A robust social media audit and its insights come in handy for many reasons — from crafting accurate customer personas, to improving social media content. This enables an organisation to strengthen its social media presence and engagement, which paves the way for larger business goals.
Know your audience
Understanding your customers is crucial for business success, and a social media audit is one of the most valuable methods of compiling information about your target audience’s activity and actions.
Start a social media audit by compiling audience data such as demographics, interests, and behaviours from social media channels. Tools such as Facebook Audience Insights allow companies to compare follower data with a broader user base, thus encouraging a deeper understanding of a brand’s appeal among the general population.
Source: Facebook Audience Insights
You can craft audience profiles from the data using research, listening, and a thorough analysis of your audience. Know your audiences and what they value, so you can customise marketing messages to cater to their preferences.
When creating engaging content that resonates with audiences, remember to map your marketing efforts back to bottom-line business targets.
Take a deep dive into channels
The next step in a social media audit is to deep dive into your organisation’s social media channels. Measure the impact of your social media platforms by evaluating:
- Post frequency: How often are the social media posts published? Is the cadence regular?
- Content quality: Are captions clear and engaging? Are posts accompanied by different types of media (example: hi-resolution photos, animated GIFs and videos)?
- Consistency of visual brand identity: Is the tone of voice aligned with the brand’s personality? Are the creative assets used on-brand with the organisation’s logo, colours and typography?
- Audience engagement: Are different post formats (example: polls and memes) used to generate engagement? Are contests and giveaways conducted to encourage user participation?
- Discoverability of social media channels and content: Are relevant hashtags used? Are social media posts and platforms promoted on other touch points, too?
Performance standards can vary across sectors, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. For example, posting three times a week could be acceptable for a cloud computing service but insufficient for an e-commerce business with frequent promotions. Evaluate your performance standards to suit your brand and industry.
Keep an eye on competitors
Finally, take some time to monitor your competitors’ social media content and strategy. Smart marketing requires a solid understanding of the competitive landscape. Be aware of primary and secondary competitors, as well as potential disruptors, and take note of any learnings or areas of opportunity.
While you may not be privy to all your competitors’ social media metrics, it is possible to compare your organisation’s social media performance against other brands with third-party platforms such as Socialbakers and Sprout Social.
Source: Socialbakers
Make the most of social media, improve your marketing performance and enable your organisation to be laser-focused on achieving business goals by conducting social media audits at regular intervals.
At the end of the day, consistent audits will equip your organisation with the insights needed to develop a social media strategy that delivers value and delights your target audiences.
Want to craft a solid social media strategy that delivers? You’ve come to the right folks.