In this case, it’s simply the process of hunting down all of your company’s social channels, as well as any impostor accounts, and compiling key information about each account, all in one place. As you build your audit document (or fill in our social media audit template), you’ll think about your goals for each account, and evaluate whether your existing strategy is working. We’ve created a social media audit template for you, which you will find at the end of this post. For each social account, you’ll want to record: the link to your profile (for example, instagram.com/hootsuite) your social handle (for example, @hootsuite) the internal person or team responsible for managing the account (also known as the “owner”—for example, the social marketing team) the mission statement for the account (for example, to promote company culture using employee photos, or to provide customer service during office hours) the top three posts in terms of engagement key demographic information You should also include a column for any relevant notes about the account. Track down all your social media accounts Now that you’ve got a document to track your accounts, it’s time to go on the hunt. For example, there might be old profiles created before your company had a social strategy. Evaluate performance For this step, you’ll use analytics to gather some key insights about each social account. Decide which channels are right for you You’ve gathered enough information now to make some strategic decisions about where to focus your social media marketing efforts. That person is responsible for ensuring the account is on brand, up-to-date and performing well. A quarterly social audit is a great way to keep your social accounts producing the best ROI, and ensures you regularly circle back to compare the work you do day-to-day with the goals outlined in your social media strategy.
Conducting a social media audit is a key part of developing—or updating—an effective social media marketing plan. Before you can think strategically about your social media use, you need to document and evaluate your existing efforts.
This allows you to determine what’s working and what’s not, while also identifying impostor accounts, outdated profiles, and new opportunities for social engagement.
Put all that learning together and you’ll be well equipped to make the most of your social budget and maximize ROI. We’ve laid the process out for you step-by-step, complete with a template to make sure you keep track of all the important details.
Table of contents
What is a social media audit?
“Audit” can be a scary word, but it doesn’t have to be. In this case, it’s simply the process of hunting down all of your company’s social channels, as well as any impostor accounts, and compiling key information about each account, all in one place.
As you build your audit document (or fill in our social media audit template), you’ll think about your goals for each account, and evaluate whether your existing strategy is working. This allows you to see how each social account functions as a building block in your social strategy.
Once you’ve identified the blocks, it’s time to play Jenga—removing the unnecessary pieces and adding new ones that will help take your social efforts to new heights.
Or, maybe you just need to make some simple tweaks to get your social strategy on track.
No matter where you currently stand with social media, a social media audit will present a clear picture of your current efforts and help you think clearly about the best way forward. It will also leave you with a single strategy document that lists all of your social accounts, the goals for each, who’s responsible for each channel, and other key information that’s important to have at your fingertips.
How to conduct a social media audit in 9 easy steps
1. Create a document for your audit (or use our template below)
An audit begins with some detective work, and it’s important to have somewhere to put your findings.
The best way to keep track of all the information you’ll uncover during your audit is to use a spreadsheet.
We’ve created a social media audit template for you, which you will find at the end of this post. If you’d prefer to create your own spreadsheet, you can do so using a program like Excel or Google Docs. For each social account, you’ll want to record:
- the link to your profile (for example, instagram.com/hootsuite)
- your social handle (for example, @hootsuite)
- the internal person or team responsible for managing the account (also known as the “owner”—for example, the social marketing team)
- the mission statement for the account (for example, to promote company culture using employee photos, or to provide customer service during office hours)
- the top three posts in terms of engagement
- key demographic information
You should also include a column for any relevant notes about the account.
2. Track down all your social media accounts
Now that you’ve got a document to track your accounts, it’s time to go on the hunt. Start by listing all of the accounts that you and your team use regularly. But don’t assume that covers all your bases.
For example, there might be old profiles created before your company had a social strategy. Maybe these were abandoned at some point. It’s time to bring them back into the fold.
Or maybe various departments within your company are using social media, but there’s no unified system or list of accounts.
This is also a good time to identify networks where you don’t yet have a social presence, so you can start thinking about whether you should add them to your social strategy, or at least create profiles to reserve your handle for the future.
Search the web
Google your company name and the name of your products to see what social accounts come up. If you find accounts you don’t recognize, do some investigating to determine whether they’re actually connected to your company, or if they’re impostor accounts run by someone not affiliated with your brand.
Search social networks
After your Google search, it’s worth visiting each of the main social networks and searching directly for your brand and product names to see if you uncover any unexpected accounts.
Once you’re sure you’ve tracked down all the relevant accounts, set up a social media monitoring program to keep an eye out for any new impostor accounts that might pop up in the future.
Log your findings
Record all the relevant accounts you find in your audit document. Use the notes column to indicate any accounts that require further research—for instance, if you can’t tell whether the account was created by someone at your company…
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