How good is your social media, really?

You’re posting without a destination. Write down one goal for social media this quarter, such as ten enquiries, and who you need to reach to hit it. Every post should serve that goal.

You know roughly what you want, but it isn’t written down or measured. Turn it into one number for the quarter and drop any platform your buyers don’t use.

Clear goals on the right platforms. Review them each quarter so the plan keeps pace with the business.

Posting is sporadic, so both the algorithm and your audience forget you. Commit to one post a week on one platform, planned a fortnight ahead, with one named owner.

You post fairly often, but it slips when things get busy. A simple two-week content calendar and a fixed posting day will smooth it out.

Steady, planned and owned. Batch your content once a month to free up time for conversations.

Generic or stock content won’t stand out. Start showing your real team, work and premises, and end each post with one clear next step.

There’s good original content, but it isn’t consistent in look or purpose. Set up simple brand templates and give every post a reason to act.

Original, on-brand and focused on action. Try short video and customer stories to reach further.

Social media is a conversation, and right now it’s one-way. Reply to every comment and message within a working day, and complete your profiles.

You respond, but you’re not starting conversations. Spend 15 minutes a day commenting on posts from customers, partners and local businesses.

Responsive and active in your community. Turn your regular commenters into case studies and referrals.

Without measuring, you can’t tell what’s working. Check your analytics monthly and ask every new enquiry how they found you.

You look at the numbers but don’t act on them yet. Each month, do more of your top three posts and drop the bottom three.

You’re measuring and adapting. Connect social media to your CRM so you can see the enquiries and sales it brings in, not just reach.