The Scoresheet Check the Strength of Your Small Business Story

Today’s consumer has no shortage of options. Purchase from home or shop in person? Support local or buy global? Your small business must stand out in the crowd to be seen. Our marketing scorecard makes sure you can be found.

Whether your business is new to the block or a neighborhood staple, it was built on the foundation that you have something valuable to offer. What you sell is the answer to someone’s question, the solution to someone’s problem, or the relief to someone’s need. This is your unique small business story.

You know it. But does your ideal customer know it?

We want your story to compel people to act. That’s why we created the Keyhole Marketing Scoresheet.

We take a dive into the story your business is telling with our marketing scorecard, asking questions like:

• What are you doing to communicate that you’re the right fit?
• What makes you worth saying “yes” to over a competitor?
• What measures are you taking to align your brand to your ideal customer?

The Scoresheet helps shift your perspective and allows you to see your business from your prospect’s point of view.

As an outsider looking in, we put ourselves in your customer’s shoes and examine your existing marketing elements — including branding, writing, search engine optimization, photography, and social media — to determine how each element is helping or hindering your business.

With your Story Score, you get a clear picture of how your small business story compares to the competition.

You find answers to these key questions:

• In what areas is your business currently excelling?
• What elements are lacking in your storytelling strategy?
• What needs to happen next to set your story — and ultimately, your brand — apart from the rest?

Plus, you get actionable steps to enhance your value, clarify your story, and leave no doubt in your prospects’s mind that you’re the right fit.

If you’re ready to stand out in the crowd, then fill out the form below.

Still unsure? Scroll down to see all the criteria we check in our marketing scorecard. Then scroll back up to sign up today!

Using a simple ranking system, the Scoresheet evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of your current marketing strategy.

1. Value — Is it clear what makes you unique and why someone should choose you over a competitor?
2. Audience — Is it obvious who you serve and how your solutions solve their problems?
3. Mission — Do you plainly express your purpose, vision, and core values?
4. Identity — Do your logo, color, and font choices tell a consistent, compelling story?
5. Voice — Does the tone of your message align with the personalities of your target audience?

1. Clarity — Is it simple and obvious what you want visitors to know about you?
2. Action — Is it clear how to contact you or what you want us to do next?
3. Diverse — Do you offer a variety of content offerings (blogs, press releases, emails, videos, etc.)?
4. Authoritative — Does your content position you as an authority in your marketplace?
5. Genuine — Do you share a transparent and authentic story with readers?

1. Technical — Is your website structured for web crawling and search engine indexing?
2. On-page — Is the content and html source code optimized to rank higher and earn relevant traffic?
3. Off-page — Are backlinks and other external signals displaying your site’s reputation and authority?
4. Local — Does your website include SEO best practices to market your business to your community?
5. Citations — Do you hold accurate listings in small business, industry, and local online resources?

1. Varied — Do you package diverse content and share across multiple platforms?
2. Authentic — Do you tell a story consistent with your mission and culture?
3. Steady — >Do you consistently share new content at optimal times?
4. Attraction — Do your photos and content look appealing and grab attention?
5. Current — Does your brand follow today’s best practices across all your social platforms?

1. Engaging — Do you charm viewers through the quality and artistry of your photographs?
2. Balanced — Do you present an equal mixture of both custom and stock photographs?
3. Personality — Does your photography express the culture and identity of your company?
4. Narrative — Do you tell visual stories of your people, products, services, and events?
5. Inviting — Do you offer your audience a look inside your business through photos of your space?

Don’t forget to scroll up and sign up today!