When was the last time you audited your social media? Do you even know which platforms you are on?

By giving yourself a social media audit, you can become very clear on what is working and what isn’t.

So let’s start!

Step 1: Which social media platforms are you on?

Not knowing which accounts you are on can be hurting your brand.

First, you want to inventory all of your social media platforms – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, just to name a few.  Make a list of all of your platforms in an Excel sheet and include your username, password, and link to your profile.

Next, search for any platforms you may have forgotten about.  You can do this by Googling your name as well as your business name.

Finally, you want to make sure you don’t have any multiple accounts on any of the platforms.  I see this a lot with LinkedIn.  I’ve had clients create an account, then forget their login or don’t think they have an account, so they’ll create another one.  If you do have multiple accounts, see how you can merge them or delete them.

Step 2: Are there platforms you can add or remove from your arsenal?

Have you been on Twitter for a long time, but have seen nothing come from it? Don’t worry, that happens.  Maybe instead of focusing your time on Twitter, focus your time on another platform, like Instagram.

Before starting any new social media platforms, you should first know who your target market is.  By knowing who your clients are will help guide you in the right direction.  If your target market is the business professional, then you want to focus on LinkedIn, if your target market is the younger generation, then you’ll want to focus on Instagram.

To help you figure out who your target market is as well as what your social media goals are, get my ebook, “Having a Vision With Your Social Media Marketing.” All you have to do is click here!

If you are thinking about deleting a social media platform, ask yourself these questions first:

• Am I posting to it on a consistent basis? If not, you might want to start and see what happens.
• Am I remembering the 80/20 rule? Am I sharing 80% valuable information and 20% about my business?
• Are my competitors having success with this platform? If they are, look at what they are doing because they are probably doing things you are not.  If they aren’t having success, it could be your audience isn’t there, that’s why you should know who your target market is.
• Do I have time to spend on this platform? If you can’t share something on a consistent basis, it may be time to cut ties.  But before you do, have you tried automating your social media? You should look into Hootsuite or Buffer that way you can schedule everything beforehand.

Step 3: Are your accounts 100% complete?

Look at each account that you are on thoroughly to see if they are 100% complete. Ensure you are using up-to-date images, hashtags, keywords, and brand voice.

Here’s what you should be looking at:

• Profile & cover image – Facebook, LinkedIn Profile & Company Page, Twitter, Pinterest – these images should represent your branding and should be the right sizes – click here for more on sizes
• About sections & bio – Most profiles, you have limited space so make sure you are making the most of it – check that all fields are filled in completely and accurately and with current branding messaging.
• Handle – Are you using the same handle across al social media platforms?
• Links – Make sure you link to your website, landing page, or blog post. You don’t have to link to the same page on all of your social media profiles.

Step 4: What are your best posts?

For each active profile, record which three posts had the most engagement – reach, likes, comments, shares, etc.

Where to find this information:

• Facebook Analytics
• LinkedIn Analytics
• Instagram Analytics
• Twitter Analytics
• Pinterest Analytics

Things you should be looking at:

• How many likes, comments, and shares?
• How much reach did each post get?
• Do you get more engagement with photos, videos, links, or text?
• Do people respond to the same kinds of posts on your Facebook Page as they do on Instagram?

Step 5: Who is your audience?

Audience demographics are very important when it comes to sharing content. Knowing who your target market is can help you figure out which platforms to be on, type of content to share, your voice, and who to run ads for.

When you look at your Analytics above, there should be places to see the demographics of your audience. Look at the age, gender, interests, location, and where they are looking from (phone, desktop, etc.).

Step 6: Which platform(s) is right for you?

Not all social media is created equal. Meaning, you don’t need to be on every social media platform out there. Knowing what your social media goals are and who your target market is will help you choose which platform(s) to focus on.

Plus, you don’t want to get overwhelmed and then throw in the towel because it was too much. Start with one or two platforms and then take another audit to see what is working and what isn’t.

Read “How To Create A Social Media Marketing Plan” here for more about goals and target market.

Step 7: Goals by next audit

I suggest doing a social media audit every quarter that way you can stay on top of what is working and what isn’t. Create 2-3 SMART goals you want to achieve by your next audit.

Specific = Does your goal clearly and specifically state what you are trying to achieve on social media? If your goal is too big, try and break it down into smaller specific goals, like goals for each social media platform.

Measurable = How will you know if progress is being made towards achieving your social media goals? Can you quantify or put numbers to your outcome? How will you share those numbers?

Attainable = Is achieving your goal dependent on anyone else? Do you need to include your web team or marketing team? How can you all be on the same page? Is it possible to make the goal only dependent on you? What factors may prevent you from accomplishing your goal?

Relevant = Why is achieving this goal important to you and your business? What effect will achieving this goal have on your business?

Time-bound = How will you know if progress is being make towards achieving your social media goals? Can you quantify or put numbers to your outcome? How will you share those numbers?

In Conclusion….

Once you’ve conducted a social media audit, you should be in a lot better place to move forward with your social media.