Social media marketing in the digital age is a huge component when it comes to reaching your target audience. When it comes to executing a flawless social media marketing plan, an audit of what you currently have is vital. Taking note of what you are currently doing and indicating what is and what is not working is an important part of creating a solid strategy moving forward. If you aren’t marketing or tech savvy you are probably wondering what a social media audit is.  A social media audit is a series of steps taken to evaluate and optimize a business's social media profiles and strategies. Performing a social media audit can help a businesses stay on top of their online presence.

Track your results

First things first, you need to decide what information is valuable to you when executing your audit. Make a spreadsheet (or download this template) for you to fill out as you make your way through the audit. It’s important to keep track of everything you find so you know what you need to change and how to do it.

Take inventory

Once your template is ready the next thing you need to do is track down all of your social media profiles. Some of these may be old, inactive, or even unauthorized. Heavily research this so that you can make sure only the right account is being found when your business is searched. Along with this you can see if you need to add any accounts to the fold. Many businesses use the top 5 social networking platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. If you  do not have all of these accounts it may be time to create the ones you are lacking.

Once you have a solid inventory of your accounts, you should compile a central list for access. Make sure all of the email addresses for these accounts are active and if possible, make them all the same for ease of use.

Align your information and bios

When piecing together your social media persona for your brand, you need to make sure that the image you're creating aligns with your company and it's business goals. It's fair to say that  funny and sarcastic accounts may be popular, but they are absolutely not a fit for every organization. Make a bio that resonates with your ideal customer and makes them feel good about your brand. While you are updating older profiles, and adding new ones, it is important to make sure that all of the information you are providing is complete, up to date, accurate, and cohesive across all platforms. If you have updated your company colors, your logo, or even your font choice it is important that all of your platforms reflect that so that patrons can easily identify your brand across the board. 

Look at performance

When completing your audit you need to pay attention to the types of posts that performed the worst, and the types of posts that performed the best. Look for patterns while taking note of what went well and what didn’t. While you are taking a look at your post performance it is a great time to also check your posting frequency. Posting frequency and even the time of your post can be a huge factor in a post that performs well. There is no definite posting frequency that works for every social media site or for every business so it can be frustrating to figure out when or how often to post. 

Now that you have completed your audit, it is time to use the valuable information you've gained to set new goals and create new objectives. Set goals to help broaden your reach and gain new followers. If you need more assistance building on online presence, click below to schedule your free assessment.