✨ Introduction

Today, digital platforms have evolved, and it's no longer enough to only create and upload high-quality content. In order to remain competitive, you need to know what your competition is doing and what strategies they are employing to get engagement — similar to how Glory Casino gets the pull 🎯.

Analyzing competitors on visual-first platforms and community networks is not about spying. Rather, it is about gathering insights, establishing benchmarks, and developing your own strategy which is distinct for growth 🚀. It enables you to discover what types of posts capture the most interest, how brands interact with their followers, and which advertising strategies yield the most success in your industry.

This guide explains why competitor analysis is necessary, how it can be achieved methodically, which gaps to watch for, and which tools are most effective in streamlining the work.


📌 Why Competitor Analysis is Important

  • 💡 Gather content for new ideas — Understand what topics and formats work best.

  • 🕳 Recognizing gaps and opportunities — Assess how you can excel.

  • 👥 Analyzing the audience — Understand the loyalty and engagement level of their followers.

  • 📈 Improving strategy — Spend time on pointers that are more productive.

  • 💰 Cost-effective — Learn and avoid competitors' blunders to conserve money.


🧭 Step-by-Step Competitor Analysis

1️⃣ Identify Your Competitors

  • Direct competitors – selling the same product or service.

  • Indirect competitors – solving the same problem differently.

Use search functions, community pages, hashtags, or industry directories to isolate the key players within your niche.


2️⃣ Build a Competitor List

Select 5–7 competitors for balanced insights. Build a tracker spreadsheet with:

  • Number of followers

  • Average post reach

  • Average engagement (likes, comments, and shares)

  • Posting frequency

  • Formats used (photos, Reels, Stories, Lives)


3️⃣ Analyze Content Strategy

Examine:

  • Are the posts educational, entertaining, inspirational or promotion-focused?

  • Are there short-form videos, carousels, or long-form posts?

  • Colors, fonts, and brand consistency?

  • Tone: Friendly, expert, or humorous?

This helps you uncover the creative DNA of your competitors 🎨.


4️⃣ Study Engagement

Follower counts alone are misleading. Focus on:

  • Engagement rate (ER)

  • Comment quality and frequency

  • Shares and saves

  • Activity in Stories

📊 Formula:

(Likes + Comments + Saves)÷Followers×100%\text{(Likes + Comments + Saves)} \div \text{Followers} \times 100\%


5️⃣ Evaluate Advertising

Use community ad libraries to find your competitors’ active advertising campaigns:

  • Ad types (video, carousel, Story)

  • Messages & slogans used

  • Promotional campaign adaptability and frequency

This reveals advertising spend and market positioning 🧠.


6️⃣ Assess Their Audience

Think about:

  • 👤 Who are their followers (age, location, interests)?

  • 📢 What content gets the most engagement?

  • 🧭 Is there a gap in the audience you can address?

Demographic trends can be uncovered using tools like HypeAuditor and Brandwatch.


7️⃣ Prepare Summary Insights

Arrange your data from different perspectives:

  • Strengths (e.g., creative Reels, viral giveaways)

  • Weaknesses (e.g., high follower counts but low engagement)

  • 🌱 Opportunities (e.g., lack of community management)

  • 🚫 Trends to ignore (e.g., Stories with polls that don’t convert)


🧰 Resources for Competitor Analysis

  • Community Ad Library — competitor advertising

  • Social Blade — follower and engagement growth tracking

  • HypeAuditor — influencer and audience relationships

  • Brandwatch, Sprout Social, Popsters — content insights

  • Canva and Notion — visual organization

  • Google Trends — topic and keyword popularity


🧠 Advanced Techniques to Explore Further

📢 Hashtag Analysis

Assess the most effective hashtags for reach and engagement.

🤝 Influencer Partnerships

Collaborations that increase attention are often the most valuable.

🧪 Audience Segmentation

Use sentiment analysis and audience monitoring tools to assess the tone (positive, negative, neutral).

🔄 Cross-Channel Comparison

Check if competitors use the same content on visual-first platforms and community networks, or if they tailor their approach for each platform.


⚠️ Avoid These Errors

  • 🚫 Blind copying — Be inspired, not a clone.

  • 👍 Focusing only on likes — Comments and shares are stronger metrics.

  • 👀 Ignoring smaller players — Startups often innovate faster.

  • 📝 One-time research — Repeat every 2–3 months.

  • 🧩 No structure — Disorganized data = subjective opinions.


🌟 Pro Tips for Success

  • 📅 Track earned media over time to observe long-term engagement behavior.

  • 📂 Create a “swipe file” of content you find inspiring (screenshots, URLs).

  • 🌍 Benchmark both local and international competitors.

  • 📊 Measure target actions on your site (sign-ups, purchases).

  • 🧠 Use competitor analysis to build hypotheses, then test rapidly before scaling.


❓ FAQ

Q: How many competitors should I analyze?

A: 5–7 companies is usually enough for useful benchmarking.

Q: How often should I repeat the analysis?

A: Every 2–3 months or before launching a major campaign.

Q: Can I use competitor hashtags?

A: Yes, but combine them with your own for originality.

Q: How can I identify fake engagement?

A: Look for high follower counts with little or no engagement — often a sign of bots.

Q: Should I focus more on visual-first platforms or community networks?

A: Analyze both — usually, one will prove more beneficial.


🏁 Conclusion

Competitor analysis on visual-first platforms and community networks is a strategic, research-backed method to shape your brand’s direction. Avoiding costly mistakes, adopting proven strategies, and gaining fresh insights is achievable through consistent monitoring of engagement, content, and advertising approaches.

But remember: 🧠 It’s not about copying. It’s about taking the insights and building something unique to your brand. In a crowded social media landscape, a well-defined strategy with the right metrics will drive meaningful growth. 🌱✨