I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You’ll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.
Who is your social media competition?
Who is your true competitor?
Are these valid questions to ask yourself as you grow your social media management business?
Do you, or should you, care what others are doing in your space?
In this article, we will look at
If you are a social media manager, your competition is… other social media managers.
But wait, that’s not all there is to this question.
Your competition also includes
In fact, someone who is not yet a social media manager could be your competition as well; for the next job, client or project!
Do you need to know what your social media competitors are doing? Absolutely yes!
Keeping a ‘finger on the pulse’ so to speak is crucial to your livelihood!
Why, you ask?
If you don’t know what is going on in your industry, you will miss out on important upcoming trends and you won’t be able to pivot (in time, or at all) when needed.
Here is a list of reasons why and what you need to to know about your social media competitors:
The easy answer is to connect with your competition on social media.
Say what?
Yes, we suggest you connect with your competition on social media and interact where appropriate.
Check out this ‘Twitter Feud‘ between Popeyes and Chick-Fil-A over a chicken sandwich. Even Wendy's and Shake Shack weighed in – something that could not have happened if none of these brands monitored their ‘competition'!
If you don’t want your competition to know you are ‘monitoring’ them, try some of these stealth moves:
The BEST way to find out what your competitors are up to though is to do a full out competitor analysis!
A competitor analysis is a one-time (but repeatable) snapshot of what your competitors on social media are doing RIGHT now.
Pick 4-5 competitors who offer
1) the same services in a different geographical location, or
2) different services, to the same target audience, in your geographical location.
Check their website, social channels, and online community. Do a Google search, and look for engagement and activity. Put it all in a spreadsheet.
Once you have completed 4-5 of these, look for patterns.
You can learn so much from what your competition is, or isn't doing!
This social media competitive analysis gives you a snapshot – and some instant feedback – of where to start with your own social media strategy.
For continued monitoring, you will need a different approach.
We suggest a spreadsheet – google Doc works well – to record your competition's statistics over a certain time period.
Here are some of the things you will want to pay attention to as you monitor your competition over time:
Analyze what works, what doesn't and why.
Keep track of viral content, new campaigns and look for opportunities to collaborate.
To truly harness the power of your competition, you need to know what your competitors are up to, but not care enough about what they are doing to abandon your own strategy. Stay alert and look for trends in your industry and know when to pivot and adjust. Know when is appropriate to engage with them, and their audience.
Be confident about your USP, your own service offerings and pricing, and never stop learning!
I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You'll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.
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I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You’ll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.