Improve Your Social Media Presence with an Online Audit
Everyone is on social media, and your brand should be too. However, if you post social media updates on automatic pilot, your viewers will be the first to pick up on it.
Did you create a post that you thought was a winner and it received no response? On the other hand, did you post something you felt was ordinary but it received many enthusiastic responses?
Although following your gut instinct is often good advice, sometimes some cold, hard facts tell the whole story. This is the reason your social media strategy may need an audit.
An audit can help you find ways to excel at social media marketing or if it is a better option to hire some outside expertise. Answer the following questions objectively.
1. Are Your Profiles Consistent and Cohesive?
Do you send a clear message and provide consistent information? This includes having the same headshot, contact info, and branding elements, including similar colors. People should recognize your brand from just a glance without having to discover you anew time after time.
2. Is there a Coherent Theme?
Branding involves storytelling. Although the stories can vary from day to day and post to post, there should be an overriding theme to your social media strategy. Viewers should associate your brand with a certain feeling, lifestyle, or values. Your social media posts should reflect this.
3. How Often Do You Post?
Posting several times in one day and then skipping the remainder of the week may build interest only to allow it to lag. Put your social media posting on a regular schedule, and try to post daily and at roughly the same time every day. This consistency will foster engagement with your audience.
4. What Engagement Are You Getting from Current Posts?
Observe what kind of activity your posts are getting. Count likes and shares, and evaluate the number and quality of comments. Also, look at how many direct messages you receive. Make a note of what kind of posts are getting the most engagement and which have the least activity.
5. How Many Followers Do You Have?
Look at the number of followers and friends you have on each platform. In life, the number of friends we have is often not as important as the quality, but for the purposes of the audit, it is essential to take numbers into account.
6. Which Platforms Get the Most Engagement?
Do you notice that you receive more responses on some platforms than others? This demonstrates that something is working well. Examine why some platforms seem to be working better for you than others. Is it the differences in the posts, the people, or the platforms? Whatever is working here, expand on it.
7. Where Does Your Target Audience Hang Out Online?
Are you where your target audience is? Maybe it is not a good idea to spread yourself too thin and instead focus on those places where your potential subscribers spend most of their time. Peruse demographic statistics for each platform and determine where you should spend most of your resources.
Taking Stock of Your Social Media Strategy
Every strategy needs some fine-tuning now and again. Periodically examining where your social media marketing strategy is working best and where it needs improvement is essential for success. Decide whether it is time to refine your social media techniques or if outsourcing or hiring a consultant will help attract followers and raise brand awareness.
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