The word 'audit' typically has a negative connotation. It usually makes you think about taxes or maybe that you’re under some form of interrogation. I’m here to assure you that an audit doesn’t always have to be scary! Having a social media audit performed is necessary to help you stay on top of your brand, keep in touch with your audience, and benchmark your success.
What Is A Social Media Audit?
A social media audit allows you to compile key information about your accounts. It will paint a clear picture of your current efforts, making it easy to find the best ways to boost your following and revitalize your social media strategy. When you’re finished, you’ll have a solid plan for all your social channels, with key details at your fingertips.
UNCOVER THE GAPS
You need feedback on your content. This will allow you to know what you need to change, and why. I'm sure you've heard the saying "content is king," and it truly is. In order to be successful online, you need to be pushing out quality content- but what does that look like?
For your brand, it could be a combination of different things. For example, you may really love posting about your employees, but maybe your followers aren't interacting as much on those posts. Some other things to take into account are:
Are you using the right hashtags?
When do you normally post?
Is your content focused in the right direction and can it do better?
Do your social media goals match your core marketing strategy?
Are you effectively utilizing all social media channels?
What are people saying about your business?
Taking a deep dive into all of these things will help you form your social media strategy around proven evidence.
CHECK THE METRICS
Are people interacting with your social media in the way you want them to? Are you hitting your KPI's? Looking into those metrics- and truly understanding the data- can be a game changer for your social media strategy.
I've seen many situations where businesses don’t expect to convert with social media. I’ve seen other situations where business owners are frustrated from lack of conversions. In both scenarios, an audit will pinpoint areas for improvement and help you discover the path to more conversions: reach more people, get higher engagement, and increase leads and appointments.
SPY ON THE COMPETITION
A thorough audit should include checking out your competition. Take note of their overall strategy, which posts are performing the best for them, and how they're using it to their advantage. This information can reveal where you're lacking, and other people are succeeding- leading to newly defined areas of opportunity.
LOOK INTO AESTHETICS
Often overlooked is the overall design of your feed and other visuals. Are all of your posts aligned with your branded visuals? Do you have a brand board to help with this? Putting out the same imagery so your brand can be recognized is vital.
Take this part of a logo for example, I bet most anyone can immediately recognize where it comes from without seeing the full thing.
You guessed it, it's Amazon! (If you didn't, what rock have you been hiding under?) Amazon has branded so perfectly, they put this arrow on everything: packages, trucks, website, emails.
Make sure all of your profile pictures are the same, you're using the same colors, typography, and visuals that align with your brand. Not to mention you should be using high-resolution images. If your cover photos are blurry or don't properly fit, your business might not be looked at as professional.
ESTABLISH BEST PRACTICES
There is an abundance of information online about how to best run your social media. This can all be helpful, but nothing will benefit you more than having a personalized strategy. Being on Social Media is only half the battle. Knowing what to say, where and when to say it, and how to resolve conflicts takes savvy tactics that only an expert audit can provide.
START 2021 OFF RIGHT
If you're suffering from a lack of inspiration, shortage of conversions, or don't know why your account isn't growing at a steady rate, you can truly benefit from a social media audit. Even if you only have 20 posts, that's okay! It's still a good starting point with information you can learn from.
If this seems overwhelming to you, we're here to help! If you'd like a social media audit performed for you, we will round up all this insight and give you an easy to read evaluation. Plus we can work together on using that information to form the right strategy for your business. Head over to our social media page to get started.