If you're stepping into a new business, advising a new client, or trying to unlock new performance from a marketing team—there’s one question you always need to answer first:

Where are we now?

The Clavem Marketing Scorecard exists to answer that question with structured clarity. It’s a diagnostic framework I use at the beginning of nearly every engagement. Built around the simple principle that strategy is most actionable when it’s grounded in reality, this scorecard helps surface blind spots, expose disconnects, and build alignment.

It’s not about right or wrong—it’s about starting the right conversation. The scorecard creates a shared language and structure, but the insights it sparks are nonlinear, revealing unexpected patterns and opening new doors to action.

A People, Process, and Systems-Based View

While most marketing audits default to org charts or campaign analysis, I believe the best situational assessments are rooted in three core lenses:

• People: Do we have the right leaders, teams, and partnerships?
• Process: Are we doing the right things—and doing them consistently?
• Systems: Are we instrumented for performance, measurement, and learning?

Everything in the scorecard maps back to one of these domains.

And to keep it frictionless, each item is binary: it’s either present or it’s not. No fractional scoring, no weighting gymnastics. Just a fast, honest read on whether the building blocks of high-functioning marketing are in place.

The Seven Domains of the Clavem Scorecard

The scorecard is built around seven essential components that collectively represent a healthy, scalable marketing system:

1. Strategy Planning & Prioritization
   Does the company have annual business targets? A working brand strategy? A real marketing plan? Do budgets tie to strategy, or just historical inertia?
2. Marketing Organization
   Is there a clear leader? Is the team sized to the demand? Are there dedicated analytics resources—or is reporting duct-taped together?
3. Research, Measurement & Insights
   Do decisions get made from data or gut feel? Is there any regular customer research? Are lead quality, funnel performance, and conversion rates tracked?
4. Brand & Competitive Positioning
   Has the business defined what makes it different? Is that positioning credible and visible? Does it translate across the org and into the market?
5. Performance Marketing Capability
   Are paid efforts managed strategically—or reactively? Are digital campaigns multi-touch? Is performance attribution in place beyond just clicks?
6. Martech Capabilities
   Is there a functioning CRM? Do tools integrate—or sit in silos? Are automation, personalization, and tracking implemented in a meaningful way?
7. Content & Thought Leadership
   Does the company produce content with intent? Is there a plan—or just ad hoc efforts? Is SEO tied to editorial? Is video or rich media used?

Each domain includes a focused set of items—typically five to ten—that are evaluated in simple yes/no terms. What you end up with is a scorecard that becomes both diagnostic tool and strategic map.

Closing Thought:  More to Come

This piece is the start of a deeper series. In future articles, I’ll break down each of the seven scorecard domains in more detail, showing how to apply them inside real companies—from scrappy startups to mid-market transformation efforts.

For now, if you want a practical, no-fluff way to assess your marketing reality, start with the scorecard.