Q2 • 2023


15 CASE STUDY


 Types of content on high-ranking pages— such as blog content, user guides, and product reviews


As with social media, free SEO analysis tools can provide basic competitive research. Search algorithms and tactics change at least as frequently as those for social media; a page that ranked near the top of Google results for a search term yesterday could easily fall down several pages in the rankings just a few days later without your even noticing. For this reason, many businesses find it worthwhile to invest in specialists, agencies, or customizable tools. Regardless of the channel or the medium


in which you are conducting competitive research and analysis, you should “always consider the why, where, and how,” Bond says. It’s not enough to simply know metrics and KPIs; to improve your strategy, tactics, and results, you need to understand the reasons for those metrics. Some experts suggest incorporating


subjective resources, such as focus groups, into your competitive research. Others also consider it important to get input from experts outside of your organization or even business sector, helping you see the forest for the trees. “You want to be able to add context to things you’re not even seeing,” Bond says. And perhaps above all, you need to determine what your goals are and what your next steps should be once you’ve gleaned this competitive knowledge. If your goal is to improve return on ad spend, for instance, you will want to take very different actions than if your objective were to increase alumni giving. “While metrics can improve insights, they should be analyzed within the context of the brand’s goals and objectives and the industry’s benchmarks,” Archibald notes. “Without context, metrics can be misleading and fail to drive action.” Conducting the competitive social media, website, or direct mail analysis is only the first step. The real value lies in being able to analyze your research and develop action plans based on the findings of your competitive research. 


A Direct Mail Competitive Analysis


Collecting marketing collateral from competitors is one thing; knowing what to do with it is another, as one healthcare company discovered. Realizing it didn’t have the time, staff, and know-how to embark on a competitive analysis, the firm contactedfirm contac Trish Witkowski, founder of Foldfactory, for help.


is on ne me, staff lly gain n


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ompany ow t ko


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nted to see what their competitors were doing andwere ully gain new strategies, language, and offeringse, and their marketing as well,” Witkowski says. She started asking the compan


their mark a


keting as w he company for a list of direct competitors. r a


nd then I grabbed a few other comn I grabbed a few other companies with milar a


ould learn fr


audiences just to see if there was an learn from them,” she says.


mailings and mailings tha that appeared to be w


ilings at app Once


Once she narr beg


began looking f recurrence of fi


of color, p ich of


salvation e


arrowed down o be working,


identifying questions, a free webinar or download, etc. I also looked at format—envelope, self-mailer, postcard—and stylistic elements, like the use of color, personalization, etc.,” she explains. From there, Witkowski analyzed which of the seven key copy drivers—fear, greed, guilt, anger, exclusivity, salvation, and flattery—the headlines and calls to action tapped into.


oking for recurring ce of five bull questio


alizat even key co


“Be prepared to spend 30–50 hours on a project like this,” Witkowski notes. “It takes time to look thr ones ar insigh


nd flattery—the he red to spend 30–


ime to look through hundreds of examples, determine which s are worth saving, and find the overlap and the insights. Without sight, it’s j just a random assortment of marketing examples.”


savin


Witkowski pr slides labe


” he s


wski p esented her findings in a PowerPoint deck of more than 100 slides labeled with insights and opportunities. “There was no big aha result to report,” she says. “Rather, it was more like 30 powerful things to take note of.”


ted h with insig


And the client did indeed take note, sharing and using the findings’ “They were blown away,”


An he client key components in its 2023 planning.compon


Witkowski says. “They felt informed and inspired and caught up.”


wn the mailings she wanted to examine, Witkowski ecurring elements. “For example, I noticed the llet points, large icons, three ways to respond, self- a free webi -mailer,


lings she w Fo


points,


ugh she looked at each competitor’ owski relied primarily on Who’s M mail database to discover the com s that were repeated. “I only w ng,” she says.


ough she look


each competitor’s website, Mailing Wha


e, hat!’s ver the competitors’ con ’ control wanted to study the mailstudy e was a ything we we


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