Mid-Year Marketing Audit: 7 Key Metrics & Checklist for Q3 Success
"Without data, you're just another person with an opinion." — W. Edwards Deming
It’s June, and if you’re like most marketing teams, you're racing against time to hit your year-end goals. But here’s the truth: Q3 is where momentum either compounds or collapses. That’s why a mid-year marketing audit isn’t optional; it’s essential. With half the year behind us, it’s time to pause, analyze, and pivot where needed.
Whether you’re a solo marketer or leading a full department, this guide walks you through the most critical marketing audit metrics, a practical marketing audit checklist, and how to turn insights into action. Let’s dive into the KPIs that can sharpen your Q3 strategy and make the rest of 2025 your strongest yet.
1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Understanding CAC is crucial to evaluating how efficiently you're bringing in new customers. Divide your total marketing spend by the number of new customers acquired to assess how cost-effective your campaigns are.
Watch out for rising CAC, it’s often a red flag that something in your funnel needs attention, whether it's targeting, messaging, or channel optimization.
2. Conversion Rate by Channel
Not all marketing channels are created equal. Whether you're running email campaigns, social media ads, or SEO-driven content, track conversion rate by channel to spot top performers.
This metric will help you double down on what’s working and reallocate the budget away from underperformers before heading into Q3.
3. Pipeline Velocity
How fast are leads moving from awareness to closed deals? That’s what pipeline velocity tells you. It’s a composite metric, considering deal size, conversion rate, and sales cycle length.
If your pipeline is stalling, now’s the time to refine your lead-nurturing sequences or realign with sales.
4. Content Engagement Rate
Your blog, whitepapers, webinars, and videos may be generating traffic, but are they engaging your audience?
Use metrics like scroll depth, average session duration, and click-through rate to assess your content engagement rate. High engagement signals that you're creating content that resonates, which is critical for Q3 nurture campaigns.
5. Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI)
Forget vanity metrics, ROMI shows you what’s paying off. Measure the revenue generated from specific campaigns or channels against the cost to run them.
Low ROMI? Time to audit your targeting, creative, and timing. High ROMI? Scale those campaigns going into Q3.
6. Q2 vs. Q3 Performance Gap
A mid-year review means identifying where your Q2 vs Q3 performance gap might lie. Are there lagging campaigns? Channels drying up? Or perhaps opportunities you’ve yet to seize?
Compare year-to-date data against your Q3 goals and pinpoint the gaps early.
7. Marketing KPIs for Q3 Planning
Now that you've reviewed historical data, it’s time to map out marketing KPIs for Q3. Set clear targets for:
Lead volume
MQL to SQL conversion rate
Email engagement
Ad spend efficiency
Website goal completions
Tie each KPI to a strategic initiative; this bridges your audit with future action.
Mid-Year Marketing Audit Checklist
Here’s a simplified marketing audit checklist to guide your Q3 pivot:
Review campaign performance by channel
Analyze CAC, ROMI, and pipeline velocity
Evaluate the landing page and content engagement
Identify underperforming vs. high-ROI assets
Benchmark Q2 vs Q3 projections
Set SMART KPIs for Q3
Plan next steps for testing and optimization
Bonus: Download the Marketing Audit Template (PDF) for easy collaboration with your team.
Conclusion: Audit, Adjust, Accelerate
A mid-year marketing audit isn’t just about looking back; it’s about looking forward with clarity. By reviewing key marketing audit metrics like CAC, pipeline velocity, and ROMI, you gain the insight needed to close performance gaps and drive stronger results in Q3.
Use this marketing audit checklist to get your team aligned, sharpen your focus, and transform insight into impact.
Feeling overwhelmed or short on time? Consider our Marketing Strategy and Execution Services to jumpstart your Q3 with expert support. Or contact us at www.kemmarketingsolution.com/contact/
Let’s make the second half of 2025 count!
