What Is a Social Media Audit and Why Does Your Business Need It?

Social media is where trends are born. While it’s tempting to jump on the latest trends as you see other brands getting traction, the truth is the platforms or strategies that work for them may not work for you. It’s not wise to make impulsive decisions to ditch a platform or overhaul your content strategy. A social media audit helps you see beyond the fast-paced nature of social media, giving you confidence in your strategy.

But what is a social media audit, exactly?

Let’s break it down:

What Is a Social Media Audit?

Why Perform a Social Media Audit

How To Perform a Social Media Audit

What Is a Social Media Audit?

A social media audit is a systematic review of your performance across all the channels you use for your brand. Despite its formal-sounding name, an audit is straightforward and accessible. A social media audit involves collecting and analyzing data to gauge the effectiveness of your social media strategy and the overall growth of your social presence.

It looks at the numbers: how many people saw your content, left comments, hit the like button, or shared it. This helps you figure out which posts are getting the most attention and understand what your audience is into. A social media analytics report provides valuable insights that are foundational for refining your marketing plan and establishing new objectives for sustained social media success.

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Why Perform a Social Media Audit

Achieving a higher return on investment (ROI) is the ultimate goal for any brand. An audit can help you get there. Inform Your Marketing DecisionsSocial media is always changing. An audit helps you make informed decisions and adapt. Questions like “Should we focus on Instagram instead of X (formerly Twitter)?” can be answered with data from a detailed audit.

For example, you might find that certain types of content resonate more with your audience. With this insight, you can create more of what they love and refine your messaging to connect better with them.

Have a Better Audience Analysis:

Audits give you a deeper look at your audience demographics, helping you understand who your followers are. This information helps you create targeted campaigns and communication strategies that match their interests, boosting engagement.

You'll also learn about user behavior—when your audience is most active, what content formats they prefer, and how they interact with your brand.

Get the Most out of Your Social Media Resources:

With the insights from an audit, you can optimize your posting schedules, content formats, and engagement strategies. If certain content types get more engagement, focus on producing more of that.

Apply these insights to your ads as well. Adjusting the timing, copy, and visuals can ensure your ads reach and resonate with the right audience, prompting action.

Keep Your Online Presence Consistent and Relevant:

Your brand's online persona needs to be consistent across all platforms. Audits help you review and align profile names, bios, images, and hashtags. A unified presence builds trust with your audience and reinforces your brand values.

Audits also help you identify outdated or ineffective strategies, ensuring your online presence stays current and relevant.

Perform a Social Media Competitive Analysis:

Understanding your competitors’ strategies is key to refining your own. A social media competitive analysis looks at their content, engagement strategies, and audience interactions. By seeing what works for them and identifying opportunities or pitfalls, you can adjust your approach to stay ahead. This analysis also provides benchmarks to set realistic goals and measure your performance against industry peers.

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How To Perform a Social Media Audit:

1. Locate and List All Your Social Media Profiles

From platforms like Facebook and X to visual platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, go through each and ensure no profile is overlooked. If you have a record of your social media profiles, now is the time to refer to or update it. For those without an existing list, consider this an opportunity to create one.

2. Evaluate Your Branding and Adjust for Consistency

Consistency across various elements reinforces your social media reputation. Let’s break down the components to scrutinize and adjust as needed:

? Username or handle: Ensure uniformity for easy identification, avoiding variations as much as possible.

? Profile pictures, cover photos or banners: Align visuals with current branding and update outdated images.

? Bio: Refine messaging and make sure to make the most of your bio’s limited space.

? Contact information: Verify and update email, phone or location details.

? Links: Check if the links lead to the intended landing pages.

? Verification: Seek verification badges, prioritizing to initiate the process.

? Pinned post: Be strategic in using the feature to promote key offers or information, and avoid pinning posts that date way back.

3. Export Social Media Analytics Report per Channel:

Take full advantage of the built-in analytics features on every social media platform by extracting detailed reports per channel. You’ll get specific data on performance and audience engagement that will be the basis of your next steps.4. Analyze Each Channel’s Data Against

Each Other

Define your top-performing channels and their unique roles. For instance, assess which platform leaned towards providing customer support and which played a greater role in driving your sales efforts.

Likewise, pinpoint your most successful content, taking note of its format and the specific results it yielded.

5. Evaluate Social Media Performance Toward Your Goals

Look back at previous objectives and gauge your present performance in reaching them. Assess whether you’re making tangible progress toward your goals. If needed, consider modifying or fine-tuning your approach based on this assessment.

Example goals could be:

? Increase brand awareness

? Boost engagement

? Drive website traffic

? Generate leads

6. Make Your Next Social Media Plan:

Treat the data you garnered from your social media audit as actionable insights to propel your online presence forward. Consider the following:

? Identify priorities, whether it’s refining your content strategy or enhancing engagement.

? Define specific and measurable objectives. Be it increasing followers, driving website traffic or boosting brand awareness, clarity is key.

? Allocate resources required to execute your plan effectively. This includes personnel, budget and time.

Remember to establish a realistic timeline for a gradual, structured implementation of your social media strategy without overwhelming your team or audience alike is key.