The summer break is a mixed bag for small businesses. Most of us got fed up with hearing “let’s take a look at it in September” by about 20th June, but on the other hand, it’s a good opportunity to work on the business rather than in it. 

In our line of work, that means a social media audit! And I’m not talking about death by 1000 spreadsheets either: you can do everything I’m suggesting below in a single afternoon …

1. Check your profile consistency (15 mins)

Warm up those browser tabs, and then open every platform where your business posts content (not forgetting your Google Business Profile!). Cross-check them to make sure:

• Profile pictures and cover images are current and consistent across platforms
• Bios essentially say the same thing about what you do
• Links actually work and point to the right page (bet you a fiver you find at least one 404 error page)
• Contact details, opening hours, and location info are accurate

This is how you’ll catch those small inconsistencies or errors that might just cost you a valuable enquiry or two.

2. Review which posts actually performed (30-60 mins)

Next, pull up your last three months of posts on each platform and look at what got engagement and what didn’t. 

Ask yourself:

• Which format performed best – photos, video, carousels, text posts?
• Which topics got the most reactions, comments and shares?
• Is there a day or time of posting that consistently outperforms everything else?
• Are there any posts that flopped, and can you spot why?

Most platforms have native analytics built in (Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn’s own analytics tab, TikTok’s Creator dashboard), so you can see this information in a single view.

3. Tea/ Coffee break (15 mins)

This is definitely the point where you’ll want a shot of caffeine.

4. Check out the competition (60 mins)

This is the place to hit you with a cheesy line like “good artists copy; great artists steal”. Thank goodness I didn’t do that. But do check out your competitors and see what they’re doing well. Here are some questions to ask:

•       How often are they posting, and on which platforms?
•       What’s getting a strong response in their comments?
•       Is there a format or content type they’re using that you haven’t tried?
•       Are they doing anything that makes you think, “oh, that’s clever/ funny”?

This exercise is also really handy for identifying gaps. Are there things you know your audience cares about, but nobody’s really addressing in their social media? 

5. Identify your quick wins (15 mins)

Quick wins might be things like:

•       Updating an outdated bio or broken link
•       Doubling down on the content format that’s clearly working
•       Shifting your posting schedule to match when your audience is actually online
•       Repurposing a high-performing post into a different format for another platform

Bigger projects – a full rebrand, a new content pillar, investing in video – go on a separate list for when you’ve got more time and headspace. You know … like when all those clients come back in September, wanting an immediate turnaround of their work.

Total time spent: 2-3hrs, not including the break!  

There you have it: A full social media audit before lunch. And hey if that’s still too much of an effort for you, you could probably automate the whole thing (with caution!) using some detailed prompts and skills inside Claude AI.  

Here’s my cue to suggest you attend one of our AI masterclasses if none of that made sense! 😉

For more support with your social media content strategy, get booked onto one of our digital skills workshops, or ping us a message. We’d love to help!