Ever feel like your social media accounts are a bit like that junk drawer in the kitchen? You know, the one stuffed with old batteries, expired coupons, and a mystery key that opens… something? That’s what most brand accounts start to look like over time; a little messy, a little inconsistent, and full of stuff that made sense six months ago. That’s where a social media audit comes in. It’s basically spring cleaning for your online presence, but with less dust and more data.
Let’s break it down.
Start with the basics: your profiles
You’d be surprised how many brands forget to update their bios after a rebrand, or leave broken links hanging out in their Instagram profiles. A proper audit starts by checking every social media profile for consistency. That means your profile photos, cover images, bios, contact info, and usernames should all match; or at least feel like they belong to the same company. If your Twitter bio sounds like it was written by a different person than your LinkedIn summary, something’s off.
This kind of consistency builds trust. People like knowing they’re in the right place. And nothing kills credibility faster than a profile that looks like it was last updated during the Obama administration.
Now, the numbers: performance metrics
Once your profiles look tidy, it’s time to get nosy with the numbers. Here’s where you pull up your analytics tools: Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Meta Business Suite, or even just the native platform dashboards, and start asking questions. Are your followers growing or flatlining? Are people engaging with your posts, or just scrolling past them like a salad on a buffet?
You’re looking at things like:
- Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares)
- Reach and impressions
- Click-through rate
- Conversions (sign-ups, purchases, downloads; whatever matters to you)
You can track the metrics. But the real value is understanding the why behind them. Maybe your videos are killing it on TikTok but flopping on Facebook. Maybe your audience loves carousels but ignores your blog links. These patterns matter.
Content: what you’re actually posting
This part’s a little like taste-testing your own cooking. You want to check if your content still fits your audience’s appetite. Are you mixing up formats—videos, carousels, Stories, Reels, static posts? Is your tone consistent across platforms? Are your hashtags doing any heavy lifting, or just taking up space?
And then there’s timing. Are you posting when your audience is actually online, or just when your intern remembers?
Tools like BuzzSumo and Brandwatch can help you see what content trends are bubbling up and how your posts are landing emotionally. Yes, even your memes.
Understand who’s actually following you
This part’s less about vanity metrics and more about people. Who are your followers, really? Are they the customers you’re trying to reach, or just a bunch of bots and bored interns?
Look at demographics: age, gender, location, interests. Then go one layer deeper. When are these people active? What kind of content do they engage with? If your audience is mostly night owls in their 30s who love DIY content, maybe that 9 a.m. post about B2B software isn’t quite hitting the mark.
This data is gold when you’re planning content or running targeted ads.
Check out the competition, but don’t copy them
Competitive benchmarking isn’t about copying what your rivals are doing. It’s about seeing where you stand. Are you getting more engagement than they are? Are they doing something clever with Stories that you’ve ignored?
Tools like Rival IQ let you compare engagement rates, content types, paid vs. organic performance, and even share of voice. It’s like spying, but legal.
And if you notice a competitor consistently outperforming you in one area, don’t panic. Just ask: are they doing something you should test, or are they just shouting louder with ad spend?
Speaking of ads: how’s your paid stuff doing?
If you’re running paid campaigns, your audit should check whether your money’s actually working for you. Look at:
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Cost per click (CPC)
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Targeting accuracy
- Creative performance
Platforms like Meta Ads Manager and LinkedIn Campaign Manager will give you the raw data. But don’t stop there. Ask whether your creative is resonating. Is your offer clear? Are your landing pages actually converting?
Throwing money at ads without checking performance is like buying gym equipment and never using it. Technically impressive, but not very effective.
Don’t forget the boring but important stuff: compliance and security
This is the part no one likes, but everyone needs. Make sure your accounts are secure. That means reviewing admin access (who has the keys?), enabling two-factor authentication, and checking for compliance with things like GDPR or FTC guidelines.
It’s not glamorous, but one hacked account or privacy complaint can undo years of brand trust.
So why bother with all this?
Because without regular audits, your social media strategy turns into guesswork. And guesswork is expensive. According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report, 90% of marketers who run audits at least quarterly say they see better campaign performance and sharper audience insights. That’s not a small number; that’s a billboard-sized hint.
You’re not just checking boxes. You’re building clarity. A social media audit helps you see what’s working, what’s just noise, and where you’re wasting time or money. And when you do it regularly—say, every quarter—you stay nimble. You catch trends early. You course-correct before things go sideways.
Think of it like brushing your teeth. Do it often enough, and you avoid the root canals. Skip it, and you’ll be paying for it later.
That’s the breakdown.
We’ll be back with more.
Until then, keep building.
– Perfect Sites Blog