In my last article, I introduced a tool called the BOCA Curve (Branding, Online Presence, Content and Advertising) that my company uses to pinpoint clients’ most essential marketing and branding needs — especially when they don’t have the budget to fix everything at once. We do this by asking a series of questions.

In part one — questions 1-10 — I addressed branding and online presence. This article — questions 11-20 — covers content and advertising. For each question, give yourself a green dot for what you excel at, a yellow dot for what you’re unsure about, and a red dot for what you need to improve on:

11. Does your content strategy have a focus?

It’s important to always have an objective — whether it’s to provide information, explain new ingredients, highlight new products, focus on social causes or draw attention to a complementary interest.

12. Are people delighted by your organization?

Happy customers come back and tell their friends. The formula for growth is: new customers + repeat customers + referrals. Use this formula and your business can’t fail. Of course, always start with the customers you have. It’s way easier to keep them than to find new customers.

One of the simplest and most significant things we do to delight our existing customers is send out weekly reports detailing what was accomplished during the week and what is on deck for the following week. We always end with “let me know if I missed anything.” Nobody is perfect, but a simple reminder keeps things from falling behind. Also, this telegraphs that you’re on top of things and care about their project. If you take care of your existing customers well, referrals come naturally. If you are rigorous and honest with the BOCA curve, new customers will come, too.

13. Are the images you use gorgeous?

The big mistake many people make is that they use imagery to explain. Explaining is the job of the text. The purpose of imagery is to get people’s attention.

14. Are you using video effectively?

I’m not talking infomercials, but compelling, emotionally engaging online storytelling that will bring your organization to life.

15. Are you keeping an eye on website traffic?

There are three ways people find you online: organic search, marketing and re-marketing. Make sure you know the difference. The hardest of the three is perhaps organic search. This takes time and is dependent on content. But one little trick that may help is to Google the keywords you’re interested in and that align with your business, such as “best organic skincare products” and see what comes up first. Then email them and find out what you need to do to be featured in their article or list. Marketing and remarketing are much easier (but they’re more expensive). Start with Google and Facebook — both have remarketing options, then dig deeper. Sometimes the most obscure and hardest-to-find places produce the best results.

16. Do people want or need your product or service?

Often people start businesses that they are passionate about. What matters most is that your customers are passionate about your business, too.

17. How fast is your business growing?

These are just numbers. If your business is growing, then you’re doing something right, and working on your brand will accelerate that growth.

18. How is your advertising performing?

Having a great-looking website and brand identity with poor advertising is like dressing up in an Armani suit and staying home on Friday night. Google Analytics is the key here. Look at how long people are staying on your homepage and primary landing pages. Then use heat map software like CrazyEgg or HotJar to get more granular. Watch how far down people scroll on a page before leaving, then improve the text and imagery at the stopping point, or move up an engaging bit of content that is further down on the page.

19. How is your social media performing?

Driving organic traffic (earned versus paid media) can be an important part of your marketing mix. This is where social media comes into play. Write and post frequently. Since, for most businesses, transactions take place on a business’s own website or store, make sure each post has a clear call to action to get consumers to go there rather than someone else’s Facebook page.

20. How influential is your organization?

How well do you tell your brand’s story and convey what makes you different and better? If you have something people really want, climb up on a soapbox and shout it to the world! Never in the history of mankind has there been more places to be heard. Take a few tips from Ryan Holiday’s “trading up the chain” concept and start with smaller local publications — they are always looking for help with content. Then, once you have published a few articles, move up to better-known publications and so on and so on.

To fully experience the value of the BOCA Curve, go through and improve on the items with red dots first, then work on the ones with yellow dots.

People often think that marketing is an art form, but it is really more akin to science. As Arthur C. Clarke famously said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The same holds true for marketing. This process is nothing short of magical.