Social media audits for small business
Audit isn’t a fun word, is it? I’m imagining your eyes glazing over on seeing the words “social media audits” but give me a chance to prove you wrong!
As a social media manager, I audit my clients’ platforms monthly and quarterly and I love it. I record stats, assess what is working, what isn’t, compare to previous months and current trends and switch up their strategy to stay ahead of the game. It’s like a low-stakes crime novel; your stats give you all the clues and you have to put them together to work out whodunnit, or to be more precise, what you should be doing.
Hang with me on that metaphor, please!
What are social media audits?
Social media audits are how you figure out what’s working, what’s not and where you can tweak your online presence to better support your business’ goals. Ideally they are performed regularly so you can ensure your social strategy is always in line with your current goals and actually serving your target market.
They involve a lot of looking at numbers, trends and general feedback and a little bit of creativity.
Where do you start?
The first thing you need to know is who your customers are. If you haven’t created a customer persona, that’s the place to start. You can’t design your strategy or content for your ideal client if you don’t know who they are or what they want.
Then you need to grab a pen, detective’s notebook (or a spreadsheet) and dive into your first platform. Initially look at your profile as a customer; when you view your profile how does it look? Is the profile picture up to date and good quality? Is the bio filled out? What information stands out prominently and is that the most important information you want out there? Is it visually appealing to your ideal client? Make note of what needs to be changed or updated.
Now it’s time to dig a little deeper; head over to your insights/stats. Do not get hung up on vanity metrics! I have a whole blog post about the uselessness of vanity metrics, track them with pleasure but don’t give them any weight.
Here’s some things to look at which will help your sleuthing:
Which posts performed best each month in terms of reach?
Which did best in terms of engagement?
What type of post was it (video/image/text/question/GIF/tip/etc)?
What was the topic of the post?
Which posts drove the most people to follow you?
Which posts were shared the most?
Which had people clicking through to your website or to buy?
Which led to them sliding into your DMs?
Are there any days or times where posts regularly do well or flop?
Is there any feedback in the comments of the posts which gives you insight into why a post was popular or not?
Putting it all together
Once you’ve noted down all the relevant clues you can find it’s time to grab your deerstalker; this is the really fun part!
Look at all the information you’ve gathered, keep your ideal client and business goals in mind, and think outside of the box. If you were starting from scratch with the information you have now, how would you design your feed?
If video posts are really popular; how you can bring more video or movement to your posts? If your followers just love an actionable tip, how can you use that to direct sales? Which days would you best posting on? Do you need to make it easier for people to get to your website? Is the entire feel of your brand just not right on social?
Be creative in planning your new strategy but ensure it's informed by what your audience responds to and always remember that your social media content should add value but it should also move you closer to your business’ goals, financial and otherwise. If your content is landing you followers but not sales, you need to reassess.
For even more social for small business advice you can check out my own website where you can also find my downloadable social media kits, the first one is for coaches.
I also hang out on Instagram and Facebook where I talk about social media and running a business with a mental illness.
