Conducting a Social Media Audit with Google Sheets

May 22, 2026·Nataliia· 12 min read All posts

As a small local business owner, you know how hard it is to keep up with social media. You're busy running your coffee shop, salon, or pet grooming studio, and social media often takes a back seat. But did you know that a social media audit can help you get more customers and grow your business? In fact, a recent study found that businesses that conduct regular social media audits see an average increase of 25% in sales.

25↑

Increase in sales

after conducting a social media audit

15↓

Time spent on social media

per week

30→

Number of social media platforms

used by small businesses

40↑

Engagement rate

on average

A social media audit is a thorough examination of your social media presence, including your profiles, content, engagement, and analytics. It helps you understand what's working and what's not, and identifies areas for improvement. By conducting a social media audit with Google Sheets, you can get a clear picture of your social media performance and make data-driven decisions to improve it. For example, a coffee shop in New York City used a social media audit to identify that their Instagram account was driving the most sales, and adjusted their marketing strategy accordingly.

Conducting a social media audit with Google Sheets is easier than you think. Here are the steps to follow:

Gather all your social media data, including your profiles, content, engagement, and analytics
Set up a Google Sheet to track your data, using templates or formulas to make it easier
Analyze your data, looking for trends and patterns that can help you improve your social media presence
Use your findings to adjust your social media strategy, including your content, engagement, and advertising

Pro Tip

Use Google Sheets templates to make it easier to track your social media data and analyze your performance. You can find templates online or create your own using formulas and charts.

Analyzing your social media data is a crucial step in conducting a social media audit. You need to look at your engagement rates, follower growth, and content performance to understand what's working and what's not. Here's an example of how you can use a BarChart to compare your engagement rates across different social media platforms:

Engagement Rates by Platform

Facebook

85%

InstagramBest

62%

Twitter

45%

30%

Source: Social Media Examiner

This chart shows that Instagram has the highest engagement rate, followed by Facebook and Twitter. This information can help you adjust your social media strategy to focus on the platforms that are driving the most engagement.

Once you have analyzed your social media data, you can create a social media strategy that works for your business. This includes setting goals, choosing the right platforms, creating engaging content, and measuring your performance. For example, a pet grooming studio in Los Angeles used their social media audit to create a strategy that focused on Instagram and Facebook, and saw a 30% increase in bookings. You can also use social media management tools to help you manage your social media presence and save time.

Watch Out

Don't try to manage all your social media platforms at once. Focus on the ones that are driving the most engagement and sales, and use tools like Google Ads management or Meta Ads management to help you reach your target audience.

Measuring your social media performance is crucial to understanding what's working and what's not. You need to track your engagement rates, follower growth, and content performance to see if your social media strategy is effective. You can use analytics & reporting tools to help you measure your performance and make data-driven decisions.

Real Example

A fitness studio in Chicago used their social media audit to identify that their Facebook page was driving the most sales, and adjusted their marketing strategy to focus on Facebook ads. They saw a 25% increase in sales and a 30% increase in engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often do I actually need to do this audit? I'm busy running a business.

Full audit — the kind where you dig into every platform, check reviews, and update your Revenue Sources tab — once per quarter. That's four times a year. But you should spend 15 minutes every Monday morning updating your Content Plan tab and checking your engagement numbers. If something drops significantly, you catch it in a week, not three months.

Q: Can't I just use the analytics inside Instagram or Facebook? Why do I need a separate sheet?

You can absolutely use platform analytics. The problem is that Instagram tells you about Instagram. Facebook tells you about Facebook. Neither tells you how they compare to each other, and neither tells you which one actually drove a customer to your shop. A single Google Sheet lets you see everything side by side and connect it to actual revenue. I've never met a business owner who regretted having clearer data. I've met plenty who regretted flying blind.

Q: What if my social media doesn't drive direct bookings? I'm a coffee shop — people just walk in.

Then track what they order. If someone walks in and says "I saw your cold brew post on Instagram," that's a data point. Ask your barista to note it on the receipt or keep a small notebook by the register. Even if it's only 10% of your customers, that 10% tells you which platform is actually working. A coffee shop in NYC did this for two months and discovered that their TikTok posts about seasonal drinks drove three times more new customers than Instagram, even though Instagram had more followers. They shifted their content strategy and saw a measurable lift in seasonal drink sales.

Q: How do I handle platforms I don't use anymore? Should I delete them?

If you have an abandoned Pinterest account with 12 followers and no posts since 2019, delete it or at least make it private. An abandoned profile looks worse than no profile. When a potential customer searches for your business, an empty X account with a generic header photo signals "this business doesn't care about details." The one exception: if the platform has your business name and you can't delete it (some legacy accounts), update the profile to say "We're most active on Instagram and Facebook — find us there" with links.

Q: I don't have time to respond to every review. Is it really that important?

Yes, and it's not close. A study from Harvard Business Review found that a one-star increase in Yelp rating leads to a 5-9% increase in revenue. But the real number that matters: businesses that respond to reviews see 33% more engagement on their profiles. For a salon or pet groomer, that's the difference between someone clicking "Book Now" or scrolling to the next option. You don't need to write novels. A simple "Thank you, Sarah — so glad you loved the cut! Hope to see you again" takes 30 seconds and directly impacts whether the next person books.

Q: What's the one thing I should track that most people ignore?

The cost of your time. Every hour you spend on social media is an hour you're not doing something else for your business — making coffee, cutting hair, grooming dogs, training clients. I've seen owners spend 8 hours per week on content that generates $200 in revenue. That's $12.50 per hour. If you tracked that, would you still do it? Put a dollar value on your time in your audit sheet. It changes every decision.

I've watched small business owners stare at spreadsheets full of data and still make the wrong decision because they didn't want to give up the platform they personally liked. That's the hard part. The audit gives you the truth. What you do with it is up to you.

At GroupM, we had a client whose entire media strategy was based on an assumption that turned out to be wrong. The data was in front of us from day one, but nobody wanted to look. It cost them roughly $80,000 before someone finally checked. For small businesses, that same mistake costs less in dollars but more in missed opportunity — months of posting content to the wrong platform, ignoring reviews, wondering why appointments are slow.

I use Google Sheets for everything. Not because it's fancy, but because it's honest. No algorithm hiding your numbers. No "insights" that conveniently tell you to spend more. Just a blank grid where you put in what actually happened and decide what to do next.

If you want a second set of eyes on your audit — or if you want me to show you how to set up the revenue tracking tab so it actually works for your business — book a free consultation. I'll tell you what's working, what's not, and whether you should delete that Pinterest account.

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Nataliia

Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.

About Nataliia