Marketing Supplier & “Tech Stack” Audits
Get Some Clarity Before You Spend More
Perhaps you’re paying an agency each month but can’t explain what they actually do.
Maybe you’ve hired a freelancer or internal marketer and are concerned that the work falls short of what the business needs.
Or perhaps your marketing software bill keeps growing, even though you only seem to use a fraction of what you are paying for.
These are reasonable things to question. The difficulty is knowing how to assess the answers when you don’t work in digital marketing yourself.
I provide an independent review of the people, services and technology supporting your marketing. You get a clearer understanding of what is being delivered, where the gaps are, and what you can do to improve value.
You can commission a supplier review, a technology review, or both. There is no need to review everything if you have a specific concern to resolve.
Is The Work Up To Scratch?
Digital marketing can be difficult to judge from the outside. A polished report or confident explanation doesn’t necessarily tell you much about the quality of the underlying work.
I can review your agency, freelancer or internal marketing delivery against the agreed responsibilities, available resources and evidence of what is happening.
This can include:
- What was agreed and what appears to have been delivered.
- The quality and suitability of work in the channels being reviewed.
- Whether important tasks or problems are being overlooked.
- Whether reporting gives you a useful picture of performance.
- Whether your business has appropriate access to its accounts and data.
- Where capability, capacity, unclear instructions or unrealistic expectations may be affecting results.
The distinction matters. A capable marketer working with an unclear brief or an impossible workload needs a different response from a provider neglecting basic responsibilities.
I’ll explain what the evidence supports, where information is missing, and what needs discussing with the people involved. If your current team is doing good work, that will be reflected in the findings.
Does Your Software Still Make Sense For The Business?
It’s easy for marketing technology costs to creep up. A tool is added for one project, an account moves onto a more expensive tier, or several platforms end up doing much the same job.
I can also review tools such as marketing automation platforms, email systems, CRMs, reporting software and related subscriptions to assess:
- What you pay for and what the business actually uses.
- Whether subscription tiers, user licences or contact allowances fit your needs.
- Where tools duplicate functions or have been left largely unused.
- Whether setup, integrations or internal processes are limiting the value you receive.
- Whether you could make better use of an existing platform before buying another one.
- Whether a proposed change is likely to justify its cost and disruption.
An expensive platform may be entirely appropriate. A cheaper replacement can also become an expensive mistake once you account for migration, lost functionality, retraining and ongoing workarounds.
I will help you assess the whole decision. I don’t sell software or receive platform commissions.
What’s Involved?
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Agree The Question And Scope
We establish what you want to understand, which providers or platforms are included, and what information is available. This might be a focused review of one relationship or subscription, or a broader assessment of the setup.
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Review The Evidence
Depending on the scope, I review proposals, agreed deliverables, reports, invoices, account activity, software usage and relevant settings. We also agree who needs to be involved and how questions will be put to your team or providers.
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Explain The Findings And Options
You receive a written assessment of what appears sound, what needs attention, and the practical options available. Recommendations might include a clearer brief, changes to reporting, targeted training, a subscription adjustment or a more substantial change of approach.
Any potential savings will be explained alongside the assumptions, costs or dependencies involved. We can include a debrief meeting to work through the findings and next steps.
Who Is This For?
This service suits business owners and leaders who:
- Are uncertain about the quality or value of their marketing provider’s work.
- Want an independent view before renewing or changing a supplier relationship.
- Need to understand whether their internal marketing function has the right support and capabilities.
- Suspect they are overpaying for software or maintaining too many tools.
- Want to assess a significant technology proposal before committing.
You remain in control of the next steps. You can use the findings with your existing team, seek specialist help, or ask me about further support.
Find Out Where You Stand
Tell me what you are paying for, what concerns you, and what decision you need to make. I’ll recommend a suitable review scope and provide a quote before we begin.
I’m based in Christchurch and work with businesses throughout New Zealand and overseas.
Prefer to talk directly?