In today’s social media obsessed society, it’s all too simple to dive into a world of hashtags, comments and follows without any real strategy. But simply “doing” social media is not enough. To get the most out of the top social sites for your client, find out first what’s working and what isn’t by performing an audit. Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered with these three simple steps:
Scope out the competition – Look at your competitors to see where you stand in the social media rat race. But don’t just check out their pages solely for stats on followers and fans, assess the content they post as well. How engaged are they with their fans? What posts seem to get the most activity and which fall flat? Depending on how much time you have to complete your research, these could be high-level findings or a more in-depth look at their social media pages.
Examine your own channels – Now put the magnifying glass on yourself. This should be a deeper look at the content posted and the engagement received. Check to see if there are any social platforms you aren’t on now that could benefit your organization. Look at your analytics on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to compare useful stats to see what’s working and what isn’t. After the audit, remember to create benchmarks so you can easily compare the growth of your social channels later on.
Develop a strategy – You have all the information you need, so now is the time to develop a solid strategy for the year ahead. Decide where you’d like to be social-wise by the end of 2014. Perhaps you have a goal of tripling your Twitter followers, or expect a 50 percent higher engagement rate from your Facebook fans. Keep in mind your target audience and the overarching goal, and develop a plan that fits accordingly.
What are your social media goals for 2014? Let us know in the comments!