I recently completed a deep-dive Social Media Audit for a client. It was so much fun! I love working on audits because it always seems to make a big impact for the client. I've found, however, a lot of folks haven't the foggiest idea what a Social Media Audit even is.
Well, shame on me for not explaining this better!! Shaaaammmeeeee.
A Social Media Audit is a focused look at the current state of your social media presence. This means in depth research and analysis of a wide range of areas. Once the assessment is done, there are often areas in which improvements can be made.
When I perform a Social Media Audit for a client, it's a three phase process consisting of Researching, Analyzing, and (this last one is sometimes optional) Strategizing. Here are some tips if you'd like to perform a Social Media Audit for yourself. They are a great way to check in and make sure you are reaching your goals!
BUT FIRST. As a prerequisite, you must have goals. There is no reason to be using social media for business if you do not have measurable goals! A Social Media Audit is not effective at all if you don't have goals as a benchmark for determining whether or not your social presence is effective.
But you knew that. ;) On to the Audit Tips!
Research:
-Look at what your competition is doing
-Look at your best performing posts over the last quarter for each platform
-Look at your current audience stats
-Find industry research relevant to your target demographic
Analyze:
-Split test your hashtags (I use SmartHash for Instagram hashtag tests)
-Follow content trends: what types of posts got the best engagement or led to clients taking the action you desired?
-What segment of your audience is performing actions that match your goals? (These actions could be anything from making purchases to signing up for a newsletter to donating to a cause)
Strategize:
-Can you adjust your content to include more of the content that performed best?
-Do you need to start from zero and realign your posting strategy to best reach your goals?
-Are there platforms you should or should not be on in order to reach your goals?
While it is called a "Social Media" Audit, I'm often looking at every facet of a brand's marketing to get the full picture when I perform one of these audits, not just the Facebooks or Tweetz. It's important to follow the traffic: is it all circulating around? Does social media lead to website views to purchases to newsletter sign ups to event attendance? Whatever the brand goals may be, you need to be honest and critical when determining if the state of things on social media.
And! Sometimes it's extra helpful to have an outside opinion. Want to schedule a Social Media Audit for your brand? Reach out today!
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Stay Bad Axe!
-Carolyn
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