Social Media Audit in 9 Easy Steps
When did you last audit your social media? I mean really sit down and look at
it as a whole?
You should be doing this quarterly as an absolute minimum to maintain an effective social media strategy. No matter where you currently stand with social media, a social media audit will present a clear picture of your current efforts and help you think clearly about the best way forward. ‘Audit’ can be a scary word, but it doesn’t have to be. Here; it’s simply the process of
hunting down all your social channels, as well as any impostor accounts, and
compiling key information about each account, all in one place. It allows you
to determine what’s working and what’s not, while also identifying outdated
profiles, and new opportunities to grow and engage your audience. 1. Create a Document for Your Audit
Sit down with a blank Excel or Google Sheet (I always use Google, as Excel and I are
not friends). Simply start to copy and paste information from all of your accounts.
There will be different measurables for each brand and business but the keys ones
for everyone are:
a) Link to your profile
b) Social handle
c) Anyone who is admin or has passwords
d) Mission statement
e) Top 3 performing posts in terms of engagement
I would also strongly suggest you use this opportunity to conduct a competitor
analysis if time allows.
2. Track Down all Your Social Media Accounts
Now that you’ve got a document to track your accounts, it’s time to go on the hunt.
Start by listing all the accounts that you and your business use regularly. But don’t
assume that covers all your bases. For example, there might be old profiles created
before your company had a social strategy. Maybe these were abandoned at some
point. It’s time to bring them back into the fold.
You could also use this as an opportunity to identify channels where you don’t yet
have a social presence, so you can start thinking about whether you should add
them to your social strategy, or at least create profiles to reserve your handle for the
future.
3. Make Sure each Account is Complete and on Brand
Once you’ve logged all your accounts, take the time to look at each one thoroughly
to make sure it’s consistent with your current brand image, message and tone of
voice. As a minimum you should check the following are consistent and relevant:
a) Profile and cover images
b) Profile/bio text
c) Handle
d) Links
e) Pinned Posts
4. Identify Your Best Posts
For each account, look for the three posts that got the most engagement. Record
them on your spreadsheet. Make notes – what’s working best where, are there any
patterns, are people responding more to certain types of content on certain
channels?
If you think you’ve identified a winning type of post for a particular account, try using
that format more often.
5. Evaluate Your Performance
What is your mission statement for each social account? If you haven’t decided this
then it’s time to have a long hard think. How can you evaluate your performance when you don’t know what you want to achieve?
Look at your Insights to gather key analytics, not as a whole, but for each individual
account. You might find that some of your social accounts are much more effective
than others. For the accounts that don’t perform as well, you need to decide whether
to change your strategy, invest more time, or scrap that channel (deactivate/make
invisible.)
6. Understand Your Audience for Each Channel
As you evaluate how each social account helps support your business, it’s important
to understand who you can reach through each channel. Do your research and don’t
just guess.
7. Decide Which Channels are Right for You
You’ve gathered enough information now to make some strategic decisions about
where to focus your social media marketing efforts. You are now able to make these
decisions based on research about which channels best serve your business.
8. Platform Ownership and Passwords
Who within your business has ownership of which accounts? Who has passwords?
Are those people still involved with your business? Each time someone leaves or is
no longer involved in your business – it’s time to change the password. Security
lesson 101! 9. Do it all Again
A social audit is not a one-off process. You should conduct regular audits to ensure
everything is on track and look for changes in the way your accounts are performing.
A planned quarterly social audit is a great way to keep your social accounts on track
and compare the work you do day-to-day with the goals outlined in your social media strategy.
I offer an express audit for £125.