Today, social media marketing is used to increase awareness, boost inbound traffic, connect with target audiences, gain market insight and much more. However, to reap these benefits, it is critical brands have a strong social media strategy in place.
The first step to developing an effective social media strategy is conducting a social media audit to better understand the brand’s strengths, opportunities, and areas for growth online. To learn more about social media audits, including how to perform an audit, keep reading!
What is a Social Media Audit?
A social media audit is essentially an evaluation of a brand’s social media platforms. The social media auditor will analyze the brand’s platforms one-by-one and compile their findings into an organized document. The information collected allows organizations to better understand what is working on each specific channel and what is not, which platforms have opportunities for growth, where followers are most engaged, and even which social media accounts should be deactivated.
While performing a social media audit may seem straightforward, there are key factors to consider when evaluating any organization’s online presence. To help, GRIT’s social media marketing team is offering a step-by-step guide with tips on how to perform a successful social media audit.
How To Conduct a Social Media Audit
Step #1: List ALL Social Media Accounts
The first step is to compile a complete list of your company’s social media accounts. While this may seem easy, it is important to do an online search to find any accounts that may not have been established by the company. For example, a Twitter account could have been created by a previous employee and left inactive or there is the possibility of imposter accounts. When finding social media accounts that are not owned by the company, remember to contact the social networking site directly to have the account deactivated.
Step #2: Determine if ALL Social Media Accounts are Branded
Once a complete list of all the social media accounts is created, it is time to evaluate each platform in more detail. To begin, first look at how the brand is presented online within the channel. Does it follow company brand standards and guidelines? Ask the following questions:
- Does the profile picture and cover image align with the brand?
- Is the profile picture and cover image consistent across platforms? (If not, it should be!)
- Does the bio and/or about section of each profile share the same information in a consistent voice?
- Are the same handles being used across platforms i.e., @gritmarketinggroup? (If not, it is a good idea to do so as it can help customers find the brand easier.)
- Is a link provided to the company’s website within the social media profiles?
- Is the account verified?
These are just a few of the questions to ask when determining if a company’s social media profiles adhere to brands standards.
Step #3: Evaluate Engagement on Posts
One of the main goals of performing a social media audit is to discover what content works well and what does not. For many brands, social media is a main channel of communication with their consumers, so it is important the content being shared engages these individuals.
The third step in performing a social media audit is to evaluate which posts have the most engagement. GRIT recommends looking at 10 to 20 posts with the highest total engagement to see if there are patterns in the type of content shared. For example, if 10 out of the 15 most engaging posts were videos, it is safe to assume followers prefer video content. Using this information, craft a social media strategy and content calendar that will resonate with the audience.
While most social media platforms have built in analytics tools, tools such as SEMrush or Hootsuite Analytics also help find this information all in one place.
Step #4: Assess Results
The next step in a social media audit is to assess results. For example, are the current social media marketing efforts generating leads? Is website traffic on the rise because of these initiatives? It is important to assess the results to determine what is working and what is not.
Additionally, remember to evaluate the return on investment (ROI). For example, say a company ran a paid Facebook campaign to promote an upcoming event and it costs the company $300. By determining if enough tickets were sold via the Facebook campaign, the ROI can be found. Understanding how social media efforts perform, what works and what does not work, helps to better understand the areas of opportunity for the brand when putting together a solid social media strategy.
Step #5: Understand the Audiences
Each social media platform attracts different individuals. For example, while 68 percent of individuals ages 50 to 64 use Facebook, only 7 percent use Tik Tok. When completing a social media audit, it is critical to better understand who the audience members are on each platform. Check out this social media demographic data from Sprout Social for a deeper dive into which demographics are most active on each platform.
Once a better understanding of audiences on each platform is gained, this can help determine where time and effort should be spent. For example, the company sells products targeted at children and young adults, it would be best to focus on Tik Tok, Snapchat and Instagram. However, when promoting services/products to older adults, Facebook is a good place to focus resources. As social media platforms and trends continue to evolve, remember to stay up to date on each platform and their users.
Step #6: Evaluate Which Channels Are Most Effective
At GRIT, we believe it is not the number of active social media accounts a brand has, but the quality of those accounts that matters (so always remember quality over quantity). For example, if Facebook and LinkedIn best align with the brand’s goals and target audience, it is okay to just focus efforts on those two platforms. More platforms are not always better when it comes to social media – especially when limited with resources to monitor and manage. Focus on the channels (new or old) that will help the company see the biggest return on investment!
We Are Here to Help
Social media is continually changing with new platforms being created each day. Therefore, GRIT recommends performing a social media audit once a year to enhance the social media marketing strategy.
At GRIT, our social media management professionals have years of experience helping businesses evaluate their digital presence. Whether you need more help performing a social media audit, or do not have the time or resources to do it yourself, we are here to help! Connect with us today to learn how we can take your social media marketing efforts to the next level.