Step 1: Complete Stack Audit (The Foundation)
You can't optimise what you don't know exists. A complete stack audit is the foundation of everything else. This is where you discover what you actually have, what it costs, and how it's being used.
Why a Complete Audit Matters
Most companies don't have a complete picture of their marketing technology stack. Tools get added over time. People forget about subscriptions. Different departments buy tools independently. Before you can optimise, you need to know exactly what you're working with.
The Benefits:
- Discover hidden costs in forgotten subscriptions
- Understand the full picture before making changes
- Identify tools nobody uses
- Find integration opportunities
- Calculate your true total cost
How to Find All Your Tools
Finding every tool in your stack requires a systematic approach. Here's how to do it:
Check Your Billing/Accounting
Start with the money trail:
- Credit card statements: Review last 12 months
- Accounting software: Check Xero, QuickBooks, or whatever you use
- Subscription management tools: If you use them (like Chargebee, Recurly)
- Bank statements: Look for recurring charges
Ask Your Team
Your team knows what they use. Ask them:
- "What tools do you use for marketing?"
- "What tools did you sign up for that we might have forgotten?"
- "Are there any tools you're paying for but not using?"
Send a quick survey or have a team meeting. You'll be surprised what you discover.
Check Your Website
Your website often reveals tools you've forgotten:
- Marketing tags: Check Google Tag Manager
- Analytics tools: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, etc.
- Chat widgets: Intercom, Drift, Zendesk Chat
- Form tools: Typeform, Gravity Forms, etc.
- Pop-up tools: OptinMonster, Sumo, etc.
Review Your Integrations
Check your main tools (CRM, email platform) for connected apps. Most tools have an "integrations" section showing all connected services. This often reveals tools you didn't remember.
The Stack Audit Template
Create a comprehensive inventory using this template. Use a spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel works fine).
Tool Inventory Spreadsheet Columns:
- Tool Name
- Category (CRM, Email, Analytics, Social, etc.)
- Monthly Cost (or annual if paid annually)
- Annual Cost (calculate if monthly)
- Number of Users/Licenses
- Cost Per User (calculate)
- Contract Type (monthly, annual, multi-year)
- Renewal Date
- Primary Use Case (what it's used for)
- Who Uses It (team members)
- Usage Frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, rarely)
- API Available? (Yes/No/On Higher Tier)
- Integration Status (connects to other tools? Which ones? How?)
- Integration Issues (manual workarounds, data silos, etc.)
- Criticality (critical, important, nice-to-have, unused)
- Notes (any relevant information)
Example Row:
| Tool | Category | Monthly | Annual | Users | Per User | Contract | Renewal | Use Case | Users | Frequency | API? | Integrations | Issues | Criticality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | CRM | £400 | £4,800 | 5 | £80 | Annual | Mar 2025 | Contact management, email | Sales, Marketing | Daily | Yes | Gmail (native), Slack (API), Zapier (API) | None | Critical | Core system |
Categorizing Your Tools
Organise your tools into categories to see patterns:
- CRM & Contact Management (HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Pipedrive)
- Email Marketing (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, SendGrid)
- Marketing Automation (HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Marketo)
- Analytics & Tracking (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Hotjar)
- Social Media Management (Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social)
- Content Management (WordPress, Webflow, Contentful)
- SEO Tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz)
- Advertising Platforms (Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads)
- Landing Page Builders (Unbounce, Leadpages, Instapage)
- Form Builders (Typeform, JotForm, Gravity Forms)
- Chat & Support (Intercom, Drift, Zendesk)
- Design Tools (Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma)
- Video Tools (Loom, Wistia, Vimeo)
- Project Management (Asana, Trello, Monday.com)
- Other (custom tools, one-offs)
Calculating Your Total Stack Cost
Once you have everything listed, calculate:
- Monthly Total: Sum of all monthly costs
- Annual Total: Sum of all annual costs (or monthly × 12)
- Per-Employee Cost: Annual total ÷ number of employees
- Per-Marketing-Employee Cost: Annual total ÷ marketing team size
These numbers will help you benchmark and track improvements.
Identifying Hidden Costs
Don't forget these hidden costs:
- Integration Costs: Some tools charge for integrations or API access
- Manual Work Costs: Time spent manually syncing data between tools that don't connect properly
- Overage Fees: Usage-based pricing that exceeds limits
- Training Costs: Time spent learning new tools
- Data Migration Costs: When switching tools
- Support/Add-On Costs: Premium support, additional features
Example: If you spend 5 hours/week manually syncing data between tools, that's £250/week at £50/hour = £13,000/year in hidden costs.