DODSON MC
Get Back to Basics: Why a Digital Basics Audit is Essential for Your Business
The pay-to-play game is a loser! Here's how to get out of it. Get your Digital Basics in place and then you see what you can control - By Kip Dodson, EmpowerLocal.com, SourceLocalMedia.com, WilliamsonSource.com, MiddleTennesseeSource.com, and DodsonMC.com
In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, it’s easy to get caught up in the allure of quick wins, flashy ad campaigns, and chasing the latest algorithm hacks. But here’s a reality check: if you haven’t nailed down the basics, you’re playing a risky, never-ending game that keeps you reliant on paid reach. And it’s a game you’ll never truly win.
Many businesses jump into digital marketing headfirst, spending thousands to increase reach through paid advertising, only to find themselves constantly in a cycle of “pay-to-play.” The problem? Without a solid foundation—what we call the Digital Basics—all that paid advertising won’t get you the long-term, sustainable reach you need. Here’s why you should pause, reset, and get a Digital Basics Audit done now. We have to get your Digital Basics Score about 90 before you send anything more.
Why the Basics Matter
Would you build a house on a poor foundation? The same goes for your Digital Marketing and Advertising. Before you spend any more money make sure the foundation is completely understood and easy to adapt based on how a client desires to engage with you. Your basics—the core principles of Digital Directories, Website and SEO, Can people book and buy online now, Social Media, Email and SMS —are that foundation. Lastly, how you manage and display your Reputation, Reviews and Customer Satisfaction. Without them, every dollar you spend on anything is a temporary fix that offers little return on investment.
The Core Elements of a Digital Basics Audit
A Digital Basics Audit digs into the underlying elements that drive your organic reach, strengthen your online presence, and enhance your ability to connect with your audience authentically. Here’s what it covers:
1. Digital Directories that relate to you.
This is the real way customers evaluate you, so how do you look, consistently? Are you in all the right ones? Do you know how to use them without paying for reach and content? Where’s the GAPS? Did you know the technology has changed, and when will it again? Most people overlook this and how important it is to manage it all in sync with the entire advertising and marketing campaign.
2. Website, SOE and can clients book and buy right now?
Today, buyers want to be book and buy now, so do you have the people in charge of your website and SEO actively helping you improve your sales conversions and customer satisfaction to get even more returns business? Buyers want to be pushed all the way down the sales funnel. It’s not just about blogging; it’s about creating content that answers questions, solves problems, and meets the needs of your audience so they can BOOK and BUY NOW.
3. Social Media, Email, TEXT/SMS Strategy
Social platforms reward organic reach but how well to they interact and help you interact with the rest of your business? Meta will boast its reach but it just doesn’t address 60-70 of the rest of the market nor the demands to get a customer into your business and improve the customer satisfaction all at the same time. It can interact with their followers and create engaging content, but we all know there’s more to the story. A solid strategy here means you’re connecting with your audience without always reaching into your wallet. Stop paying for reach and the ability to retarget the same people.
4. Reviews, Reputation and Net Promoter Score (NPS) Use to drive ongoing referrals and quality.
Once you get it right there’s simple strategy to use the people you have already made happy into the best marketing available without spending a dime more. All you have to do is execute the strategy installed by the Top 1% in the industry.
5. Offering your small budgets to spend to make sure the new plans are working or not.
After the Digital Basics Audit, we will offer you budget to spend in your highest quality areas, combined with areas of improvement. The Audit make the areas clear and simple. These are usually not typical advertising and marketing budget investments. Instead, you see what you had to change internally in order to get better results.
Why Paid-Only Strategies Are a Trap
Relying solely on paid strategies is like living paycheck to paycheck. You may see immediate results, but you’re locked into a costly loop, driven up based on your poor Digital Basics Foundation. As soon as you perform the Digital Basics you stop paying for the uncertainty. Your visibility increases. Getting your digital basics in place builds a cumulative benefit, strengthening your brand’s visibility over time.
Many business owners fall into this “Pay-to-play” trap, assuming that pouring more money into better search ranks ads will solve the problem. Instead, it keeps you captive to an expensive, short-term fix rather than establishing a lasting presence. Worst of all, buyers know you are paying for the BOOST and RANKS instead of organically earning it.
THINK ABOUT IT!? When you search for stuff can you tell when the boost was paid for (sponsored) or earned and authentically good? I bet you can tell! Digital Basics makes you authentic instead of paid-for. Who would you rather buy from?
Stop. Audit. Rebuild.
Here’s our advice: stop all other marketing and get your digital basics in order. Yes, this might mean hitting pause on some campaigns, but the long-term payoff will far outweigh any short-term dip. A Digital Basics Audit gives you a roadmap, showing where your business stands in terms of organic reach and what steps you need to take to improve.
This doesn’t mean abandoning paid advertising entirely, necessarily. When your DIGITAL BASICS are solid, every dollar you spend on on anything will go further, working in harmony with a strong organic strategy to amplify your reach. The wholly grail is that you only pay for what you know is wise and sustainable.
The Real Takeaway
By investing in the digital basics now, you free yourself from the “pay-to-play” game. This foundational work lets you build sustainable reach and audience loyalty, reducing your dependency on paid tactics. Imagine the relief of knowing that your visibility isn’t reliant on how much you can afford to pay each month.
So, if you’re serious about digital marketing, make your first step a Digital Basics Audit. We need to get you Digital Basics Score above 80-90 before you send anything more. It’s the smart move—and, frankly, the only move that makes sense if you want to build a brand that lasts. Don’t waste another dollar on paid ads until you’ve ensured your foundation is rock solid. That’s how you set yourself up for true digital success.
STOP! On many measures you should STOP your advertising and marketing plans right now.
Your strategy should change. Before you do it, consider the Source Score, Digital Basics Score, Net Promoter Score and who you have on your team right now.
Your Roadmap to Top 1% Industry Performance
Discover how the Source Score, co-created by DodsonMC, can transform your business. The Source Score is more than just a metric—it's a comprehensive roadmap designed to help you achieve top-tier industry performance.
Key Features:
