Maeve Catherine

Among the different websites a user could chose to learn about a topic, why should it be yours?

Content strategists can utilize a competitive analysis to figure this out. Hubspot Blog writer, Christine White describes a competitors analysis as “the process of comparing your competitors against your brand to understand their core differentiators, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s an in-depth breakdown of each competitor’s market position, sales & marketing tactics, growth strategy, and other business-critical aspects to see what they’re doing right and find opportunities for your business”. Completing a competitive analysis does not mean that you copy the decisions of another company’s marketing but instead use the analyzed aspects as benchmarks.

Competitor analysis’ should be done after completing a content audits for your own business, which you can learn more about in my last blog. As a content strategist you should become a user and buckle into the your competitor’s car (website) to learn how and what information is distributed.

Types of Competitors

There are different types of competitors, but lets start with three.

1. Direct Competitors
   • Companies and businesses are marketing the products or services to the same audience as your own.
2. Indirect Competitors
   • Companies and businesses who are solving your audience’s problem with a solution, different than your own.
3. Aspirational Competitors
   • Companies and businesses that you strive to be competing with as your business grows.

Aspects to Analyze

When you have established which businesses are your competitors, you can begin your analysis.

Adrienne Smith, a content strategy consultant, offers her clients snapshots of information about their competitors through a deck or document. In each deck the competitors content formats, SEO strategy, performance metrics, website accessibility, and a SWOT analysis.

These decks should answer the following questions:

• What types of content do the competitors create? 
• What do the competitors have to say? 
• What is unique about the competitors content? 
• What could our company do better?

Using tools like SEMRush, content strategist can gain intel on the organic and paid for keywords a competitor is utilizing for higher search rankings and traffic. This intel helps content strategist exemplify the purpose of change to stakeholders.

Buckle In!

I preformed a competitive analysis in continuation of analyzing the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Three non profit organizations that are competition for CFF are Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute, Health Well Foundation, and Claire’s Place Foundation.

Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute (CFRI) is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s direct competition because of the similar content format and topics available to the members of the cystic fibrosis community.

Health Well Foundation is their indirect competition because while their mission is to help people who are struggling with health issues they are not focused on only the Cystic Fibrosis community. The foundation has the funds to support the members but members need to look other places for in depth information.

Claire’s Place Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis is the aspirational competition because of the publicity and direct change they have brought for the cystic fibrosis community. The foundation prioritizes CF patients emotional health by providing hospital playrooms to young patients who are spending long periods of time in hospitals. Additionally, director Justin Baldoni partnered with the foundation on his movie 5 Feet Apart, which is a love story stared two patients with CF. The goal in their partnership was to create a realistic representation of their lives while incorporating representations of the playrooms donors will help create.

Through my report I dove deep into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of each competitor which helps conclude the opportunities the Cystic Fibrosis Found has to succeed.

Find my full competitor analysis report below: