How to perform an X (Twitter) audit

X, formerly Twitter, can be a good platform for businesses because it offers direct customer access, advertising opportunities, & hashtag usage info. But X may not be the best fit for a business's social media strategy.

Helpful Resources

Profile Information

Purpose: A well-optimized profile enhances brand visibility and engagement!

Action Items: Fill out the following information.

Name on Account
- List out the account name. Look for typos or discrepancies, or even ways to improve the client’s presence.
- Analyze the consistency and clarity of the account name. Also look at consistency across platforms.
Profile Picture
- Copy or download the profile image and insert it into the profile image cell in the social media audit.
- Examine the profile picture’s relevance to the account’s purpose. Also look at consistency across platforms. Does the image match what the client does and is it a good format for round social media profile images?
- Also take a look at the X banner image. The profile banner above the company logo offers a bit more room for creativity, as there are no hard-and-fast rules for using this space (other than some sizing requirements). Consider a collage of the client’s products or a good quality image related to their industry/services.
Handle Name
- Copy and paste the handle
- Analyze the handle’s uniqueness and memorability. Also look at consistency across platforms.
- Connect the handle to the brand, keywords, or personal identity.
URL
- Paste in the profile link
Bio Descriptions
- Copy and paste
- Analyze the bio text for clarity, conciseness, and brand messaging. Look at the key information conveyed in the bio and if any improvements can be made.

Link in Bio
- Examine the website link and ensure it is accurate and up to date.

- Summarize the call-to-action or purpose of the link and suggest improvements if needed. Maybe the client would benefit from a dynamic link in bio if they are regularly needing multiple links or it would benefit customers.
Last Active Date / Post Date
- Find the date of the last post the client posted.
Multiple Accounts Found
- This is rare but sometimes happens. Do a quick search of the client’s name to see if they have outdated and unused social media accounts.
Profile Analysis
- Combine insights from all the above elements.
- Identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
- Summarize actionable recommendations for optimizing the account’s profile and performance.

Account Statistics Overview

Followers
- List out the current number of followers
Frequency of Posting (Per Week)
- Just average this out based on looking at their posting frequency.
Engagement Rate
- This is a great, free X engagement rate calculator you can use. It's free for a few uses a day.
  - https://phlanx.com/twitter-engagement-calculator
Account Statistics Analysis
- Dive deeper into all this and provide insights on
  - Frequency of Posting (Per Week):
    - Examine the consistency of posting frequency.
    - Connect posting patterns to engagement levels (e.g., more frequent posts may lead to higher engagement).
    - Summarize the optimal posting frequency based on audience response.
  - Engagement Rate:
    - Calculate the engagement rate (likes, comments, shares) per post.
    - Connect engagement metrics to specific types of content (e.g., videos, images, article links, text posts).
    - Summarize which posts resonate most with the audience. Some clients may not have utilized all these so make note of that.
- Overall Analysis:
  - Combine insights from followers, posting frequency, and engagement.
  - Identify patterns or correlations (e.g., higher engagement on certain days or times).
  - Summarize actionable recommendations for improving social media performance.
  - Give some good insights into what time of day is best for posting on X.
    - According to Buffer data, the best time to post on Twitter or X is at 11 a.m. on Monday and 11 a.m. on Friday. Tweets posted at those times tend to have the highest engagement rates, according to Buffer’s analysis of more than 1 million tweets.
      - Monday: 12 p.m.
      - Tuesday: 11 a.m.
      - Wednesday: 2 p.m.
      - Thursday: 12 p.m.
      - Friday: 11 a.m.
      - Saturday: 10 p.m.
      - The best time to post on Twitter on Sunday is 7 p.m. Tweeting at midnight is another good option, with 3 p.m. also peaking slightly (but notably behind the other time slots).

Platform Demographics

No edits actually need to happen to this section! These numbers are standard and just useful information preloaded into the audit that can help you understand which social media platforms the client’s target audience spends their time on.

Best Performing Posts

Purpose: Analyzing a client’s best-performing X post sheds insights into what content resonates most with their audience. By understanding which posts receive the highest engagement, we can refine our social media strategy, create more relevant content, and optimize future campaigns to drive better results.
Action Items: If you have access to the client’s business account, you can find performance data inside the business analytics inside X. If not, spend some time scrolling the client’s X and identify the most liked post in the last year. There are a few metrics you can use to determine the best performing post. Usually these all line up but not always. Often the most liked post is also the most shared, but not always the most commented on. In most cases, likes or shares are the best metrics to determine best performing post.
- Post
  - Photo
    - If applicable, copy the image and paste it into the cell in the audit.

- - Post URL Link
    - Copy and paste the link to the post
  - Post Caption
    - Copy and paste the post caption to analyze for performance
  - CTA
    - There may not be one, but if so, list it. If not, just put “N/A”
  - Content Type
    - Video, single image, multiple images, text post, article link, etc.
- Post Timing
  - Date
  - Day of Week
- Statistics
  - Likes
    - Number of likes on the post
  - Comments
    - Number of comments on the post
  - Shares (reposts on X)
    - Number of reposts on the post
  - Views/Saves
    - X also shows post views which isn't common to other platforms. Put the number of saves in this cell.

Action Plan & Strategies

Platform Objectives

Purpose: Determining the platform objective sets the direction for the brand's X presence, guiding content creation and audience engagement strategies. While a brand can have multiple objectives, focusing on more than 3-5 main goals can lead to a diluted message and scattered content, making it challenging to effectively resonate with the audience and achieve meaningful results.
Action Items: List 3-5 objectives in the Platform Objective section of your audit. This list can get you started, but feel free to include your own ideas based on what the client has expressed.
- Real-time customer engagement and support.
- Sharing timely updates and news.
- Building brand presence and awareness.
- Connecting with influencers and thought leaders.
- Expanding reach and audience engagement.
- Driving traffic to website or specific content.
- Generating leads and conversions.
- Monitoring industry trends and conversations.
- Participating in relevant discussions and hashtag campaigns.
- Strengthening customer relationships through interactive content.

What's Working?

Purpose: Identify successful strategies and best practices that contribute to their social media success. By understanding their strengths, we can leverage and build upon these elements to further enhance their X presence and achieve their business objectives.
Action Items: List out a few of the social strategies the client is doing well. These can always be improved on, but we want to be sure to notate what is working well for them. A few ideas to get you started:
- Real-time Engagement and Support: Respond promptly to customer inquiries, feedback, and complaints. Utilize direct messages for personalized support.
- Timely Updates and News: Share company news, product launches, and industry updates as they happen. Utilize hashtags to join relevant conversations and trends.
- Brand Presence and Awareness: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep the brand top-of-mind. Use visual content, such as images and videos, to stand out in the feed.
- Influencer and Thought Leader Connections: Engage with influencers and thought leaders by retweeting their content, mentioning them in relevant discussions, and building genuine relationships.
- Reach and Audience Engagement: Encourage retweets, likes, and replies by posting engaging content, asking questions, and running polls or surveys. Retweet and engage with followers' content to foster community.
- Traffic Generation: Share links to website content, blog posts, and landing pages. Use compelling visuals and clear calls-to-action to drive clicks.
- Lead Generation and Conversions: Utilize Twitter Ads for targeted lead generation campaigns. Pin tweets with lead magnets or special offers to the top of the profile.
- Monitoring Trends and Conversations: Use Twitter lists and monitoring tools to track industry trends, relevant hashtags, and competitor activities. Participate in real-time conversations and provide valuable insights.
- Participation in Discussions and Hashtag Campaigns: Join industry-related Twitter chats, participate in relevant hashtag campaigns, and contribute to trending topics to increase visibility and engagement.
- Interactive Content for Customer Relationships: Host Twitter Q&A sessions, live chats, or Twitter Spaces for direct interaction with customers. Run contests, giveaways, and challenges to encourage user participation and engagement.

What Could Be Improved?

Purpose: Auditing these aspects allows us to identify areas for improvement and develop actionable recommendations to optimize the client's X presence, increase engagement, and drive business results.
Action Items: List out a few of the social strategies the client could improve upon. You will list specific action items in the next row. A few ideas to get you started:
- Real-time Engagement and Support: Ensure timely responses to customer inquiries and feedback, utilizing direct messages for personalized support and resolving issues promptly.
- Timely Updates and News: Share company news, product launches, and industry updates promptly as they happen, utilizing relevant hashtags to increase visibility and join conversations.
- Brand Presence and Awareness: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep the brand top-of-mind for followers, utilizing visually appealing content like images and videos to stand out in the feed.
- Influencer and Thought Leader Connections: Engage with influencers and thought leaders by retweeting their content, mentioning them in relevant discussions, and building genuine relationships to increase brand credibility.
- Reach and Audience Engagement: Encourage retweets, likes, and replies by posting engaging content, asking questions, and running polls or surveys to foster community engagement and interaction.
- Traffic Generation: Share links to website content, blog posts, and landing pages with compelling visuals and clear calls-to-action to drive clicks and increase website traffic.
- Lead Generation and Conversions: Utilize Twitter Ads for targeted lead generation campaigns, pinning tweets with lead magnets or special offers to the top of the profile to capture audience interest and drive conversions.
- Monitoring Trends and Conversations: Use Twitter lists and monitoring tools to track industry trends, relevant hashtags, and competitor activities, participating in real-time conversations and providing valuable insights to stay relevant and engaged.
- Participation in Discussions and Hashtag Campaigns: Join industry-related Twitter chats, participate in relevant hashtag campaigns, and contribute to trending topics to increase visibility, engagement, and participation within the community.
- Interactive Content for Customer Relationships: Host Twitter Q&A sessions, live chats, or Twitter Spaces for direct interaction with customers, running contests, giveaways, and challenges to encourage user participation and foster stronger customer relationships.

Action Items

- Purpose: These specific tasks help prioritize efforts, guide implementation, and ensure that identified areas for improvement are addressed effectively, leading to measurable progress and tangible results in achieving the client's social media goals.
- Action Items: Ideally you will analyze the platform as whole and identify what needs to be fixed and list the action item to fix it in this section. Each item listed in the previous “What Could Be Improved?” section should have an action item attached to it. Here are a few specifics to get you started:
  - Real-time Engagement and Support: Respond promptly to inquiries and feedback, use direct messages for personalized support.
  - Timely Updates and News: Share news promptly, use relevant hashtags for visibility.
  - Brand Presence: Maintain consistent posting with engaging visuals.
  - Influencer Engagement: Engage with influencers through retweets and mentions.
  - Audience Engagement: Post engaging content, run polls and surveys.
  - Traffic Generation: Share website links with clear calls-to-action.
  - Lead Generation: Utilize Twitter Ads, pin tweets with offers.
  - Trend Monitoring: Use lists and tools to track trends, participate in conversations.
  - Hashtag Participation: Join chats, contribute to trending topics.
  - Interactive Content: Host Q&A sessions, run contests, engage with followers.

Should clients utilize X as part of their social media strategy?

As we're evaluating potential strategies for our clients, it's crucial to consider whether X is the right fit for them. When evaluating this, there are several key factors we need to keep in mind.

Target Audience: Evaluate if the client's ideal customers are active on X.

Industry Fit: Consider if the client's industry or niche aligns well with X's format, particularly in media, news, entertainment, and technology sectors.

Client Objectives: Assess if the client's goals include real-time engagement, sharing timely updates or news, or connecting with influencers and thought leaders.

Resource Availability: Ensure the client has the resources and capabilities to maintain an active presence on X, including content creation, engagement, and monitoring.

Competitive Analysis: Analyze if competitors are successfully leveraging X and engaging with their audience, indicating potential benefits for the client.