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Try freeHow do you conduct a social media competitive analysis?
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Claude 4.5 SonnetHow do you conduct a social media competitive analysis?
A social media competitive analysis is a systematic audit of your competitors' social strategies to identify gaps, opportunities, and threats in your own approach. Here’s a practical framework you can execute immediately:
Phase 1: Scope & Setup (Week 1)
1. Identify Your Competitor Tiers
Don’t analyze everyone. Pick 5-7 competitors across these categories:
- Direct competitors: Same audience, same solution (e.g., if you sell running shoes, analyze Nike, Brooks, Hoka)
- Aspirational competitors: Bigger brands you want to emulate (e.g., analyzing Red Bull if you’re a local energy drink)
- Adjacent competitors: Different product, same audience (e.g., fitness apps if you sell workout gear)
Action step: Create a spreadsheet with columns for Competitor Name, Platform Handle, Follower Count (baseline), and Primary Platform.
2. Define Your Battlegrounds
Only analyze platforms where you actually compete or plan to enter. If your competitor has 2M TikTok followers but you’re B2B SaaS focused on LinkedIn, ignore TikTok unless you’re planning a pivot.
Phase 2: Data Collection (Week 1-2)
3. The Content Audit Matrix
For each competitor, document their last 30 posts (or 90 days, whichever is shorter) across each platform:
| Metric | What to Track | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Post Frequency | Posts per week/day | Reveals resource investment and algorithm strategy |
| Content Mix | % Educational vs. Promotional vs. Entertainment | Shows audience nurturing vs. selling balance |
| Format Distribution | Reels vs. Carousels vs. Static vs. Text | Identifies platform priorities (e.g., if they’re heavy on Reels, video is winning) |
| Post Timing | Days/times posted | Cross-reference with engagement to find audience active hours |
| Caption Length | Short (<50 words) vs. Long (storytelling) | Indicates platform-specific copy strategies |
Pro tip: Use a tool like Notion or Airtable with a gallery view to screenshot top-performing posts for visual reference.
4. Engagement Deep-Dive
Calculate engagement rates manually for accuracy (tools often get this wrong):
- Engagement Rate by Follower = (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Follower Count × 100
- Engagement Rate by Reach = (Total Engagements) / Reach × 100 (if visible, e.g., on LinkedIn or TikTok)
Red flag to spot: High follower count (100k+) with low engagement (<1%) usually means bought followers or dying account.
5. Keyword & Hashtag Intelligence
- Bio Keywords: What terms do they use to describe themselves? (This reveals positioning)
- Hashtag Sets: Document their top 10 recurring hashtags. Are they using branded hashtags (#JustDoIt) or community tags?
- SEO Terms: What phrases appear repeatedly in captions? (Indicates content pillar strategy)
Phase 3: Strategic Analysis (Week 2)
6. The SWOT Social Matrix
For each competitor, fill out:
Strengths: What are they undeniably good at? (e.g., "Nike’s user-generated content integration") Weaknesses: Where are the gaps? (e.g., "Slow response time to comments," "No video content") Opportunities: What are they missing that you could own? (e.g., "They ignore LinkedIn entirely") Threats: What are they planning that could hurt you? (e.g., "Launching ambassador program in Q3")
7. Audience Sentiment Scan
Don’t just look at what they post—read the comments:
- Complaint patterns: What do customers wish they offered?
- Praise patterns: What emotional triggers resonate? (Convenience? Status? Belonging?)
- Community language: How does the audience talk? (Technical jargon vs. casual slang)
8. Paid vs. Organic Detective Work
- Look for "Sponsored" tags on their best posts (indicates ad spend behind top content)
- Check their Meta Ad Library (facebook.com/ads/library) to see active campaigns, creative angles, and CTAs they’re testing
- Invisible metrics: If a post has 10k likes but only 12 comments, it’s likely boosted/boosted poorly
Phase 4: Action & Implementation (Week 3)
9. The Gap Analysis Report
Create a 1-page executive summary with these sections:
The White Space: "Competitors X, Y, and Z ignore [specific platform/topic/format]. We can own this by..." The Benchmark: "Average posting frequency in our space is 5x/week. We’re at 2x. To compete, we need..." The Differentiator: "Everyone uses corporate speak. We’ll win with [specific tone/format]..."
10. Content Pillars to Test
Based on gaps you found, create 3 experimental content pillars for the next quarter:
- The "They Ignored This" Pillar: Solve the complaints you saw in competitor comments
- The "Format Gap" Pillar: If they’re all static images, test video series
- The "Timing" Pillar: Post when they’re silent (analyze their schedule for off-hours)
Tools to Speed This Up
Free/Low-Cost:
- Native Platform Insights: Most accurate for timing and basic metrics
- Google Sheets + Supermetrics (free trial): Auto-pulls data from Meta/Twitter
- Notion Web Clipper: Screenshot competitor posts directly into your database
Paid (for scaling):
- Sprout Social or Hootsuite: Competitor reporting dashboards
- Semrush Social: Tracks competitor posting frequency and engagement trends
- Brandwatch: Sentiment analysis at scale
Quick-Start Template
Today: Pick 3 direct competitors and screenshot their last 10 Instagram posts. This Week: Fill out the Content Audit Matrix for one platform. Next Week: Calculate their engagement rates and identify 2 opportunities they’re missing.
What specific industry or platform are you focused on? I can help you tailor this framework—for example, B2B LinkedIn analysis looks very different from TikTok consumer brand auditing.
Also, do you have any specific competitors in mind that you’re currently losing to, or are you entering a new market where you need to map the landscape from scratch? This will change whether we focus on defensive positioning or offensive opportunity-seizing.
DeepSeek V3.2How do you conduct a social media competitive analysis?
How to Conduct a Social Media Competitive Analysis: Step-by-Step Guide
Conducting a social media competitive analysis helps you benchmark your performance, spot content gaps, and uncover strategies to outperform rivals. This process typically takes 4-8 hours initially, then 1-2 hours quarterly for updates. Use a spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel) or free templates from Hootsuite/Sprout Social to track data.
Step 1: Identify Competitors (30-60 minutes)
- List 5-10 competitors: Include 3-5 direct (same products/services), 2-3 indirect (solve similar problems differently), and 1-2 aspirational (leaders in your niche).
- Search Google: "[your industry] top brands on Instagram/TikTok".
- Use social platforms: Search keywords/hashtags, check "Suggested accounts".
- Tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator or SEMrush for quick lists.
- Action: Create a table with columns: Competitor Name, Website, Key Platforms, Follower Count (initial snapshot).
Step 2: Select Platforms and Timeframe (15 minutes)
- Focus on 2-4 platforms where your audience/competitors are active (e.g., Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X/Twitter).
- Analyze the last 30-90 days for relevance; extend to 6 months for trends.
- Action: Note active channels per competitor. Skip inactive ones.
Step 3: Gather Quantitative and Qualitative Data (1-2 hours)
Audit profiles and content manually or with tools. Track these metrics:
| Metric Category | What to Track | How to Get It |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | Followers, growth rate, bio, profile pic/header, link in bio | Native profiles; tools like Socialinsider for growth charts |
| Posting | Frequency (posts/week), best times, content mix (e.g., 40% Reels, 30% Stories) | Scroll timelines; count last 50 posts |
| Engagement | Avg. likes/comments/shares/saves per post, engagement rate (engagements/followers x 100) | Calculate manually or use platform Insights (business accounts) |
| Content | Top 5-10 posts (themes, formats, hashtags, CTAs), video length, user-generated content | Sort by "Most Recent" or "Top"; note viral patterns |
| Audience | Demographics, top locations (if public) | Platform analytics or tools like Sprout Social |
| Paid/Other | Ads (creatives, frequency), sentiment (positive/negative comments), collaborations | Meta Ad Library (FB/IG), TikTok Creative Center |
- Free manual tools: Platform search, ad libraries.
- Pro tip: Export data to a sheet with formulas for engagement rate:
=(SUM(likes+comments+shares)/followers)*100.
Step 4: Analyze and Benchmark (1-2 hours)
- Calculate benchmarks: Avg. your metrics across competitors vs. yours.
- SWOT Framework per competitor (and your brand):
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats High engagement on Reels Low posting frequency Underused hashtags Rising competitor ad spend - Visualize: Charts for follower growth, engagement trends (use Google Sheets).
- Spot patterns: What content wins? (E.g., short videos > carousels?) Gaps? (E.g., no TikTok presence?)
- Action: Identify 3-5 quick wins, like adopting top hashtags or matching post frequency.
Step 5: Act, Monitor, and Repeat (Ongoing)
- Implement: Test 1-2 rival tactics (e.g., their best content format).
- Set alerts: Use tools for weekly digests.
- Review quarterly: Trends shift fast (e.g., AI content in 2026).
- KPIs to track post-analysis: +20% engagement, follower growth matching benchmarks.
Recommended Tools for 2026 (Free & Paid)
- Free: Meta/TikTok Ad Libraries, Google Sheets templates (Hootsuite/Sprout), Ubersuggest.
- Freemium/Best Value:
Tool Key Features Pricing (2026 est.) Hootsuite Competitor dashboards, reports, templates Free trial; $19/mo Sprout Social Engagement benchmarks, word clouds Free trial; $149/mo Rival IQ Side-by-side comparisons, YouTube incl. Free template; $199/mo Socialinsider Content categorization, benchmarks Free trial; $19/mo SocialPilot/Metricool Affordable multi-platform tracking $10-50/mo - Enterprise: SEMrush/Ahrefs for social+SEO; emerging AI like Visualping for change alerts.
Download free templates:
This framework is based on 2026 best practices from Hootsuite, Sprout, and SocialPilot—focus on funnel-aligned content (awareness → conversion) and sentiment for deeper insights.
Next steps? Which social platforms and top 3 competitors are you analyzing? What's your industry or niche so I can tailor tool recommendations or examples?