Auditing and understanding your competitors’ content strategies is an important step for any business looking to increase their brand’s online presence. For small and medium-sized businesses, this insight can be the key to unlocking new growth opportunities. Here’s how you can dissect and learn from the content strategies of your competitors to refine your own.

Why Analyze Competitor Content Strategies?

Before diving into the analysis, it’s important to understand why it’s important. By dissecting your competitors’ content, you’re able to gain insights into what works (and what doesn’t) within your industry. This knowledge can help you identify trends, understand customer preferences and uncover gaps in your own strategy that present opportunities for improvement.

How to Identify Your Real Competitors?

Look for Secondary and Tertiary Competitors

Your competitors are not just companies that offer similar products or services. When looking into content marketing, your competitors include any entity that vies for your target audience’s attention. This broader perspective ensures you’re not missing out on valuable insights from indirect competitors or content creators in adjacent industries.

Put Yourself in your Customers Shoes

What problems do you solve for your customers? Type those queries into Google to see what you get back. What interests might your customers have? Explore social media channels like Instagram as if you are interested in the same things. Sometimes we become too close to our own business, product and offerings and it can be helpful to play the role of our customers and explore options to gain insights into our competition and ways we may be able to improve.

Utilizing Tools for Competitor Identification

Various digital tools can help identify your competitors based on keywords, market presence, and audience overlap. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest can provide a comprehensive view of who you’re up against in the digital space.

Analyzing Competitor Content Strategies

Content Types and Formats

Examine the types of content your competitors produce. Do they use blogs, videos, infographics, or podcasts? Are the posting regularly on social media and updating their website blog? Are they using video or static content? Do they write whitepapers and authority building long form content? Where do they show up in the media? Understanding the formats can give you insights into what your target audience prefers and how you might diversify your own content strategy.

Engagement and Performance Metrics

Look at engagement metrics like shares, comments, and likes to gauge what resonates with the audience. High-performing content can indicate topics or formats that might also work well for your business. You can also use tools like Ubersuggest to estimate traffic and other key elements for website content.

Identifying Content Gaps and Opportunities

Finding the Gaps

Analyze areas where your competitors’ content is lacking. Are there underserved topics or questions that your business can address? Filling these gaps can position your brand as a thought leader in the industry. If you are in the e-commerce space, check their Amazon or website reviews for common concerns or rave reviews. Check their Google Business Profile for reviews and responses to understand what customers value and how you may be able to provide more and better options.

Leveraging Unique Insights from Competitor Content Strategies

As a small or medium-sized business, you have the agility to innovate quickly. Use unique insights or fresh angles to create content that stands out. This could involve highlighting your brand’s unique value propositions, tapping into niche markets or capitalizing on trends, social media or otherwise.

Implementing Your Findings

With the insights gathered, develop a content strategy that incorporates successful elements from your competitors while addressing gaps they’ve left open. Remember, the goal isn’t to copy but to learn and adapt. Tailor your strategy to your brand’s voice and the specific needs of your target audience.

A good content strategy aligns with your overall business goal and ultimately, drives revenue. If you’re struggling to tie your tactics together into a cohesive strategy that grows revenue, you may benefit from a consultation with a Fractional CMO.

In conclusion, analyzing your competitors’ content strategies is an ongoing process that can dramatically enhance your marketing efforts. By staying attuned to the competitive landscape and adapting your strategy accordingly, you can ensure that your content resonates with your audience and drives your business forward.