Blog is written by AlphaPixel Reach tem member Mikayla Dudek.
You’ve probably heard of a social media audit, and you’ve probably been recommended to get one performed for your business, but do you really understand why they are so valuable? A Social Media Audit is composed of several elements, but we’ve outlined a few to help you start understanding just how beneficial they can be for your business’s social media efforts.
Looking at the Big Picture: SWOT Analysis
Like any element of your business, in order to be successful it’s important to look at the big picture of things, and social media is no exception to this golden rule. A big part of developing a thorough social media audit for your brand includes conducting a SWOT analysis, which is a strategic planning technique which, if performed correctly, uncovers the strengths and weaknesses that a brand has internally, while also identifying and opportunities or threats that may affect a business externally.
biggest benefit: A SWOT analysis identifies the position that your business is in both internally and externally, therefore providing a big picture perspective of your brands’ current positioning. Arguably more importantly, a SWOT analysis will identify clear threats and opportunities for your business to consider tackling. At the end of the day, social media is a piece of your marketing efforts as a whole, so social media content needs to be informed by these internal and external factors in order to benefit your business.
You’re Not the Only Player in the Game: Competitor Analysis
When you’re devoting so much time into your own business, sometimes it’s a little too easy to forget about the other players in the game; your competitors. A competitor analysis is essential to a successful social media audit, since the mere fact that your competitors are in the same market as you makes an understanding of what they’re up to both on and off social media essential to the success of your social media marketing. A competitor analysis will identify how the products, prices, special offerings, social media presence, etc. of your competitors compare to that of your own brand. If done meticulously and maintained routinely, a competitor analysis should result in a better understanding of your brand’s shortcomings compared to your competitors, as well as elements of your business that set you apart from the ‘other guys.’
biggest benefit: Social media is all about promoting your brand, but in order to really capture user attention, it’s important to stand out. A competitor analysis can help identify ways that your brand stands out, which, if translated effectively, will result in more effective/unique social media content for your business.
Do You Know Who You’re Talking To? Target Audience
You could have the most interesting content in the world, but when it comes to marketing efforts, and social media marketing efforts specifically, this will never matter unless you really understand who your audience is. An evaluation of your brand’s target audience in whole is important to consider, given that your brand’s social media content should always be a representation of how you want social media users to view your brand big picture. For a social media audit though, we take this evaluation one step further and also consider the target audience for specific social media campaigns. A specific campaign may (and often should) have a more niche or distinct audience than your brand’s target consumer base as a whole, and it’s essential to tailor efforts to this specific target audience for a social media campaign to reach its maximum potential.
biggest benefit: An evaluation of your target audience will enable you to use social media much more effectively. By understanding what consumers you need to be targeting with your social media efforts, you will be able to produce content for the consumers who will care about it the most, which makes all the difference. An understanding of your target audience will dictate platform selection, tone of voice, and even art direction of your business’ social media campaigns if you want to reach the right consumers for your brand.