How to Transform Your Social Strategy with a Social Media Audit

Whether you’re looking to revamp your social media strategy or simply assess how well your current efforts are performing, a social media audit is a powerful tool for brand growth. An audit can help you understand where your digital presence is currently at — and, more importantly, where it needs to go.

By taking the time to evaluate key metrics, you can make smarter, data-driven decisions that move your brand forward. Here are the essential elements of a successful social media audit to help you get started:

#1: Competitor Analysis

A strong social media audit begins with a clear understanding of how your brand stacks up against the competition. Start by identifying local or regional competitors, as they often share a similar target audience and market conditions, which makes for more relevant comparisons than national brands.

TIP: Don’t be afraid to include a larger/nati best-in-class competitor (or two) in your audit as well. While their performance metrics might seem out of reach, they offer aspirational insights and ideas for the types of content to emulate on your brand’s pages.

Once you’ve identified your key competitors, it’s time to analyze their performance across each social media platform. Evaluating your competitors’ strategy and performance provides valuable benchmarks and can highlight content gaps or opportunities.

For each relevant channel, review basic metrics like follower count, posting frequency and average engagement per post. Then, scroll their feeds to look for content patterns. For example:

Are their posts highlighting employees consistently performing well?
Is there a strong emphasis on telling success stories?
Is there a recurring theme or tone that’s resonating with their audience?

Understanding the strategy behind what’s performing well can give you actionable ideas for your own content plan.

#2: Audit Your Own Channels with a Fresh Perspective

After analyzing your competitors, it’s just as important to shift your focus to your own social media channels and conduct a thorough self-audit.

Approach it as if you’re an outsider seeing your brand for the first time. What patterns emerge? Are your posts conveying the right brand voice, themes and mission?

Especially if you’re immersed in the day-to-day work of posting to your brand’s social channels, this fresh perspective can reveal surprising insights. You may see a specific content category consistently outperforming others, or a disconnect between your intended message and what’s actually being communicated. Reviewing your channels with a critical, external mindset can uncover valuable opportunities for realignment and growth.

#3: Establish Clear Goals & Strategic Recommendations

Whether you’re reporting back to a larger team or managing your brand solo, every social media audit should conclude with actionable goals and informed recommendations.

This is your chance to turn insights into strategy. Identify what’s working, what needs to shift and where your efforts will have the most impact. Use what you’ve uncovered to shape the next phase of your digital presence.

For example, if your audit reveals that competitors aren’t active on a certain platform and your own content is underperforming there, it may be worth reconsidering whether that platform is the best use of your resources. Thoughtful, data-backed decisions like these will help ensure your strategy is both efficient and effective moving forward.

Conducting a social media audit is more than just a check-the-box task; it’s a strategic opportunity to better understand your brand’s digital presence, sharpen your content approach and make smarter decisions moving forward. Whether you’re making small tweaks or preparing for a full strategy revamp, a well-executed audit ensures your social media efforts are aligned with your brand’s goals and built to deliver results.

Searching for more social media tips? Check out these other helpful blogs:

Also be sure to follow Scooter Media on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Bluesky for more social media tips.