How do you know if you need to conduct a Social Media Audit? Do you use social media to market your business? If you answered yes, you NEED to be conducting Social Media Audits.

Although the word “Audit” is generally not a good one, Social Audits are critical when it comes to a successful marketing plan. They tell you what’s effective, what you need to change, and point to growth opportunities moving forward.

How to Perform a Social Media Audit:

1. Write down all of your social media accounts

Even if you think you know all of your handles off the top of your head, do a quick Google search for your company. You might find some accounts you made a while back and totally forgot about. This is also a good way to find out if anyone created a fake account on your company’s behalf.

Record all of the accounts you find. If you find fake accounts, start by reaching out as it could all be a big misunderstanding. But if you can’t resolve the matter, contact the social networks directly to help.

2. Confirm each account is complete and on brand

Thoroughly review each account you find to ensure it is on brand and both cosmetically and substantially matches your brand guide and voice. You don’t want to be super casual on one platform and super structured on another. Your brand style should be consistent throughout all of your handles. Confirm each account uses the same profile and cover images – you never want to confuse your followers. This goes as well for your bios, handles, urls, etc.

3. Record your best performing posts

Go through each account and find 3-5 of the best performing posts. (Which posts saw the most engagement) Screenshot or attach links to these posts so they’re easy to find moving forward. Pay attention to any trends that emerge. Do people respond better to videos vs photos? Which platform does better with sed photos and videos? Finding trends will help you create more engaging content moving forward.

4. Record channel performance

Like number 3, we’re looking for trends to guide us in the right direction. Instead of looking for best performing posts, however, look at how a channel does overall. Use Facebook Pixels and Google Analytics to find what’s converting. The answers will always be in the numbers, taking the time to locate these trends will give you a map to success!

5. Spot trends over time

Whether you’re performing social media audits monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, etc., it’s always best practice to list the data side by side. This way you can quickly and easily spot any weak links and areas of improvement, or hopefully, tactics to keep using moving forward.

6. Calculate ROI

It might be a given, but also include your ROI if you’re throwing around ad dollars. This is best practice always, but it’s good to include in your Social Media Audit as well, so it’s visual and in your face.

7. Research network audiences

Who is following you and on what channels? This is good information to know as it will help influence your posts. Use the platform tools such as Facebook and Instagram Insights to learn about the different demographics. This information will influence your tone and graphics styles.

8. Channel Credentials

If you’re working as a team, keep record of who has access to which channels. It isn’t best practice to have the same log in and password for everything (obviously) and keeping track of who has access to what will help in the long run if there’s any turnover on your team.

9. Rinse and Repeat

The first Social Media Audit you conduct will undoubtedly be a bit time consuming, but 100% worth it moving forward. Agree on a Social Media Audit frequency and stick to it. The data you collect over time is invaluable and will guide you to proven success moving forward.

Looking for a partner in Digital Marketing? We’re here to help. Stade Marketing can be your fully comprehensive Digital Marketing partner or simply an extension of your already robust team. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you!