Your Marketing Essentials: Run It Back. Then Run It Better.
- Ellen Peacock
- May 22
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 1
A field-tested checklist to audit your marketing like a pro. Spot what’s working, fix what’s not, and grow with confidence.
Last week, I kicked off a 1:1 strategy session by calling my client a fellow marketer. She chuckled and thanked me for the compliment. But I was serious. She hired me as the expert because she felt she had a marketing gap. But I could quickly see that she had always been thinking like a marketer. What she needed was a marketing ecosystem integrated with her daily operations.
Early in my career, I created a marketing essentials checklist and it's guided me ever since. Defining your marketing essentials keeps your most impactful marketing work in focus. My simple, two-part framework helps streamline operations ensuring we not only hit our goals, but get more out of the vendors, tech, and talent we already have in place. When marketing is integrated into daily operations, everything runs more smoothly. My client’s mindset shift? That’s just a bonus.
Here's how I break it down:
I. How you maintain the business
II. How you grow the business
So, let’s run it back.
I. How You Maintain Your Business
Before you launch a campaign or plan your next big move, step back and ask these THREE foundational questions through an objective lens: 1. Is it easy to find your business online and take an action?
Is your Google Business Profile verified and accurate?
Can someone quickly see your hours, location, phone number, or booking link?
Are your links and calls-to-action clear across your website and social channels?
💡 How to manage your Google Business profile? If you’re a restaurant, for example, are your hours of operation, phone location, book a reservation visible without scrolling?
Is it a good experience once they do?
Can someone easily make a reservation or a purchase, or reach out?
Is the mobile experience clean and intuitive?
💡 During an audit, another client discovered a gap in her online journey. After a simple, but critical fix, conversions jumped 52% in just two months. She wasn’t ready for a new marketing campaign, she needed marketing alignment.
Do you clearly state what you offer?
If someone lands on your homepage or your Instagram bio, do they instantly know:
What you do?
Who’s it for?
How to take the next step?
💡 The most common mistake? Business owners describe ideas (often beautifully written ones) but skip the basics: what they sell, who they help, and how to get started.
Consistent marketing helps drive every sale, referral, and returning customers. It's what prepares your business to grow. Just like you'd never open your doors without setting up your space for customers, your digital storefront deserves that same care and attention. Getting these must-haves in place creates the foundation for real, sustainable progress.
II. How You Grow Your Business.
Once your foundation is solid, your marketing can start doing what it’s meant to do: generate demand, deepen relationships, and support long-term growth. Growth doesn’t come from doing more activity across many channels, it comes consistently managing 2 or 3 well and always connecting them to your business goals.
So, now ask yourself these THREE questions:
Are your marketing efforts consistent and tied to your goals?
Do your social posts, emails, and promos support your actual business priorities?
Do you have a content calendar that’s realistic. Or are you reacting to new opportunities?
Are you doing things because they work, or because you feel like you should?
💡 More does not equal better. After our comprehensive marketing audit, I uncovered for one client that the team was sending weekly emails to the 40,000 subscriber list without a clear plan or alignment to her business goals. Her Mailchimp list caps were out of control, resulting in substantial (and avoidable) overage fees. So we set out to optimize her content calendar, reducing her output by more than 50%, eliminating unnecessary fees and unnecessary work that also cost her in billable hours. Furthermore, we improved the customer experience, and still sold out two events.
Are you following up with your customers?
Are you thanking first-time buyers?
Are you collecting and using reviews or testimonials?
Do you offer a second experience, visit, or purchase?
💡 This doesn’t have to be automated or perfect but it absolutely has to happen. Manual follow-ups also build loyalty and drive return visits. Tech investments can always come later.
Are you tracking what matters?
This is a natural extension of planning: once you have consistent efforts, you need to measure impact. Don’t waste time on a dashboard full of vanity metrics. Do define what “good” looks like for your business.
Are you tracking repeat visits, online orders, or bookings?
Do you know what channels actually drive conversions?
Can you spot when something is underperforming before it becomes a problem?
💡 POS systems, loyalty platforms, and email platforms like Mailchimp have built-in data dashboards, and most business owners rarely tap into them. If needed, start simple, set up a spreadsheet to track metrics month-to-month. It does not have to be complicated. But it can’t be ignored.
Sustainable growth doesn’t start from scratch. It builds on your existing foundation. An integrated marketing system creates space for smart decisions, intentional refinements, and the confidence to say no. It starts when you pause, run it back, and rebuild with intention.
Want to learn more? Schedule 15 minutes to chat!
Or Join me for the following Workshops this Summer!
I’m co-hosting two workshops this June to help business owners audit their own marketing. My partners and I will break it down simply, apply it to real businesses, and show how smarter marketing leads to sustainable growth—by eliminating waste and reducing overwhelm.
🗓️ June 24 – Menu Magic: From Plate to Promotion
Free online workshop for restaurant owners and operators. We’ll show how your menu is your marketing engine—and how small shifts in pricing, bundling, and messaging can drive big results.
🗓️ August 21 – Find Your Capacity: A Wellness-First Approach to Sustainable Growth
Designed for women-led service businesses and solo founders. This paid 90-minute in-person workshop blends strategic marketing with wellness-based planning. You’ll leave with clarity, focus, and a plan you can actually act on.
Hope you'll follow along with me on LinkedIn for updates, and takeaways.
