Social media is a cornerstone of any successful business strategy—but how do you make sure your efforts are actually paying off? It all starts with a thorough audit process and a clear strategy. Without these, it’s easy to waste time and resources on approaches that don’t work.
Below, we’re sharing our top tips for helping your business make the most of the top social media platforms, drive meaningful engagement, and see a real impact on your bottom line.
A social media audit is a comprehensive review of your business’s social media presence. It involves analyzing your profiles, performance metrics, content strategy, and audience engagement across all platforms. The goal is to assess what’s working, what’s not, and how to optimize your approach for better results. Whether you’re looking to boost engagement, optimize your content, or refine your overall approach, a thorough audit is the first step toward making informed, data-driven decisions.
Conducting a social media audit helps you identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities within your current strategy. It enables you to understand your audience better, refine your content, and ensure your efforts align with your business goals. Regular audits also help you stay competitive and adapt to trends and changes in the social media landscape–and trust us, the landscape is always changing!
A thorough social media audit is key to understanding what’s working and what needs improvement. Here’s how to get started:
List all active social media profiles, including those on major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X, as well as any niche or emerging platforms where your business is active.
Before diving into analytics, perform a spotcheck to ensure that all your profiles are up-to-date with consistent branding, logos, bio descriptions, contact information, and links. Consistency across platforms builds trust and reinforces your brand identity.
Review key metrics like engagement rates, follower growth, reach, impressions, and click-through rates to gauge how each platform is performing. This data will show you which content resonates best with your audience. It’s also valuable to compare these metrics to previous time periods to track your progress and identify trends.
Take a close look at the types of content you’ve been sharing—images, videos, blogs, polls, etc. Are they engaging, visually appealing, and consistent with your brand voice? Are you offering value to your audience? Check if these posts are generating likes, shares, and new followers. Also, identify which content formats seem to perform better and resonate more with your audience.
Benchmark your performance against key competitors. Compare their content, engagement, and audience size to see what they’re doing right and where you can improve. Pay attention to their posting frequency, the types of content they share, and the level of interaction they receive. Analyzing their strategy can help you identify industry trends, uncover gaps in your own approach, and inspire new ideas to stay competitive and stand out in your market. Also check out the hashtags they are using to attract new views, especially for content that performed especially well.
Look at the interactions on your posts—comments, shares, messages—and evaluate how well you’re connecting with your audience. Are you responding to inquiries promptly and effectively? Are your followers engaging in meaningful conversations, or is the interaction mostly passive? Identify any patterns in engagement, such as which topics spark the most conversation or which posts drive the most shares. These insights can guide your content strategy, helping you create more of what your audience loves and refine your approach to improve future interactions.
Consistency is key to staying visible and engaging your audience regularly. Review your posting frequency and the times when you’re publishing content. Are you posting consistently, or is there a gap between your posts? Are you posting at times when your audience is most active, based on platform analytics? Consider experimenting with different posting times and frequencies to find the optimal schedule that drives the most engagement. By aligning your posts with peak activity hours, you’ll maximize reach and interaction, ensuring your content doesn’t get lost in the feed.
Based on the findings, create a list of actionable steps to improve your social media strategy. This might include tweaking your posting schedule to better align with peak audience activity, experimenting with new content types such as videos, infographics, or user-generated content, or enhancing engagement practices by responding more quickly to comments and messages. You could also consider refining your content themes to better match audience interests or investing in paid ads for increased reach. The goal is to prioritize changes that will have the most significant impact and keep your strategy aligned with your business objectives.
A solid social media strategy is key to making sure your efforts are working toward your business goals. It helps you connect with the right audience, build meaningful engagement, and track your success. Without a clear strategy, you could end up wasting time and resources on approaches that don’t deliver results, making it tougher to see real growth.
When creating a social media strategy, you’ll want to consider your target audience, business goals, and your brand voice. Understanding who you’re trying to reach and what they care about is key to crafting content that resonates. Determine which platforms are most effective for your business and what type of content—like videos, blogs, or images—will engage your audience. Also, think about your posting frequency, budget for ads, and how you’ll measure the success of your efforts, whether through engagement rates, website traffic, or conversions. Finally, be sure to plan for how you’ll adjust your strategy based on what’s working (or not) along the way.
Before creating your strategy, you’ll want to clearly define your measurable goals, which could include increasing brand awareness, boosting engagement, or driving sales. These goals will serve as the foundation for your entire strategy. Then complete the following steps:
Next, research your audience to understand their interests, habits, and preferred platforms. Knowing who you’re targeting and where they spend their time online will help you create more relevant content and choose the right platforms. This insight allows you to tailor your messaging to better resonate with their needs, behaviors, and pain points. You can also segment your audience based on demographics, such as age, location, or profession, to deliver personalized content that drives deeper connections.
Once you’ve determined who you’re targeting, create a content plan that includes a mix of posts—images, videos, blogs, polls, or infographics—that aligns with your audience’s interests and goals. Plan content around themes and seasons–but be flexible enough to adapt to trends or current events. Be sure to set a posting schedule to maintain consistency and keep your audience engaged over time. Consistent posting increases visibility and helps build a loyal following.
Consider allocating resources for paid promotions to boost reach and engagement, especially for key campaigns or content. Determine your budget and which ads will best support your goals, whether you’re promoting a new product, event, or post. Decide on your target audience for the ads, and consider using A/B testing to find the most effective ad creatives, copy, and calls to action. Paid promotions can help you scale your efforts, reaching people beyond your current followers and increasing brand visibility.
Finally, track performance regularly using the social media audit tips above. Let these insights guide adjustments to your strategy as needed—whether that means tweaking your content, changing your posting times, or revisiting your goals. Social media is dynamic, so flexibility is essential for long-term success. Regularly reviewing your data allows you to stay on top of trends and quickly adapt to shifts in audience preferences or platform algorithms.
Well, it depends. The best platforms for your business will depend on your audience and industry.
It’s important to note that you don’t need to be on every platform—focus on the ones that will give you the best return on investment based on your specific audience and objectives. Choose the platforms that align with your business goals and where your target audience is most active. Consider factors like platform features, content format preferences, and the type of engagement you want to encourage.
Need help connecting with your audience on social media? We can help! Threshold Media is a full-service digital marketing agency with over 25 years experience providing tailor-made solutions for businesses of all sizes and industries. Our social media services include content creation, engagement and follower growth, and targeted advertising. Contact us today and take your business to the next level!
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