A social media audit is an important step in the social media marketing process, as a “systematic examination of social media data.” It helps to gather information about a brand’s social media, as well as what the consumers are saying about the brand and information on competitors. It helps to identify opportunities where a brand can improve their social media presence and can help with the following step of creating a social media strategy big idea by identifying opportunities that may become part of a strategic plan.

“In this phase of social media planning, think of the social media audit as taking a snapshot of all social media activity in and around a brand and then evaluating the information gathered.”

Quesenberry, Keith A

It is important to collect and track all available data in an easy-to-read and understandable chart that displays the complied data. An effective social media audit does not need to collect every digital conversation or mention, but to gather a general overview of the social talk around the brand. 

Petfinder Social Media Audit

This past week I performed a social media audit for the brand, Petfinder. Petfinder is a pet adoption website that provides a searchable database across the US, Canada, and Mexico that shows the different animals available from non-profit adoption organizations. 

Petfinder’s mission:

1. “Increase public awareness of the availability of high-quality adoptable pets

2. Increase the overall effectiveness of pet adoption programs across North America to the extent that the euthanasia of adoptable pets is eliminated

3. Elevate the status of pets to that of a family member”

While Petfinder has strong branding and branded content, its social media presence is really lacking quite a bit. I started off my social media audit by researching which platforms the brand had an account on. Petfinder is currently on five different social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Petfinder is most active on their Facebook and Twitter, but their Instagram only has 22 posts, their YouTube only 1, and no posts on their LinkedIn. I examined their follower count on each, as well as their engagement, frequency of posts, type of content, and if they used hashtags. 

Opportunities

In addition to collecting general research on a brand, statistically, through follower count, likes, etcetera, it is also necessary to explore points of weakness that allow for an opportunity for growth with their social media pages. While Petfinder has a great start to its social media, there is a lot of opportunity for growth. On their Instagram, there is really only one type of content being posted, which consists of images of animals and their success stories in the comments. There is so much more Petfinder can be doing with their Instagram pages, such as introducing video content, motion graphics, graphics, highlights, and stories. They should also be increasing their posting frequency, as well as creating a consistent posting schedule. Currently, they have an inconsistent and unreliable feed that does not help them in achieving a successful social media marking plan with their Instagram account. On their Facebook, while posting might be a bit more frequent, around twice a month, it is still too sparse, and increasing the frequency would be beneficial. It may also help them to increase the different types of content they post, possibly expanding to some of the options mentions previously with the Instagram suggestions. Their Twitter account is also a bit more frequent with postings, but would also benefit from a better posting schedule. It is important that the brand also engages more with their followers and comments, as well as the use of hashtags. 

Additionally, it is important to examine what the consumers are saying about the brand. In my research for Petfinders social media audit, I also read through the comments on the different posts across their main platforms, as well as researching what additional things people are posting or saying about Petfinder. I found a mix of both positive and negative comments but noticed Petfinder only ever respond if a comment was negative. The brand could use these comments to increase more engagement if they responded also to the positive feedback they received. It would make their happy consumers, even more, please with their experience and not only bring them back to use Petfinder again but also be more likely to recommend it to others. 

Finally, in regards to their YouTube and LinkedIn, if Petfinder wanted to also dedicate time to these networks, there is practically an endless amount of opportunity there that they can take advantage of. From one posted video on YouTube to no posts on LinkedIn, there is anything they do that is better than what they are currently doing. Creating batched content would be a great start, followed by a schedule and more, but I do not think it is necessary for Petfinder to need to be on these platforms, especially if they do not want to dedicate a lot of time or money to their social media marketing. While it is free to sign up on these platforms, every platform can serve a different purpose and while one platform might be right for one brand, it might not be worth the time for another. LinkedIn has a completely different audience from Instagram, which has a completely different audience from Facebook, which also has a completely different audience from TikTok. So how does one go about deciding which platforms are best to invest time and money in?

Determine Social Channels

Each social media channel has a different audience, which serves a brand a different purpose, as their reach varies. It is also important to know which platforms can easily generate engagement through organic posting and which platforms require a bit more of a push with paid social media advertising. In the case of Petfinder, I definitely think they are on the right track, focusing on their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I don’t think it I necessary for them to also spend the time and money on YouTube or LinkedIn. Although, if they wanted to expand into a platform that they have not reached yet, Tiktok would also be a great option for them. 60% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16-24. While there are a lot of younger teens on the site, TikTok also has a lot of users that are young adults, leaving college and starting their new lives. That is a perfect age of change where some young adults might be looking to move out with a new companion and Petfinder can provide that. TikTok also provides an opportunity for a lot of organic reaches that could be beneficial for Petfinder if they are not interested in paying for paid social media advertising. 

Overall, Petfinder is off to a good start with its social media profiles, but there is still a lot of room for optimizing its presence and using social media to its advantage. Social media audits are a great place to start by gathering research and data while leading into the next step of creating a strategy, which is something Petfinder needs to work on.

Sources:

“10 Types of Social Media and How Each Can Benefit Your Business.” Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard, 3 Nov. 2020, blog.hootsuite.com/types-of-social-media/.

“The 5 Social Media Platforms Your Business Need to Be on Today.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LHx1ldgVMI.

Bergstrom, Breonna. “24 Creative Social Media Campaign Examples to Boost Your Inspiration.” CoSchedule Blog, 29 June 2021, coschedule.com/blog/social-media-campaign-examples.

Ganta, Maria. “12 Steps To Boost Instagram Engagement In 2020.” Socialinsider Blog: Social Media Marketing Insights and Industry Tips, Socialinsider Blog: Social Media Marketing Insights and Industry Tips, 5 Feb. 2021, www.socialinsider.io/blog/boost-instagram-engagement/.

“How to Conduct a Speedy Social Media Audit.” Sprout Social, 17 May 2021, sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-audit/.

“How to Conduct a Speedy Social Media Audit.” Sprout Social, 17 May 2021, sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-audit/.

Lee, Kevan. “The 15-Minute Social Media Audit Everyone Can Do.” Buffer Library, Buffer Library, 24 July 2020, buffer.com/library/social-media-audit/.

Quesenberry, Keith A. Social Media Strategy: Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations in the Consumer Revolution. Rowman & Littlefield, an Imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2021.

Stampler, Laura. “These Are The Best (And Worst) Brands In Social Media For Customer Service.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 12 June 2012, www.businessinsider.com/these-companies-are-major-brands-that-are-the-best-and-worst-at-using-social-media-for-customer-service-2012-6.

“TikTok Statistics - Everything You Need to Know [Feb 2021 Update].” Wallaroo Media, 14 June 2021, wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/#:~:text=U.S.%20Audience%20%E2%80%93%20As%20we%20mentioned,between%20the%20ages%2025%2D44.

Walker-Ford, Mark. “The 8 Best Social Media Platforms to Market Your Business in 2021 [Infographic].” Social Media Today, 28 Feb. 2021, www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-8-best-social-media-platforms-to-market-your-business-in-2021-infograp/595834/.