It isn't a secret that succeeding in the current marketing environment requires a strong social media presence. Unfortunately, most businesses focus on marketing their products and services on various platforms without ever performing a social media audit.
Like financial audits, a social media audit involves reviewing various business metrics to evaluate growth and identify opportunities for improvement. A social media audit allows you to have a thorough view of the performance of your social channels. Generally, a social media audit should evaluate the following;
Social media audit metrics vary depending on the nature of your business. However, every metric should highlight the percentage change over a given period.
A social media audit answers key questions relating to your marketing strategy. If you are uncertain if your marketing content suits your target audience or your audience's response, consider an audit. It can help your brand in the following ways;
Identifying the best-performing marketing strategies and content reveals what your target audience resonates with. Knowing which content is more valuable to your visitors gives you a better idea of what you should produce and share more on your social channels. For instance, if the audit shows that videos receive more engagement than text and photos, you should focus on more video content.
Adapting your digital marketing strategy to suit what your target audience enjoys most helps build a strong brand image. It also increases your social media following and boosts your business' credibility in the social media realm. Analyzing the performance of various platforms helps identify channels with poor growth and engagement. You can try posting different content on the platform or channel your resources to better-performing platforms.
A clear overview of your demographic data is among the many beneficial insights a social media audit provides. Furthermore, demographic data provides an overview of various audience characteristics, including their age, location, gender, social media behavior, and more. Having such insight enables you to understand their needs and expectations. Thus, making it easier to create relevant content.
For instance, by understanding their social media behavior, you can schedule your posts to publish at certain hours to increase engagement and reach. Social media algorithms coupled with endless content uploaded every second reduce your odds of appearing in your target audience's feed. Using such information prevents your posts from being buried by other updates.
A quick social media audit enables you to determine if your social media marketing strategy aligns with specific business goals and objectives. Regardless of whether you already have established goals or not, information derived from the audit allows you to make informed and evidence-based adjustments to your expectations.
General business goals include;
Once you have identified the above goals and others specific to your business, you can make adjustments to ensure that your strategy aligns with your goals. Identifying goals will guide your social media presence and the specific metrics to track.
Social media is undoubtedly an effective marketing tool that businesses shouldn't miss out on. However, if you are marketing on social media, you should conduct audits to understand how your social media presence translates to business success. The frequency of your audits should depend on your business goals and objectives. For instance, you should consider monthly or quarterly audits if you have short-term goals.
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