Social media mistake scorecard: check your accounts in 30 minutes

Key takeaways

The GBL Social Media Mistake Scorecard checks a business account in five areas: aim, profile, posts, replies and results. Score each 0, 1 or 2, add them up out of 10 and fix the lowest area first. It takes about 30 minutes with a phone and last month's messages.

• 5 areas, scored 0 to 2 each, for a total out of 10.
• 8 to 10 is sound: more good content will grow results.
• 5 to 7 means fix the weakest area before posting more.
• 4 or below means start with aim and replies.

What is the social media mistake scorecard?

The social media mistake scorecard is a 10-point self-check that shows which part of a business's social media is losing it customers. It replaces a long audit with five questions an owner can answer honestly in half an hour, and it points to one area to fix rather than twenty.

• The most common social media marketing mistakes small businesses make
• Social media audit checklist for small businesses

How do you score each area?

Score each area 0 if it is missing or broken, 1 if it partly works and 2 if it works well. Be strict: if you have to think hard about whether something is true, it is a 1.

• 1. Aim: one measurable goal, one type of buyer and the platform they use.
• 2. Profile: a stranger sees what you do, where and how to contact you in 5 seconds.
• 3. Posts: most posts give buyers a reason to stop and a clear next step.
• 4. Replies: comments and messages answered within the working day.
• 5. Results: you know how many enquiries social media produced last month.

What do the totals mean?

A total of 8 to 10 means the basics are sound and growth will come from more of what works. A total of 5 to 7 means one or two areas are holding the rest back, so fix the weakest before adding content or ads. A total of 4 or below means start with aim and replies, because nothing else can work without them.

• Which social media mistakes should you fix first?

How do you run the check in 30 minutes?

Use your phone, not a laptop, because that is how customers see you. Spend about five minutes on each area and write the score down as you go.

• Minutes 1–5: write the goal and buyer; check they match the platform.
• Minutes 6–10: open your profile as a stranger; time how long contact takes.
• Minutes 11–15: read your last ten posts; count those with a next step.
• Minutes 16–25: check comments and messages from last month for reply times.
• Minutes 26–30: find last month's enquiry count from social media.

When is the scorecard the wrong tool?

The scorecard is the wrong tool for a business running large paid campaigns, several brands or regulated advertising, where a fuller audit of ad accounts and compliance is needed. It is also less useful for an account under three months old, because results will not yet be meaningful. In those cases, score aim, profile and replies only.

• Paid social mistakes that waste small business budgets

What evidence should you gather before scoring?

Gather evidence before scoring so the numbers are honest rather than remembered. You need your main profile open on a phone, your last ten posts, last month's comments and messages with their reply times, and any record of enquiries from social media. Without that evidence, most owners score themselves a point or two too high.

• A screenshot of your profile as a stranger sees it.
• Your last ten posts, with any next step marked.
• Reply times for last month's messages.
• Last month's enquiries, from any source you keep.

What does this look like in practice?

A common pattern: an owner expects a low score for posts and is surprised that posts score 2 while replies score 0. Messages sit in three inboxes and are answered on Sunday evenings. Fixing replies is free and takes a week; it is also the change most likely to show in enquiries first.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Scorecard checklist

• Score on a phone, not a laptop.
• Use last month's real messages and numbers.
• Write a score for every area before fixing anything.
• Fix the lowest area first.
• Re-score every quarter.

• Social media mistakes checklist: 20 checks
• What social media mistakes really cost a small business

Next step

Run the scorecard today and write down the lowest area. That single area is your plan for the next 30 days.