A social media audit is a tool for companies, individuals, and organizations to assess the efficacy of their digital strategies. It monitors all the activity on their social media channels and provides insights into what topics and approaches resonate with their target audiences. It also exposes potential areas of vulnerability in their current approach, such as messaging, ad targeting, and content optimization, among other things.
Conducting a social media audit can help companies and organizations better understand their audiences’ interests and preferences, determine their strengths and weaknesses in digital marketing, and enable them to make informed decisions on allocating resources, modifying strategies, and ultimately reaching their desired outcomes. Here is a guide to help you conduct a social media audit.
1. Create a list of all your social media accounts
The first step to conducting a social media audit is to create a list of all your social media accounts. Include any relevant accounts that you have access to, such as accounts of influencers and ambassadors, accounts associated with third-party partners or vendors, and accounts owned by your competitors. Access to these accounts can help you gain valuable insights into your target audience.
Additionally, take note of all the different metrics used when assessing each account, such as followers, engagement rate, impressions, etc. Knowing these metrics ahead of time will help you interpret the data you collect during the audit more easily.
2. Check in on your branding
Check on the state of your branding across all the social media accounts. This includes things like profile pictures, descriptions, and other design elements. Ensure that all pictures and branding elements are up-to-date, consistent across all channels, and suitable for your target audience.
Additionally, identify potential opportunities to personalize content and tailor it to different audiences. Making sure your branding is up-to-date can help increase brand recognition and better connect with potential customers.
3. Identify your top-performing social media content
It is crucial to identify your top-performing content. This can be achieved by analyzing various metrics, such as impressions, clicks, engagements and conversions. Analyze these metrics across different content topics and types in order to determine what resonates with your target audience.
Focus on any content that has potential for improvement – such as by tweaking the wording or visuals. Doing so can help you identify untapped opportunities for creating more successful content.
4. Evaluate each channel’s performance
Evaluating each channel’s performance can provide valuable insights and indicate areas for improvement. Make sure to evaluate each account based on the metrics identified earlier, such as followers, engagement rate, impressions, etc.
Take a look at the post types, frequency, and reach to get a better idea of how each account performs. Gauging each channel’s performance gives you a better understanding of which channels are most successful and which ones may need more attention or improvement.
5. Understand your audience on each platform
Any social media audit aims to understand your audience and create content that appeals to them. Analyze the demographics and locations of your followers, and determine which platforms are most successful in terms of engagement.
Use the data from each account to better understand the topics that your audience is engaged in and the type of content that resonates with them. Identifying your target audience is vital to creating effective and successful social media campaigns.
6. Take action: Update your social media marketing strategy
The last step of the social media audit is to update and refine your social media marketing strategy. Take the data collected during the audit to modify your strategies best to fit your target audience’s interests and preferences.
Additionally, identify potential vulnerability areas in your current strategy and create an action plan for resolving these issues. Finally, review your successes and any areas for improvement so that you can make informed decisions on how to allocate resources and reach your desired outcomes.
