How to Perform a Social Media Audit

Auditing accounts requires considerable research. Spreadsheets are ideal for holding the data you collect. Use the Social Media Audit template or create your own.

• List all registered accounts. You must compile a complete list of all accounts, both past and present. First list all the accounts that you and your team use regularly, then list old or abandoned profiles.
• Identify platforms where you don’t yet have a social presence. Know what new platforms are emerging and gaining popularity. Consider pros and cons of adding them to your social strategy, or create profiles to reserve your handle for the future. 
• Search for unknown accounts. Do a general internet search of your unit name to find those you may not be aware of. If you find an account you don't recognize, you may need to do some digging to see if they are official accounts or run by someone unauthorized to represent your unit. You should then move on to search all social media sites with your unit name to see if you find any you are not aware of. 
• Record your research. Add all known and found accounts to your document so you can monitor activity and watch for unauthorized accounts that may be created. Add notes to flag questionable accounts that require you to investigate further. A column for "unauthorized accounts" will allow you to record unauthorized accounts and the steps taken to have them shut down.

The channel owner should be a person or group responsible for maintaining and posting on the platform. The objective should be one line that represents what you want from using the platform. If platforms do not have an objective, now is the time to create one. You must know what you're trying to achieve before you can evaluate whether or not you're hitting your goals, and an objective will help solidify that.

Once you know what you're trying to achieve, you will have a better sense of what metrics to track to evaluate the effectiveness of the account. Set Key Performance Indicators to note which metrics you will use to evaluate performance. Some good metrics to watch are:

• Likes
• Reach
• Engagement
• Video
• People

You may discover that some accounts or platforms outperform others. You may need to adjust your strategy, invest more time in the successful accounts or shut down the poor performing account.

Your best posts are the ones that generated the most positive engagement. Identify the top three for each platform and add the links to these posts to your audit document.

Once you have a list of the best posts, look for patterns:

• Is the best response on posts containing photos or videos?
• Does the platform change the amount of engagement?

Add notes about any patterns you recognize to your audit. Use this information to help craft more engaging posts going forward.

As you evaluate each account and how they all work together to support your unit, you need to gain an understanding of each platform's audience. Demographics are a key part of that.

• Who are you targeting?
• What are their consumption habits?
• What platform do they prefer?
• Has this audience changed or grown?

You should have enough knowledge and insight into your unit's social media accounts to be equipped to decide where to focus your efforts. Look at each account's performance and audience, and look for ways to incorporate those accounts with your unit's command messaging. If there isn't a connection, or if the account is not performing well, consider focusing more on the ones that are and less on the ones that aren't.

You can reevaluate at a later date to see if more changes need to be made. The most important factor is to make sound decisions based on the research you uncover during your audit. You need to focus the most time and resources on the accounts that are strengthening the unit's message.

One person or team should maintain control of and responsibility for each social media account. They should ensure the account reflects unit messaging, is up to date and performing well. They will also be in charge of necessary approvals on the account and will guide its strategic direction. They’ll decide who should have access to the account and what level of access each person should have. Sometimes, responsibility for accounts changes hands. Instead of giving many people access to the passwords, centralize them. This ensures you don't have to change passwords every time someone moves to a new role.

In your audit document, make sure you list each owner and which tool is set up to control passwords.

All accounts need to be consistent with your unit standards. Evaluate:

• Profile images
• Cover photos
• Bio text
• Handles
• Links
• Pinned posts

These should all be consistent and current with the unit's brand, image and messaging standards. Make sure all bio text is completely filled in with the current unit message. You also need to check that the same handle is being used consistently across social media platforms. The exception might be if you have more than one to serve different purposes. Ensure links point to the correct pages for your unit and that pinned posts are still relevant.

A social media audit is not a one-and-done process. All accounts should be audited on a regular basis to ensure accounts are up to date, still reflect the unit's messaging and are performing as expected. You can decide how often you will perform an audit, but quarterly is a good place to start.