I have an annual practice of reassessing my marketing and public relations through a communications audit at the end of each year. In fact, this year, I’m reworking my PR Patter podcast, making it more thought leadership oriented.
While time consuming, a communications audit is a worthwhile exercise that includes an analysis of all communications platforms, including my website, social media, email marketing, direct mail, etc. to gauge its effectiveness and how well each is contributing to the overall business strategy. There are often a lot of insights gleaned from doing this, many of which present opportunities for change in Q1 of the new year to help you get off to a running start.
I’m working on such an audit right now for a new client that wants to establish itself as an industry leader by sharing its thought leadership and business news.. This is a first-time exercise for this growing global company that hasn’t had a dedicated PR program in the past. . Before starting the audit, we sat down and discussed the team’s priorities and business goals to gauge the effectiveness of past initiatives.
Here are the steps I take when conducting a communications audit
Identify your business goals.
What do you want to accomplish in 2026? Try to think of business objectives in terms of the SMART acronym:
- Specific: Goals should be concrete and not vague, – and highly detailed.
- Measurable: Make sure you’re able to track performance for your goal, whether that’s some type of criteria or dollar amount.
- Attainable: Is this skill in your power to achieve? Or do you need additional training or outsourcing of talent?
- Relevant: Your goal is in line with wider business goals and it fits in with the larger picture.
- Timely: Have a firm deadline. It is a good idea to begin with some of the short-term goals first.
Identify All Communications Platforms
This includes your website, blog, social media channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter (X) etc.), e-newsletter, email marketing, and digital advertising. Once you have a list, add information about each one including number of followers or subscribers, likes, comments, shares/reposts, as well as engagement and click through rate.
Boiler Plate Statement
Do you have one? This is an overall statement about your company, about 200 words, that should be updated at least annually. It’s for use on press materials, white papers, and other written company materials.
Trends
After identifying all communications platforms and their metrics, what trends are you seeing? Which is the social media platform where you garner the most engagement? Are these platforms where you want to be? Where can you improve your visibility?
Competition
You will give your communications audit more credence by comparing it to what a few competitors are doing. How are they handling public relations and thought leadership? What creative ideas are they using that you can learn from and or adapt?
A comprehensive communications audit helps you assess if your prior and current initiatives had impact and helps you build a better thought leadership blueprint for reaching and engaging with your target audience.
For more thought leadership insights, read my Tip Sheets and Blog, and watch my Podcasts.
