PART 1: The Start, Stop, Keep Strategy

What’s a social media audit? And what does a good one look like?

A social media audit is a top-to-bottom review of your social media efforts. At first glance, it might seem obvious. You know what channels you use. You post and look at the results. That’s an audit, right? Yes and maybe not. Taking the audit a couple of steps further allows you to have a solid overview of what’s working, what’s not and what could be improved.

I like to implement the feedback process known as “Stop, Start, Keep”. I learned about this process during my training to become a yoga instructor. It is a great way to make sure that when in the feedback process we are not stuck too much in either the positive or the negative. It gives balance. When working with others it’s beneficial in giving the good and the bad. 

Sometimes one of the three is harder to identify. Evaluating based on Stop, Start, Keep encourages you to take a deeper look at all aspects of the social media audit.

Start

The Start relies on an understanding of trends and a willingness to be on the cutting edge of the platform. Over the past year, the application of Reels on Instagram created a need for research and education to be on the forefront of that trend. It wasn’t chasing trends, it was auditing the new opportunities and evaluating the benefits. 

Stop

For Stop, I look at the performance of content over the past 3-6 months and evaluate the lowest performing content. It is very tempting to concentrate on reports that only feature the top performers. Rarely do the lower performers get noticed–and we know why! However, to evaluate them is a great way to learn more and identify what caused it to underperform–and maybe try again. Or not.

Keep

Keep is tricky. It doesn’t always imply what has the strongest upward trends. Over the past year of data, let’s look at, say, Reels again, and if over the past year there is an increase in engagement then you want to keep implementing and improving. Keep isn’t about staying where you are and being stagnant. It is identifying the trend that is working and taking it further. 

Why is it Important?

Social media audits are important because the platforms, trends and algorithms are constantly changing. Without regular review, a process that worked for you last year could be tanking your performance in the current year. 

Ready to get started? Check out this detailed Hotel Social Media Audit Checklist in a separate blog post. 

Coming soon: An incredibly thorough (but easy) checklist!