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  • 7/27/2019 Social Media Audit Brief

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    SocialMediaAuditBriefA

    Guide

    To

    Understanding

    &

    Implementation

    NPowerNorthwest|www.npowernw.org11/18/2010

    Thisdocumentisintendedtoprovideadescriptionofwhatasocialmediaauditis,howitcanbenefit

    yournonprofitorganizationandthetoolsyoucanusetocompleteanaudit. Itisintendedtobevaluable

    asastandalonetoolthatyoucanusetocompletethistaskonyourownorwiththehelpofexternal

    consultation.

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    Nonprofitorganizationsshouldcontinuouslybelookingforwaystobemorestrategicintheirsocial

    mediaefforts.SocialMediaactivitiesshouldadduptomorethanaseriesofcompletedtasksandsimply

    doing.Beingstrategicrequiresnonprofitsbemoredeliberate,innovative,savvy,andlessreactivein

    theircommunicationspractices.Nonprofitsareencouragedtoregardsocialmediaasacomponent,not

    separatefrom,overallcommunications. Ifthegoalistobuildsustainable,efficientandeffectivesocial

    mediaefforts,itisessentialthatitbeintegratethroughouttheorganizationsprocessesandsystems.

    Whilealotoffocusis,andrightlyso,putonthedevelopmentofstrategiesandinitiativesthesealonedo

    notaddressthelargerquestionofsustainability.

    Willtheorganizationsactuallyfollowthroughonthestrategiesandwhatrealisticallyistheircapacitytodoso?

    Whataretherealitiesofcompetingneedsandlimitedresourcesandhowdoesthisaffectthecapacityquestion?

    Whatarerealisticexpectationsforwhatwecanhopetoaccomplishgiventhecurrentrealities? Ifwewishtomakechangestooursystemshowdoweknowwheretostartandhowcanwe

    trackprogress?

    Nonprofitsneed

    tools

    to

    better

    understand

    their

    current

    social

    media

    communications

    performance

    and

    capacity,andtogainanimprovedsenseofwhatispossibleintermsofdevelopingefforts.ASocial

    Mediacommunicationauditisonetoolthatcanhelptomeetthisneed.

    SocialmediaCommunicationsAuditsDefinedAsocialmediacommunicationsauditisasystematicassessment,eitherformalorinformal,ofan

    organizationscapacityfor,orperformanceof,essentialcommunicationspractices.Itdetermineswhat

    isworkingwell,whatisnot,andwhatmightworkbetterifadjustmentsaremade.

    Definedinthisway,asocialmediacommunicationsaudithasbothevaluativeandformativevalue.Itis

    evaluativeinthatitprovidesasnapshotofwhereanorganizationcurrentlystandsintermsofitssocial

    mediacapacity

    or

    performance.

    It

    is

    formative

    in

    that

    it

    also

    points

    to

    areas

    in

    which

    the

    organization

    canstrengthenitsperformance.

    Whilesocialmediaauditsarearelativelynewpractice,communicationsauditsareacommonpractice

    andhavebeenutilizedforanumberofyears. Theyaremorecommonamongforprofitsthan

    nonprofits,andnotfamiliartomostnoncommunicationsprofessionals.Auditsaremostoften

    performedbyexternalcommunicationsorevaluationexperts,butcanalsobeperformedinternally.The

    intentionistoadaptanalreadytriedandtestedtooltothisnewareaofcommunicationstoincreasethe

    waysorganizationscanbecomemorestrategicintheirefforts.

    Thisdocumenthasbeendevelopedasaresourcefornonprofitorganizationsthatwanttobetter

    understandsocial

    media

    audits

    and

    the

    main

    steps

    involved.

    It

    can

    be

    used

    by

    nonprofits

    that

    either

    wanttoselfassessandperformtheirownaudit,ormightbelookingtohireanexternalconsultant.Thisdocumentoutlinesfivebasicstepsinasocialmediacommunicationsaudit.Theauditcanbeapplied

    toanorganizationoverall,ortoaspecificprojectorcampaignwithintheorganization.Therearemany

    approachesyoucantaketoperforminganaudit;thisdocumentprovidesguidanceforoneofthe

    possibilities.

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    StepOne:KnowCriticalSocialmediaCommunicationsPracticesKnowingthespecificpracticesassociatedwithsocialmediacommunicationsisthefirststeptoassessing

    anorganizationsperformanceandcapacitywithrespecttothosepractices.Thesearepracticesthat

    everynonprofittryingtoimplementsocialmediacommunicationsshouldbeperformingatsomelevel,

    whetherbyasingleindividualorbymanystaffmembersthroughouttheorganization.

    Thetableonthenextpageidentifiessixteenessentialsocialmediacommunicationspractices.Theyare

    groupedintothreecategories:1)strategy,2)implementation,and3)supportandalignment.

    StrategyIncludesthecoretasksofcommunicationsplanningandstrategydevelopment.

    ImplementationIncludespracticesmostcommontoanorganizationwithanactivecommunicationsfunction.

    IntegrationIncludesthecoreelementsofintegratingsocialmediacommunicationswithother

    communicationchannels.

    SupportIncludes

    non

    communications

    specific

    practices

    within

    the

    organization

    that

    helps

    to

    ensure

    thecommunicationsfunctionissuccessful.

    Thetablealsooffersqualitystandardsorcriteriaforeachpractice.Theydescribeinbriefwhatthe

    practicesshouldlooklike. Thislist,justonitsown,hassubstantialvalueintheauditprocess.Itcanbe

    usedasachecklisttohelpdetermineifanorganizationisactuallyperformingeachsocialmedia

    communicationspractice.Butmoreimportantly,theauditprocesscanrevealifqualitycriteriaarebeing

    met,andifnotwhereimprovementscanbemadeinhowthepracticeisperformed.

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    EssentialSocialMediaPracticesSocialMediaPractices QualityCriteria/Standards

    Strategy

    Identifiedthevision

    Thecommunicationvisionisinlinewith,butdistinctly

    different,formthemissionoftheorganization

    IdentifiedgoalsandoutcomesSMART

    goals

    and

    outcomes

    have

    been

    (Specific,

    Measurable,Achievable,RealisticandTimely)

    Selecttargetaudience

    Specificaudiencegroupsareidentifiedandmay

    includekeystakeholdersandinfluencers

    Platformselection

    Specificplatformshavebeenidentifiedandselected

    basedontheirabilitytosupport yourgoals

    Policies&procedures

    Policiesandprocedureshavebeenputinplaceto

    clarifyprocessanddefineappropriateimplementation

    Listeningresearch

    Researchisdonetolearnwhatotherorganizationsare

    doingandwhattheconversationis

    Assetevaluation

    Aninventoryofwhatyouhavetoworkwith(staff,

    knowledge,etc.)

    and

    what

    value

    you

    add

    Imp

    lementation

    Toolselection

    Platformsareselectedbasedontheirabilitytosupport

    yourgoalsandaccessibilitytoyourtargetaudience

    Communitydevelopment

    Activestepsaretakentounderstandandfosterthe

    developmentofyouronlinecommunities

    Trainedrepresentatives

    Appropriatetrainingisprovidedtothosepeople

    responsibleforparticipatingonbehalfofyourorg

    Buildvaluablepartnerships

    Relationshipshavebeenmadewithinternaland

    externalstakeholderswhoalignwithyourgoals

    Monitor&evaluate

    Activitiesarecontinuouslymonitoredandevaluated

    forthepurposesofaccountabilityandimprovement.

    Integration

    WebsiteStrategic

    linkages

    and

    integration

    between

    social

    mediaeffortsandyourwebsite

    Blog

    Strategiclinkagesandbetweensocialmediaefforts

    andyourblog

    EMailmarketing

    Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweensocial

    mediaeffortsandyouremailefforts

    OtherSocialMediaPlatforms

    Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweenallsocial

    mediaplatforms

    Printmaterials

    Strategiccrosspromotionofsocialmediaeffortsis

    takingplaceinprintedmaterials

    Offline

    Strategiccrosspromotionofsocialmediaeffortsis

    takingplace

    in

    offline

    activities

    Support

    Supportattheleadershiplevel

    Managementunderstandsandsupportsocialmediaas

    partoftheoverallcommunicationstrategyoftheorg

    Allocatesufficientresources

    Financialandhumanresourcesarededicatedto

    supportingthesocialmediaefforts

    Involvestaffatalllevels

    SocialMediaisnotseenasanisolatedfunction;most

    ifnotallstaffmembershavesomeknowledgeand/or

    participationincommunicationsefforts.

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    StepTwo:IdentifyPossibleLevelsofPracticeToassessanorganizationonthepracticesintheprevioustable,itisimportanttohaveagaugethat

    helpstomeasureandillustratewheretheorganizationcurrentlystandsintermsofitsperformance.

    Thatgaugeisofferedhereintheformofapracticematurityscale.

    Thepractice

    maturity

    scale

    offers

    acontinuum

    of

    possible

    performance

    levels

    for

    any

    given

    practice.

    The

    figurebelowillustratesthescalesfivelevels.Higherlevelsinthescalerepresenthigherlevelsof

    organizationalcommitmentto,integrationof,andperformanceonthepractice.Eachpracticemaybe

    classifiedas1)adhoc,2)planned,3)institutionalized,4)evaluated,and5)optimized.

    PracticeMaturityScale

    0

    NotPerformed

    1

    AdHoc

    2

    Planned

    3

    Institutionalized

    4

    Evaluated

    5

    Optimized

    Uncoordinated

    Unassigned

    NoResources

    Deliberate/

    managed

    Resources

    allocated

    Responsibility

    assigned

    Regularly

    performed

    Bestpractices

    Coordinated

    Performance

    Performance

    measured

    Progresstracked

    Practice

    predictable

    Regular

    Regular

    reflection

    Continuous

    improvement

    Duringanauditandorganizationscurrentperformanceoneachsocialmediacommunicationspractice

    canbeassessedusingthisscale.Butfirstitisimportanttounderstandthedistinctionsbetweenthefive

    levels.

    LevelOne:AdHocThecommunicationspracticeisadhocandunorganized. Fewifanystaffandfinancialresourcesare

    dedicatedtoit.Successisbasedonthecompetenceandeffortsofoneortwoheroicindividuals.

    Despitethischaoticenvironment,howeverthecommunicationspracticemaybeimplemented

    successfully.Butbecauseitisuncoordinated,effortsareofteninefficientandgooverbudgetand

    schedule.Qualitymayalsobevariablebecausedifferentpeopleperformthepracticeovertime.

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    LevelTwo:PlannedThepracticeisplannedanddeliberateasopposedtobeingperformedonareactiveorasneeded

    basis.Resourcesareallocatedtothepractice,responsibilitiesareassigned,andtheprocessismanaged.

    Thepracticedoesnotoccurregularly,however,andmaystillbeperformedbyoneortwoindividuals.

    LevelThree:InstitutionalizedThepracticeisroutineandpartoftheorganizationsfabric.Theorganizationhasqualitatively

    determinedthebestwaytoapproachthepracticeandhasinstitutionalizedit.Practicesareknown

    andcoordinatedwithinandoutsidetheorganization.

    LevelFour:EvaluatedThepracticeisevaluatedandanalyzed.Measuresofperformanceandprogressarecollectedand

    analyzed.Oftenaquantitativeunderstandingofsuccessisknownandtracked,andtheorganizationhas

    abetter

    ability

    to

    predict

    or

    estimate

    performance.

    LevelFive:OptimizedBecauseofitsrecognizedimportancetotheorganization,thepracticeiscontinuouslyreflectedonand

    improvementsincorporated.

    Distinctionsbetweenlevelsoneandtwoarebasedonthedegreetowhichanorganizationisreactive

    anddisorganized(levelone)versuspurposefulandproactive(leveltwo).Atlevelthree,thepracticeis

    performedregularly,consistentlyacrossstaffmembers,andhasbeenperformedenoughthatthe

    organizationhasgainedacertainlevelofproficiencyatit.Atlevelfour,theorganizationhascommitted

    totracking

    the

    practice

    for

    purposes

    of

    better

    understanding

    how

    to

    improve

    performance.

    The

    organizationismonitoringthequalityofthepractice.Levelfivedemonstratesanevenhigherlevelof

    organizationalcommitmenttothepractice,astheorganizationcaresenoughaboutittolearnfromand

    improveperformanceovertime.

    StepThree:AssessCurrentPerformanceandCapacityThemaintasksforthethirdauditsteparetocollectdataaboutcommunicationspractices,andtouse

    thatdatatomakeassessmentsaboutorganizationalperformanceandcapacity.Itinvolvesactuallyusing

    thescaledescribedabovetogaugewheretheorganizationstandsonallessentialsocialmedia

    communicationspractices.Thefigureonthenextpageillustratesinmatrixformhowthisassessment

    mightbestructured.Notethatthisauditstepcouldalsoinvolvelookingatactualcommunicationsstrategycontentormaterialsandmakingassessmentsabouttheirquality.

    Thematrixarraysthetwentyonecommunicationpracticesalongthebottomrow,andarraysthe

    practicematurityscalevertically.Usersfillinorchecktheboxthatbestrepresentswhereonthescale

    theorganizationfallsforeachpractice(anexampleofhowthismightlookwhenfilledoutisprovided

    laterinthisbrief).

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    SocialMediaAuditMatrix

    Theorganizationmaybeassessedeitherinternallyorbyanoutsideexpertoneachofthesocialmediapracticea

    Legend CurrentLevelofActivity OpportunityGap

    5.Optimized4.Evaluated3.Institutionalized2.Planned1.AdHoc0.NotPerformed

    Identifiedthevision

    Identifiedgoalsandoutcomes

    Selecttargetaudience

    Platformselection

    Policies&procedures

    Listeningresearch

    Assetevaluation

    Toolselection

    Communitydevelopment

    Trainedrepresentatives

    Buildvaluablepartnerships

    Monitor&evaluate

    Website

    Blog

    EMailMarketing

    Strategy Implementation Integrat

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    InternalversusExternalAssessmentItisimportantatthispointtodetermineifassessmentsaboutorganizationalpracticeswillbemade

    internallyorbyoutsideexperts.Theadvantagestodoingitinternallyarethatdirectcostsarelikelytobe

    lowerandtheprocessmaybecomeanengagingorganizationalexercisethatbuildscommunications

    capacityinandofitself.Theadvantagestousingoutsideexpertsaretheirobjectivity,timeand

    availability,the

    knowledge

    they

    bring

    from

    other

    organizations

    for

    comparison

    purposes,

    and

    the

    credibilitythatmayaccompanytheircredentialsandexpertise.

    PotentialCommunicationsAuditMethodsRegardlessofwhethertheauditisdoneinternallyorexternally,acommonsetofmethodscanbeused

    togatherdataneededtomakeassessmentsaboutpractices.Methodsaredescribedbrieflybelowinthe

    contextofacommunicationsauditandthenfollowedbyatablethatcomparesthemontime,cost,and

    informationyield. Itishelpfultonotethatwhiletheuseofoneormoreofthesemethodsis

    recommended,itisalsopossibletoconductthesocialmediacommunicationsauditinformallyby,for

    example,askingeachstaffmembertogivehisorherownindependentandsubjectiveassessments

    basedon

    existing

    knowledge

    and

    experience,

    or

    convening

    staff

    to

    make

    collective

    assessments.

    InterviewsProbablythemostcommonauditmethod,interviewsallowthepersonconductingthe

    audittobetterunderstandcommunicationsrelatedworkprocesses.Interviewsallowrespondents

    toprovidearichqualitativesenseofhowpracticesareperformedandhowtheorganizationtreats

    communications.Interviewscanalsobeconductedwiththeorganizationsexternalstakeholdersor

    targetaudiences.

    SurveysSurveysorquestionnairesaresecondmostcommonauditmethod.Theycanbe

    administeredcheaplytoallorganizationalstaffwithinashorttimeframe,andtheyallowfora

    standardizationandcomparisonofresponses.

    CriticalIncidentAnalysisStaffareaskedtodescribe,throughanintervieworquestionnaire,

    specificeffectiveandineffectiveexperienceswithcommunications.Thepurposeistocollect

    examplesofexperiencesthatstafffindmemorableinordertoseehowcommunicationspractices

    areperformedwithinsituationalcontexts.

    NetworkAnalysisNetworkanalysishasgainedmuchpopularityinrecentyearsasamethodfor

    examininginformationflow,orthechannelsandrelationshipsthroughwhichinformationis

    exchanged.Itasksindividualswhotheycommunicateandforwhatpurpose.Itrevealsan

    organizationscommunicationstructure,whichmaybeverydifferentfromitsorganizational

    structure.It

    also

    reveals

    where

    blockages

    are

    occurring

    and

    possible

    routes

    that

    are

    currently

    untapped.

    ParticipantObservationTheindividualconductingtheauditparticipatesinorganizationalactivities

    involvingcommunicationsinordertoseehowandwhenpracticesareperformed.

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    DocumentReviewCommunicationsdocuments(e.g.publications,campaignmaterials,press

    releases,etc.)arereviewedtoassessthedevelopmentandtargetingofmaterialsasa

    communicationspractice.

    FocusGroupsGroupsoffivetofifteenpeoplemeettogetherinamoderateddiscussionand

    respond

    to

    open

    ended

    questions

    about

    communications

    practices

    and

    organizational

    capacity.

    Theirmainadvantageisthegroupinteractionthattakesplaceasparticipantsreacttoandbuildon

    oneanothersresponses.

    ComparingPotentialAuditMethodsComparingPotential

    AuditMethodsMethod TimetoNonprofit Cost InformationYieldInterviews 3060minuteseach Moderatelyexpensive(timeto

    conduct,analyze)

    Qualitative,indepth

    data

    Surveys 2030minuteseach Moderatelyexpensive StandardizeddataCriticalIncidentAnalysis 2030minuteseach Inexpensive Specificexamplesofpractice/processflowNetworkAnalysis 2030minuteseach Expensive(analysis,

    software)

    Process

    flow/interactionand

    integration

    ParticipantObservation Variable Expensive(time) ProcessflowDocumentReview None Expensive(time) Material,message

    evaluation

    FocusGroups

    1

    2

    hours

    Moderately

    expensive

    (depends

    onnumber)

    Qualitativeindepth

    data;

    StepFour:IdentifyAreasforImprovementOncetheassessmentsaremade,thenextstepistoidentifyareasinwhichtheorganizationcan

    improve.NotethatnonprofitorganizationsarenotexpectedtobeaLevel5onallsocialmedia

    communicationspractices.Rather,theassessmentofwheretheorganizationshouldbemustbebased

    onanaccountingoftheorganizationsrealisticcapabilitieswithrespecttocommunications.For

    example,itmaynotbereasonabletoexpectthatallfundingthatcomesintoanorganizationwillhave

    dollarsearmarkedforsocialmediacommunications.Whileanorganizationcanmakesocialmedia

    communications

    a

    priority

    and

    request

    specific

    resources

    for

    it,

    the

    outcome

    also

    depends

    on

    what

    fundersarewillingtosupport.

    Completingtheauditmatrixonpage6providesanimmediateassessmentofareasinwhichtoimprove.

    Thefollowingcaseexampleaboutahypotheticalsmallnonprofitpolicyadvocacyorganization

    demonstrateshowthesocialmediacommunicationsauditcanbeused.Thematrixhasbeenfilledinto

    representthishypotheticalorganizationsperformanceonthetwentyoneessentialsocialmedia

    communicationspractices.

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    CaseStudyExample

    SampleOrgAssessment

    Legend CurrentLevelofActivity OpportunityGapCurrentPerformanceandCapacity:Intheareaofstrategythishypotheticalorganizationhasasolidunderstandingofbestpracticesandtheneedtosetoverarchingvisionsandgoals. However,theirlack

    offocusonevaluatingaudienceandformalizingeffortsisclear. Asaresult,withintheorganizationthis

    createsasenseofcompletenessinregardstoplanningbutoftentimesleavesunansweredquestionsin

    regardtothevalueofsocialmediafortheorganization. Thisthencreatesasenseoflimited

    commitmenttoactivitiesandanoveralladhocuseofstaffresourcesandefforts.

    Regardingimplementation,theorganizationslackofstrategydevelopmenthasleftstaffwithanoverall

    senseoffeelinglost. Themainfocushasbeentocontinuetowithabroadcastapproachtomessaging

    withlittlefocusonstrategicimplementationofefforts. Inaddition,thelackoffocusonaformal

    inventoryofavailableassetshasleftitunclearastowhichstaffisbestsuitedtocompletewhichtasks.

    Integrationisthestrongestofthefourareasoffocus. Thehistoricalunderstandingofmetricanalysis

    regardingthewebsitehashelpedestablishafoundationforasimilarapproachtohowsocialmedia

    effortsareintegrated. Inaddition,asimilarfocusontheenewsletterhasallowedforbaselevel

    integrationintothiscommunicationchannel. Untilamorestrategicapproachcanbedevelopedand

    betterwaysofdemonstratingvaluetheorganizationhasdecidedtoholdoffoncreatingablogorusing

    morethan

    one

    social

    media

    platform.

    IntermsofsupporttheExecutiveleadershiprecognizestherisingneedtobetterutilizesocialmediafor

    theorganizationbuthasbeenslowtoallocateappropriateresourcestosupportituntilthevaluecanbe

    betterdemonstrated. Forsimilarreasonstheroleofsocialmediafortheorganizationatlargehasnot

    beenextendedbeyondthetwostaffwhohavebeeninformallychargedwithcarryingoutthese

    responsibilities.

    5.Optimized4.

    Evaluated

    3.Institutionalized2.Planned1.AdHoc0.NotPerformed

    Vision

    Goa

    ls

    Audience

    Platforms

    Po

    licies

    Listening

    Assets

    Too

    ls

    Community

    Training

    Partners

    hips

    Monitor

    We

    bsite

    Blog

    E

    Mail

    Other

    Print

    Offline

    Support

    Resources

    Invo

    lvesta

    ff

    Strategy Implementation Integration Support

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    AreasforImprovement:Whiletheauditprocesshasrevealedanumberofareasthatcouldbeforpossibleimprovement,therearesomestrongindicatorsforappropriateprioritization. Thesortof

    cyclicalrelationshipthatseemstobeholdingbackprogressinmostareasisalackofidentifiedvalue.

    Withoutclearlyidentifiedvaluesmostareasremainatanadhoclevelandfewresourceswillbe

    allocatedtosupporttheseactivities. Consequently,withactivitiesbeingperformedatonlyanadhoc

    levelthere

    is

    little

    opportunity

    to

    find

    and

    demonstrate

    value.

    Theorganizationcouldgainthegreatestvaluefromprioritizingtwoareas:developingtheirstrategyand

    buildingonthelevelevaluationofcurrentefforts. Afocusonseeinggrowthinthestrategyandplanning

    areawouldgivetheorganizationastrongersenseofwhatvaluetheyarelookingforandhopingtogain

    fromtheirsocialmediaactivities. Therippleeffectofthiswouldalsobethatabetterfoundationwould

    beinplacetomakemorestrategiceffortsintheotherareas. Secondly,ifthereisnosupportprovided

    forevaluationofcurrenteffortsthereislittlehopeofseeingdemonstratedvalueatanypoint,whether

    campaignsaresuccessfulornot.

    Fornowthesocialmediaeffortswillmostlikelyremainfocusedononeplatformandcarriedoutbythe

    twoidentifiedstaff. Movingaheadasthevalueoftheseeffortsbecomemorecleartheresponsibility

    andintegrationacrosstheorganizationshouldbefurtherdeveloped.

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    STEPFIVE:RefinePracticeandRepeattheProcessasNeededThesocialmediacommunicationsauditshouldresultinmorethanjustanidentificationofareasor

    practicesthatneedtobeimproved.Tomaximizethechancesthatauditfindingswillbeusedandactual

    practiceimprovedasaresult,theauditshould:

    Demonstratethrough

    data

    how

    communications

    problems

    are

    causing

    problems

    in

    the

    present

    (as

    opposedtospeculatingabouttheirfutureimpact).Atthesametime,theauditshouldreinforce

    practicesthatarecurrentorganizationalstrengths.

    Generatespecificrecommendationsforhowactualcommunicationpracticecanbeenhanced.Data

    needtobelinkedtoconcreteactions.

    Maketransparenttheorganizationalbenefitsofadoptingthoseactions;inadditiontothe

    weaknessestheyaredesignedtoaddress.

    Prioritizerecommendationssoorganizationsarenotimmobilizedbytheprospectofimplementing

    them.

    Intermsoffrequency,formalcommunicationsauditsshouldbeconductedabouteveryfiveyears.Informalauditsonwhichorganizationsinternallyrevisittheirsocialmediacommunicationscapacityand

    performancelevelsmaybedonemorefrequently.Auditsshouldalsobeconsideredafteran

    organizationexperiencesacriticalincidentthatmightaffectcommunications,suchaswhenthe

    organizationchangesmission,changesleadership,orexperiencesacrisis.

    ConclusionAsdescribedhere,socialmediacommunicationsauditsare,attheircore,anevaluationtool.Unlike

    mostevaluationtoolsorpractices,however,theydonotfocusontheresultsoroutcomesofan

    organizationscommunicationspracticesaftertheyareimplementedoramongtheirtargetaudiences.

    Rather,

    they

    focus

    on

    the

    organization

    itself,

    its

    practice

    and

    capacity,

    and

    how

    the

    organization

    has

    positionedthecommunicationsfunction.Nonprofitorganizations,however,oftenoverlookthistypeof

    assessmentasapossibilitywhenaskedtoevaluatetheircommunicationsstrategiesoractivities.

    Experiencingthesocialmediacommunicationsauditprocess,usingtheapproachdescribedhereor

    anotherdesignedtowardasimilarend,canbeacriticalpartofanorganizationsprogressiontoward

    morestrategic,andultimatelymoreeffective,socialmediacommunications.

    *Thisdocument,methodologyandframeworkhavebeendevelopedlargelyonthefoundationofresourcesdevelopedbytheCommunicationsConsortiumMediaCenterforthepurposesofatraditionalCommunicationsAudit.

    By

    largely

    we

    mean

    the

    majority

    is

    theirs

    and

    our

    focus

    has

    been

    to

    modify

    it

    for

    use

    related

    to

    social

    media

    specificallyandsomeupdatingofcontent.Justgivingcreditwhereitisdue.Assuchweaskthatthistoolbefreelyusedandmodifiedtomeetyourneedsasyouseefit.Allthatweaskisthatthetoolbesharedandnotrepurposedforsaleasaproductonitsown.