4 REASONS WHY TO AUDIT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA NOW

• 10/03/2018
• Social Media
• Jessie Beach

The new year is fast approaching (yikes), which means it’s time to reflect on lessons learned in 2018. But before you kick off any planning sessions, take a step back and evaluate how your brand performed on social media this year.

Social media can set the tone for your brand going into 2019, so it’s important to do it right. One way to evaluate is to compile a social media audit – a comprehensive look at all aspects of your brand’s social media presence that provides meaningful context to help improve your social strategy.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider a social media audit:

1. Number don't lie.

   You know your brand better than anyone, but it’s important to back up your social media strategy with some actual data. How are your followers engaging with your brand? What worked? What fell flat? Diving into your social media activity will not only help answer these questions but will also reveal key growth opportunities, so you can reach your target audience more effectively. Think of this as the “research” phase of your 2019 planning, laying the groundwork for meaningful conversations and brainstorms to reach even more social media success in the new year.

   If you’re having trouble deciphering the meaning behind social media metrics (impressions, reach, engagement – oh my!), here’s a handy dandy overview. Plus, our team of social experts is always happy to jump in to provide some additional insights.
   
   
    

2. The competition never sleeps.

   Metrics and data are only the tip of the iceberg. A social media audit goes beyond your brand’s activity to size up the competition as well. Knowing what others in the industry are talking about and the content being delivered creates a bigger picture for your brand – where do you fit in and how are you contributing to the conversation? With a clear idea of the industry landscape, you can focus on owning your corner of the market in 2019.
   
   
    

3. Keep up with the times.

   Social media platforms are doing more than ever before, and they aren’t slowing down. For example, Instagram released Instagram Stories, Shopping and longform Instagram Video (just to name a few) in 2018. All three of those updates create more opportunities for brands to reach that hard-to-get audience (cough, millennials, cough) while also opening the door for diversified content.

   Your brand doesn’t necessarily need to be leveraging every single feature on every platform, but how can you know where you should be when you don’t even know where you can be? A key takeaway you’ll get from a social media audit is how to extend your brand into new areas. In other words, how to put your brand in the right place, at the right time, in front of the right audience.
   
   
    

4. Get a fresh start.

   After you’ve looked at all the metrics, shadowed your competitors and explored any new social media features, your social media presence is primed and ready to be recalibrated for the new year. It’s the perfect time to start fresh, as long as it’s a calculated, intentional start. If you want to reinvent your brand or even just spruce it up and keep up with the times, you need to have a well-rounded idea of your target audience and their social media behaviors. A social media audit will give you just that – a comprehensive peek into your own activity, your competitors and your audience.
   
   
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If you’re still not convinced that a social media audit should play a role in your 2019 planning, here is some research from Pew showcasing just how much social media influences people of all ages in the U.S. Give your brand an opportunity to leverage all that these platforms have to offer and let us be a part of your brand’s future success. Find more information about our social media audit offerings here.