Building Your Social Media Strategy: Part 4 - Social Media Audits [Free Template]
We did it!
We figured out who we want to target with our content, we’ve determined our S.M.A.R.T. objectives for sustainable growth, and decided on the schedule and platforms that work best for our brand and audience. Now, as we’ve slowly been putting these practices to work, it’s time to determine what’s working and what needs to change.
This is where a social media audit comes into play.
What is a Social Media Audit?
A social media audit is the practice of reviewing your content and analytics to determine what is working and what isn’t in your strategy.
When launching a new social media strategy, an audit will allow you to determine if your desired audience is responding to your posting style and/or schedule. Reviewing this information will allow you to make adjustments and tweak pieces that are out of place, and possibly determine a change in the platforms you are posting to.
Overall, a social media audit makes your life easier for the future.
Tracking Analytics
Turn to your analytics reports when performing an audit. Almost all social media channels have built in analytics nowadays, making this process an easy one.
Pay attention to these key metrics:
Post Engagement
How is your audience responding to each post?
When viewers are taking action, leaving comments, or sharing your content, your engagement levels go up. Pay attention to the type of content that is the most engaging. Whether it’s a video, giveaway, or an event, track this and ensure this content remains part of your strategy in the future.
Activity and Interactions
Content that converts is crucial to online business growth, otherwise, what’s the point of investing so much time and/or money into our social media strategies? If your posts are not resulting in higher web traffic, more sales, or converting leads, something may need to change.
What do your analytics say? Are viewers clicking on your links, or visiting your profile? Your content will need to be intriguing enough to raise your clicks in order to convert viewers into customers.
Audience and Demographics
We’ve determined who we want our content to reach in Step 1: Defining Your Target Market. During the audit, you’ll see if you’re actually reaching them or not. Different demographics are active on a variety of different platforms. If you don’t happen to be reaching who you want to be, do some research and find out which platforms you should actually be posting on.
Stay Organized
It can be difficult to track every platform your brand is present on, the content style that converts higher on each, and usernames and passwords. Staying organized and tracking this sensitive information in a locked spreadsheet will make your life so much easier. If you hire a social media manager, utilizing helpful tools, such as LastPass, are great for sharing account access.
Social Media Audit Template
Access your FREE template and begin auditing your channels today.
Thank you SO MUCH for following along in my Social Media Strategy Series! Leave me a comment below if your strategy is currently in development or if you’re starting to see results from taking action. For more social media marketing tips, follow me on Instagram!