Why audit your account?
Auditing your account keeps your marketing strategy sharp and effective. To illustrate this, let’s compare 2 business owners:
- Alex regularly audits their Klaviyo account. This proactive approach helps Alex spot overlooked opportunities and fix specific issues, like adjusting email flows based on recent customer behavior. As a result, Alex sees improved engagement and increased revenue.
- Jordan, on the other hand, skips audits. Without these insights, Jordan misses out on opportunities to optimize their account, wastes resources on ineffective strategies, and loses out on growth potential.
By auditing your account regularly, like Alex, you gain a clear understanding of what's working, identify areas for improvement, and align your strategies with your business goals. This leads to better results and sustainable growth.
What is an account audit?
Now that you understand why audits are crucial, let’s dive into what an account audit involves and why a thorough analysis is essential. Mastering both will help you evaluate the health of your account and make strategic decisions that lead to real improvements.
Audit
What is it?
This is a high-level review of your account, in which you will go through each relevant tab of Klaviyo to note what tactics are being employed, what seems to be succeeding overall, and what gaps exist in your marketing content.
What you’ll evaluate:
- Product usage
Assess how well you’re using Klaviyo’s tools and features. - Wins or major blockers
Identify what strategies are succeeding with your customers and uncover any existing obstacles in your account setup. - Opportunities for growth
Discover under-utilized features or tactics that can add significant value.
Analysis
What is it?
This is an in-depth look at your data to uncover trends, evaluate campaign performance, and assess channel effectiveness. This detailed examination helps you understand what marketing strategies are working and what adjustments are needed.
What you’ll use:
Klaviyo’s built-in analytics tools, to track key performance indicators and gain actionable insights.
The 3 W’s of auditing
We’ve covered why audits are essential and what they involve. Now, let’s break down the 3 W’s of conducting an effective audit:
What should you audit?
A successful audit requires a strategic approach tailored to your account’s specifics. Here’s how to focus your review:
- Account maturity
- If you're new to Klaviyo: Check that foundational elements are correctly set up. Review initial configurations, integrations, and basic workflows.
- If your account is established: Focus on optimizing existing strategies and finding areas for refinement or innovation.
- Marketing channels
Assess how each marketing channel (such as email, SMS, etc.) contributes to your overall strategy and identify opportunities for improved integration.
For example, when focusing on email and SMS, you would look to:
- Ensure your sign-up forms and lead acquisition methods align with your brand’s goals and attract quality leads.
- Compare campaigns against key metrics like click rates and conversions to see what resonates with your audience.
- Review whether combining multiple channels improves results or if focusing on specific channels is more effective.
Which improvements should you prioritize?
Start with urgent issues:
Address critical problems that can significantly impact your account's performance or compliance. For instance, urgent issues to prioritize first are:
- Email delivery issues: Prioritize fixing issues related to email deliverability, such as high bounce rates or spam complaints to ensure your emails reach your audience.
- Compliance concerns: Address any GDPR or CAN-SPAM issues to avoid legal trouble and maintain customer trust.
Then, focus on high-impact tasks:
After resolving urgent issues, concentrate on tasks that offer the highest impact in order of the amount of effort required. For example, you may:
- Implement quick wins that offer immediate improvements, such as optimizing subject lines or sending to a more engaged segment.
- Invest in new strategies that require more effort but provide long-term benefits, like revising email flows to better match customer behavior.
When is the best time to conduct your audit?
Set a regular schedule for audits, but be realistic based on your goals and resources. Common timelines include:
- Initial audit: Conducted during Klaviyo onboarding to assess your current strategy and tech stack. This is crucial to ensure everything is working as expected and data is syncing correctly.
- Growth review audit: Typically done at the end of each quarter. This helps you evaluate recent progress and discover new growth opportunities.
- Seasonal prep audit: Scheduled before peak seasons or busy times of the year. For example, do a pre-Black Friday/Cyber Monday audit to prepare for increased traffic and activity.
In closing
The upcoming lessons will guide you through auditing 5 key areas of your account. While reviewing all 5 areas is recommended for a comprehensive approach, you can also focus on specific areas that align with your business goals.
Pro Tip: Use this checklist to guide you through the process and document your findings. To get started:
- Make a copy of the audit checklist.
- Log into your Klaviyo account.
- Follow each step outlined in the tab that fits your business size.
- Copy all items with "action recommended" called out into this sheet to create a plan of action.