring a new one (just Google that, and you’ll see).

We want to make sure when people buy from us that we give them an amazing experience. The checklist below will help you do that.

Service Checklist

• Do you have a service strategy?
• Do you have a support area?
• Is it clear how a user can contact you?
• Are you listening when a user needs help?
• Have you answered all your FAQs?
• Is there a follow-up process after the user purchases?
• Are you following up 30/60/90 days after purchase?
• Is it clear how a user can refund your purchase?
• Do you notify users when a subscription is up for renewal?
• Are you upselling users during and after purchase?