When it comes to marketing your company and increasing the size of your customer base, social media is the place to be. Regardless of the social media sites you use, you should make it a habit to routinely review your accounts on each of those services. In addition to the basic advantages of analysing performance, doing so will also assist you in evaluating what areas of your organisation are effective and what opportunities there are for developing your business.
An analysis of your social media presence can help you understand what is going on across all of your platforms and how each one relates to your overall marketing objectives. It is also not a labor-intensive or challenging process if you choose a simple template. This post will walk you through the process of conducting a successful social media audit from the beginning to the end. We also have a functional (and free) social media audit template to make the process as simple as possible for you.
An Overview of Social Media Audit?
Auditing the social media accounts of clients is a methodical approach to analysing the clients’ activities on the internet. As the proprietor of a marketing company, it is incumbent upon you to make certain that the social media profiles of your customers are subjected to rigorous and consistent auditing. If there is a problem with time management on a weekly basis, monthly or bimonthly audits are suitable alternatives to the weekly plan.
Auditing your social media marketing efforts allows you to refine or maintain what’s working, eliminate what isn’t, and make way for what will. When doing a social media audit, it is essential to focus on the following three areas:
- What plan of action is most productive and why?
- Which method isn’t yielding desirable returns on investment (ROI), and why?
- Is there anything that can be done to boost performance on those channels?
There is no denying the positive effect an audit of your social media channels can have on your social media marketing strategy and your return on investment (ROI). Nowadays, many failing firms don’t give social media efforts the attention they deserve. As a result, their social media marketing efforts fail to produce the desired results. There are several good reasons to perform a social media audit.
How to Perform a Social Media Audit
Below we’ve broken down the step-by-step process for your first audit, much of which can be rinsed and repeated next time you need to analyze your presence.
1. Organize Your Social Media Accounts
First, audit your social profiles. However, you shouldn’t restrict yourself to just using Facebook or Twitter. Such as that YouTube channel with only two subscribers or that Pinterest page you created three years ago. You are not required to keep tabs on networks you are not currently using. Ensure that they have been claimed and are associated with your organization.
By neglecting the unique characteristics of networks, you may have been missing out on opportunities. An audit might help you realise this. Make a list of all of your social media accounts, and then pick the ones that are most important for your online presence. By thoroughly analysing each of your profiles, you may discover which of your social media sites is the most profitable.
2. Define Your Goals for Each Network
It is vital to hone in on your social media goals for each platform that you are active on to prevent feeling overwhelmed. Some examples of social media goals include the following:
- Improving Product Recognizability
- More leads and sales will be generated.
- Boosting Participation in Local Activities
- Extending your reach (think: followers)
- Getting more people to visit your website
Defining goals can help you discover which metrics are most important to monitor on each platform, in addition to providing direction for your presence and helping you determine what those goals should be. Instagram is a better platform for attracting new followers, but Facebook may result in more revenue for your business. Metrics are only meaningful when viewed in the context of the objectives you have set. Keep in mind that your first social media audit does not require you to fill in each and every blank with the appropriate information.
3. Consistency On Branding, Promotions & Language
Maintaining a consistent brand identity throughout social media is vital, but it’s easy to miss some nuances. As you analyze your social presence, you should make it a point to verify that the creatives, promotions, and campaigns associated with each of your profiles are consistent with one another. These are the following:
- Bio and “About” language (when in doubt, refer to your style guide)
- Pictures for profiles and banners
- URLs that lead to destinations and landing pages
- Hashtags
When you drill down to the level of individual posts, it can become clear which categories of content you ought to be producing. For instance, does your audience adore videos? Photos? Messages in the form of questions? Your native analytics for each platform can assist you in gaining an understanding of how each specific piece of content is performing in terms of the following:
- Impressions (or views)
- Engagements (comments, “Likes,” shares, etc.)
- Reach
5. Figure Out Your Social Media Traffic Funnel
Monitoring and analysing the link between your website and your profiles on various social media platforms is a vital task. Not only will this show you which channels produce the most useful leads for your business, but it will also help you understand which postings result in true interest from your audience. In the “Acquisition” area of Google Analytics, you will see information regarding the number of people who have visited your website (after which you may filter the results by “Social”). You may also utilise Sprout Social, which will further highlight the correlation between the number of social followers you have and the volume of web traffic you get. Sprout Social can be found here.
6. Evaluate Social Media Opportunities
Unexpectedly frequently, new social media platforms are introduced, but not all of them are able to survive for very long. For instance, it’s possible that you’re still considering switching to TikTok because the site offers some intriguing potential for businesses. In a similar line, utilising new platforms as quickly as possible may provide you an edge over other users. Mark in your social media audit the sites for which you have the most interest in gaining additional knowledge. You shouldn’t be concerned if you can’t think of any new platforms that would interest you right now or if you’re already focusing on only a few networks at this point in time.
Final Words
Collecting and evaluating social media data is key to improving your social media performance. In this regard, a social audit is the most effective way to take action. After reading this post, we hope you’ll be motivated to take a closer look at your analytics. Get in touch with a social media optimization service provider if you want better outcomes from your social media strategy and need assistance improving it so you can make better decisions.
