From a certain point of view, social media looks easy peasy: chuck out the odd quote from someone famous here for Facebook, throw together a quick Instagram video on your smartphone and boooom – Robert’s your father’s brother. 

Well yes, and then again no… We at 24 fingers towers know there’s a lot more going on than what people scroll through on their feeds. Business posts are a small part of a much bigger overall strategy, crafted pieces of content that serve an important purpose, and analysing whether they’re working is a mammoth task in itself. That’s why we’re going to look at social media audits, why you should have them regularly and what they can do for you. 

We heard the sharp intake of breath at the word ‘audit’ but don’t worry, this will be your kind of scrutiny, because its sole aim is to improve your business and boost your bottom line. So, let’s start at the beginning and ask a few important questions.

What is a social media audit?

Put simply, it’s a review of the metrics generated by your business’ social media posts that examines growth, highlights potential opportunities and what you can do to enhance your social media presence.

It helps you identify the bits of your social media campaigns that are working and those that aren’t doing quite so well, as well as spotlighting who you’re reaching, when and where, giving you a deeper understanding of engagement levels and how many sales you’re generating from your content. 

Does a social media audit really matter?

If your business is going great guns, then you might think “probably not” and move swiftly on but we say “woah there Nelly”. Knowing what your top-performing posts are means you’ll get a better insight into what your audience actually likes and prompts them to turn a click into a purchase. 

Do they prefer written content or are they gobbling up videos? Are they scrolling during the day (sneakily, and at work like the rest of humankind) or do they hop on in the evening when the shoes are kicked off and the cork’s out of the wine?

Tweaking your strategy, even just a little, after a social media audit could see a huge difference in sales and revenues, and that can only be a good thing. Likewise, if your brand isn’t performing as well as you’d like, you can pinpoint exactly what isn’t working, stop wasting your energy and try something new. 

How will a social media audit help?

Good question. First of all, as we’ve just said, it will help you understand your audiences better but it will also inform you where and when to find them. As anyone who has ever been up in the wee small hours, furiously putting together a business marketing plan knows, anything that helps pinpoint your ideal customer is worth its weight in gold.  

Second, social media audits will flag up any brand inconsistency, which can be a relatively easy fix but will reap huge rewards if everyone on every platform where you have a presence can recognise you quickly and easily. 

That leads us neatly to the third advantage: your brand will be known as credible, reliable and organised (even if you don’t always feel the same). The value from that is, to coin a phrase, priceless. 

Finally, a social media audit can help you set defined yet achievable business goals, whether it’s to grow your audience on a particular platform (having discovered that’s where a lot of your customers are lurking), increase sales figures or boost growth by a particular percentage. 

When should you have a social media audit?

It depends. Some companies have them quarterly, while others prefer monthly. What you really ought to be asking is who should carry out your social media audit, because that’s potentially a lot of data to wade through and understand. Luckily, that’s where we come in. 

We can crunch the numbers any time you want, whether it’s once a week or once a year, and generate insights into your business that will help shape your next move. We will analyse trends, identify opportunities, tell you where things are going well and offer advice on what to do for campaigns that haven’t quite hit the mark. 

Want to get started? Our 24 fingers are flexed and ready to go… Get the ball rolling here.

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here

Blur vs Oasis. Microsoft vs Apple. Coke vs Pepsi. They are among some of the greatest rivalries the world has ever known. Now you can add Instagram Reels Insights vs TikTok. 

Trust the kids to show the old hands how to make the most of the rapidly evolving social media landscape. Instagram has been playing catch-up with its Chinese-owned rival for months, rolling out feature after feature to woo users and business owners. 

The Reels feature was great for in-app shopping, but when it came to breaking down who was doing what, where and when, Instagram users were left twiddling their thumbs and shuffling their feet, while TikTokers lapped up data about their types of traffic sources, performance by geographic location and videos’ average watch time. 

Now, the Facebook-owned site has enhanced its Reels tool with Insights, allowing users to access crucial information such as Accounts Reached, Saves and Shares for their Reels, as well as being able to share the number of Peak Concurrent Viewers watching their Live videos. 

Even better, in Instagram’s Account Insights section, there will be all kinds of goodies to analyse, including the kinds of accounts users are reaching, and which content formats produce the most engagement. 

The rivalry between the two platforms has been great for business users and the development of Instagram Reels Insights is no exception, but it won’t be the last. Expect more changes as TikTok announced it is set to partner with specific brands in a trial of in-app sales.

Will Instagram follow suit, or beat them to the punch? Stay tuned to our blog posts to find out. 

We’re 24 fingers, a digital marketing agency and a proud member of the 42 Club, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Excel Business Networking Group, the Trusted Business Community, the Organisation for Responsible Businesses and the Rotary Club of Brentwood à Becket. We help companies who are all fingers and thumbs with their social media grow their business and brand. Book your free strategy call here.