Almost every business today has a social media presence, but most small businesses have no clue if it’s actually working. How can you tell for sure?

Simply posting a weekly blog article or showing up on Facebook a few times a week isn’t a guarantee that your social media presence is helping drive traffic to your business. As you evaluate your social media strategy and its effectiveness, consider a few key elements.

  1. How do you measure its value? In order to gauge social media’s effectiveness, you need to know who is visiting your website. Google Analytics is a great tool to monitor which tools are driving visitors to your site and what type of messaging is working. Your blog and Facebook might be highly utilized, but Pinterest – not so much. Google Analytics can tell you what’s working and what isn’t.

  1. Is it engaging customer interaction? Is the social media you are using in line with your company’s culture, voice and mission? Does it have a personality? Social media is meant to be social, and people are less likely to become engaged by posting comments, likes or shares if the content is stuffy or boring.

  1. What platforms are you using? Every business has their own unique brand and their messaging should be in line with that brand. Understanding who your customer is, where and how they are searching is key to knowing which social media platform to utilize. You don’t have to be active on every platform, just choose the platforms that work for your business.

  1. What are your goals? What is your social media strategy? Do you have one? Lack of content strategy, such as an editorial calendar for blog posts based on short and long-term goals, is essential. Without well-defined goals, how do you know if you are achieving them (see #1).