It’s fall! If you’re like me, you’re giving your car, home and office a checkup to make sure you’re ready for the cooler temperatures ahead. Since you are already in that mindset, it’s also the perfect time to perform a checkup of your social media activities, or what we call an audit, to make sure you’re on the right path and ready for what’s next.
“Social media audit” can sound intimidating. Think of it as a checkup on your social media presence. Use your audit to answer, “What’s working? What’s not? And, what’s next?” As this recent article reminds us, it takes less time than you think and you’ll most likely learn something helpful! I thought I would share this insight with you to help prepare for your next steps.
Here are three tips for a successful social media audit:
1. Keep Your Goals in Mind. Before you start your audit, remember why you are using social media. What are your goals? Why did you select the channels you’re using now? My recent blog on how to establish GovCon thought leadership on social media includes some considerations for deciding where and what to post.
2. Create Your Social Media Audit Template. Set up your spreadsheet to capture the metrics that matter most to you. Include a column for your company as well as one for each of your top two or three competitors. For each social media channel, you’ll want to track:
- Number of followers or fans
- Most recent post date
- Frequency of posts
- Engagement (likes, shares, retweets, direct contact)
- Media type (links, photos, graphics, video)
- Topics (Check for posts on company updates, product or service announcements, recruiting, industry news and original research)
- Other (Use this “catch all” column to capture additional observations. Is your branding consistent across accounts? Which posts are getting the most traction? Are competitors active on new social media channels that are gaining traction with your customers?)
3. Compare. Reflect. Adjust. Once you’ve filled out your spreadsheet, be sure to:
- Compare your (and your competitors’) metrics today with what was happening three months ago.
- Reflect on how well your activities and engagement align with your goals. What’s still working? What’s not? What’s new?
- Adjust to get back on track or to make improvements. Decide what you want to change for the next three months. Refresh your background images? Shift your content focus? Move to a channel that’s used by more of your customers? Boldly make changes that focus your resources where they have the greatest impact.
Audits can help you maintain a social media presence that hits the mark. If I can help with your social media audit, strategy or program, please let me know! Our team is social-savvy and ready to help.