Social media has become an indispensable part of any business strategy, but how do you know if your efforts are truly paying off? A social media audit can tell you that, thoroughly reviewing your social media presence for everything from brand consistency to performance metrics and engagement. Let’s walk through what exactly a social media audit is and how to go about performing one.
What is a Social Media Audit & Why is it Important?
A social media audit is like giving your online presence a health check. It’s a detailed analysis of all your social media accounts to see what’s working, what needs a little love, and what should be left behind. Think of it as hitting pause to take stock of your brand’s performance across platforms — are your profiles aligned? Is your content engaging your audience? Are you meeting your goals? By breaking it down piece by piece, a social media audit helps you fine-tune your strategy and ensures you’re getting the most out of your social media efforts.
Social media audits allow you to:
- Improve engagement by understanding what your audience likes and how they interact with your content.
- Identify gaps in your strategy and areas where you may be falling short, like content that doesn’t resonate.
- Promote consistency across all platforms in terms of visuals, tone, and messaging, which helps solidify your brand identity.
Regular audits also help you to keep up with changes in algorithms, trends, and audience behavior, so that you’re always ahead of the curve.
Conducting a Social Media Audit
Step 1: List All Social Media Accounts
Before you can start analyzing your social media presence, you need to know where that presence lives. This step is all about cataloging all social media accounts associated with your brand, including the ones you may have forgotten about.
Start by listing out all the platforms where your brand has a presence. This could include the obvious ones like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok, but don’t forget about older or inactive accounts like YouTube channels, Pinterest boards, or profiles on industry-specific networks.
Tool tip: You can use something like Namechk to find old or forgotten accounts. Once you have a complete list, you’re ready to dive into the audit process.
Step 2: Assess Branding Consistency
Branding is one of the most critical aspects of your social media presence. During your audit, carefully review each account for brand consistency. Look at:
- Logos and profile pictures: These should be the same across platforms to reinforce brand recognition.
- Bios: Is your bio optimized with relevant keywords and a clear value proposition? Does it reflect your brand’s personality?
- Tone of voice: Whether you’re fun and conversational or more professional, your tone should remain consistent across all posts and interactions.
Step 3: Define Specific Goals for Each Social Media Platform
Not all social media platforms are meant for the same thing, and your goals for each should reflect that. Set platform-specific goals tailored to their strengths and your audience’s behavior. Here’s a few examples:
- For TikTok, your goals could revolve around creative engagement and community building. Consider focusing on increasing brand awareness through entertaining and shareable short videos, or leveraging trends to connect with a younger audience.
- LinkedIn could be more about lead generation and networking.
- Twitter might be used for customer service or real-time engagement.
Identify what you want to achieve on each platform. Whether it’s increasing engagement, driving website traffic, or growing your follower count, make sure your goals are specific, measurable, and aligned with your broader marketing strategy.
Step 4: Analyze Performance Metrics
Once you’ve set your goals, it’s time to dive into the numbers.
Engagement Rates
Engagement is a key indicator of how well your content resonates with your audience. Likes, comments, and saves tell you how your audience interacts with your content. Big numbers here typically mean that your content is hitting the mark.
Referral Traffic
One of the most valuable metrics to track is how much traffic your social media platforms drive to your website. Using tools like Google Analytics, review how much referral traffic comes from each platform and what pages these visitors are landing on. This gives you insight into which platforms are driving results and which might need more attention.
Step 5: Evaluate Content Quality and Relevance
Content is the backbone of your social media strategy, so it’s crucial to evaluate its quality and relevance regularly. Ask yourself:
- Is your content solving problems or providing value to your audience?
- Does it align with your brand’s message and goals?
- Are you using a mix of content types (images, videos, polls, etc.) to keep things fresh?
High-quality content that speaks directly to your audience’s needs will always outperform generic, sales-driven posts.
Step 6: Examine Audience Demographics and Behavior
Who is engaging with your content, and are they the right people? Use platform analytics tools (like Instagram Insights) to understand the demographics of your audience:
- Age, gender, and location can tell you if you’re reaching your target market.
- Behavior patterns such as the times they’re most active can inform your posting schedule.
Knowing your audience is key to creating content that resonates and drives engagement.
Step 7: Review Engagement and Interaction Rates
Beyond just looking at likes and comments, dig deeper into how your audience is interacting with your brand. Are people sharing your content? Are they sending you messages or leaving reviews? A highly engaged audience is a sign of strong social media presence, so take note of where you can foster more interactions.
Step 8: Identify Top-Performing Posts and Content Types
Which posts are driving the most engagement, traffic, or conversions? Look at patterns in your top-performing content. Are videos outperforming images? Are polls and interactive content getting more engagement? Identifying these trends will help you replicate success in future content.
Step 9: Analyze Competitor Social Media Strategies
Don’t forget to keep an eye on the competition. What are your competitors doing that works? What types of content are they posting? How are they engaging with their followers? Use tools like Sprout Social to compare your social media performance to your competitors.
Step 10: Refresh Response Templates for Engagement
How quickly do you respond to comments, messages, and inquiries? Having pre-prepared response templates can speed up your engagement and keep up consistency in tone and messaging. Review these templates regularly to keep them relevant and aligned with your current brand voice.
Step 11: Putting Data to Action
At this point, you’ve gathered plenty of data. It’s time to put it to good use. Create a plan of action to address the areas where you’ve identified gaps or opportunities. Whether that means adjusting your posting schedule, refreshing your content strategy, or focusing more on engagement, make sure your plan is truly backed by the numbers.
Step 12: Set an Audit Schedule
A one-time audit is nice, but regular audits are what gets you long-term success. Set a schedule for monthly, quarterly, or bi-annual audits, depending on how quickly your social media strategy evolves. Embrace these audits as a chance to innovate and reinvigorate your strategy, so that your brand stays competitive and resonates with your audience. After all, the difference between a trending brand and an invisible brand comes down to flexibility and awareness.
