How To Do A Social Media Audit
July 25, 2022
March 9, 2023
By any metric, social media is enormous. Worldwide, billions of us are glued to the various platforms. It’s where we communicate with friends and family and where many find their partners. It’s where we consume news and increasingly, it’s where we choose and buy products and services. That’s why social media marketing has become a must for businesses big and small. But with so many options out there, businesses need to be sure they’re on the right platform for their audience. So, auditing what you do on social media is crucial. Many businesses understand the reasons for this, but many aren’t aware how to do a social media audit. If this sounds like you, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s the lowdown.
Taking Note of All Your Social Media Profiles
Listing all your social media profiles is the first step. As mentioned above, there are many platforms of all sorts of sizes, and new ones crop up constantly. While you think you know all of them off by heart, it’s likely there are one or two you’ve forgotten about. Maybe you’ve got a long dormant Pinterest account with a small number of followers! Active or inactive, big or small, you need to include them in the audit. Otherwise, you won’t have an accurate audit.
Set Objectives for Every Profile
Now the profiles have been identified, it’s time to set goals for each one. There are 5 main objectives you should focus on as part of this process:
- Increasing traffic to the business’s website
- Getting more followers
- Improving leads and sales made
- Increasing brand awareness
- Increasing engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc…)
For the best results, pick one or two goals for each profile. This way, you focus on achieving them, rather than picking many and ending up falling short of all the targets. One of the best benefits of undergoing this step is that it helps you understand what metrics to analyse for the social media channels.
Check for Consistency
The content put out on all social media networks from the business must be the same. By doing so, viewers can swap between channels and receive the same experience. It is all about your brand. So, make sure that all your imagery, usernames, links hashtags and written content is posted with your brand clearly communicated.
Any offers and deals should also be consistent across your channels, unless you are specifically running an A/B test of course! For instance, imagine your Facebook and Twitter platforms are promoting a spring deal, while your Instagram is still promoting a winter offer. The resulting confusion leads to an irritated consumer and a bad brand experience. A well-executed audit will ensure this never happens.
Commence Analysing the Data
At this stage in the social media audit, it’s time to find out how well your channels are performing. Have you hit your goals or are you going to miss? It’s time to take a deep dive into the data. There’s a couple of ways to do this. Firstly, you can use the data provided by the platforms themselves via their built-in analytics tools. Or you can use one of the dedicated social media management apps where you can analyse data from all your channels in one place. Hootsuite is a great app for this purpose, and that’s just one of the many great tools they offer.
Evaluation
Now you’ve identified how the accounts are performing, the next step is to evaluate the results. This means seeing which posts have generated the best results. Are followers interacting the best with video content, written posts, photos or something else?
During this step, there are 3 main points to look at to determine what did well:
- How well the post reached the intended audience
- How many engagements were made
- The number of views gained
Check Demographics
Just who are you reaching on each platform? Remember – the target audience may prefer using one social media platform over another, and these patterns can change over time. Checking the analytical information gathered will pinpoint which channel is worth focusing on. However, this isn’t the only benefit of reviewing the demographic information provided. New opportunities can be identified that could lead to finding a new segment to target. An effective audit leads to deeper understanding of your target audience.
Research Other Social Media Platforms
New social media platforms emerge all the time, and some have specific strengths which are worth investigating. For instance, the short-form videos on TikTok that have taken the world by storm or the audio-based networking of Clubhouse. New channels can garner a lot of attention, and while some don’t stick around for the long run, they certainly can provide a good opportunity for businesses to target in the short term. Investigating new platforms should be a major part of your social media audit.
Use the Information Gathered for Future Decisions
Everything that has been collected thus far will give you a clear indication of what works, what doesn’t and new opportunities to explore. You can even combine the findings from the social media audit with a SWOT analysis to ensure nothing is missed.
Final Thoughts
You should now know how to do a social media audit. Yes, it can take some time to complete, but the results will give you a much greater and deeper knowledge of your audience. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll make the informed decisions needed to get those sales conversions moving.
Need help?
We are a marketing agency in Kent. If you have any inquiries about marketing and communications, please do not hesitate to contact us. Call us or send us an email, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We can also arrange a 30-minute free consultation call or a Zoom meeting to discuss your needs and how we can help.
Read More
Top 6 Social Media Tools To Use In Your Business
https://muvemm.com/marketing/7-ways-to-boost-your-google-rankings-naturally/
https://muvemm.com/business/4-ways-you-can-incorporate-ai-into-your-business-strategies/
431
50%
50%
Social media marketing is a must for businesses, but you have to do it right. That's where a social media audit comes in.
https://muvemm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/How-To-Do-A-Social-Media-Audit-Blog-Image-250722.jpg
The content put out on all social media networks from the business must be the same. By doing so, viewers can swap between channels and receive the same experience.
HOW TO DO A SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT
25/07/2022
category,post_tag,post_format,new_category
Communication
Content
Ecommerce
Marketing
Marketing
Media
Small Business
SME
Social Media
Startups
Technology
Marketing
