meta-competitor-analysis

name

meta-competitor-analysis

description

Analyses 3–5 competitors' social media and digital marketing presence to produce a structured comparison table, content style breakdown, paid ad activity notes, gap analysis, and strategic recommendations. Invoke this skill when a client wants to understand how they compare to their competition, when entering a new market, when launching a new service, or when building a social media strategy from scratch.

Competitor Analysis

Use when

• Analyses 3–5 competitors' social media and digital marketing presence to produce a structured comparison table, content style breakdown, paid ad activity notes, gap analysis, and strategic recommendations. Invoke this skill when a client wants to understand how they compare to their competition, when entering a new market, when launching a new service, or when building a social media strategy from scratch.
• Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.

Do not use when

• Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
• Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.

Workflow

1. Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
2. Follow the section order and decision rules in this SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
3. Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
• Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
• Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.

Outputs

• A structured audit, report, model, or analytical framework in markdown, with decisions and recommendations tied to evidence.

References

• Use the inline instructions in this skill now. If a references/ directory is added later, treat its files as the deeper source material and keep this SKILL.md execution-focused.

Required Input

Before generating this analysis, collect the following from the consultant:

• Client name and trading name (if different)
• Industry and sub-sector (e.g., hospitality > restaurant; financial services > microfinance)
• Country / city (default: Uganda / Kampala)
• Primary goal (e.g., grow brand awareness, increase enquiries, defend market position)
• Client's own platform stats for direct comparison:
  • Platforms active on
  • Follower counts per platform
  • Estimated engagement rate (average likes + comments ÷ reach × 100)
  • Posting frequency (posts per week per platform)
  • Whether paid ads are currently running
• Competitor list (3–5 competitors):
  • Business name
  • Social media handles per platform (Facebook page name, Instagram handle, TikTok handle, LinkedIn page, etc.)
  • Any known context (direct competitor / aspirational benchmark / indirect competitor)

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Output Structure

Generate all five sections below in order.

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1. Competitor Comparison Table

Include one row for the client at the top, labelled [CLIENT — FOR COMPARISON], before listing competitors. This allows direct visual benchmarking.

Competitor	Platforms active on	Follower counts (per platform)	Posting frequency	Content style	Avg engagement rate est.	Paid ad activity visible	Key strengths	Key weaknesses	Notes
[CLIENT — FOR COMPARISON]
Competitor 1
Competitor 2
Competitor 3
Competitor 4 (if applicable)
Competitor 5 (if applicable)

Column guidance:

• Content style: 2–3 words (e.g., "polished, branded", "casual, humorous", "educational, text-heavy")
• Avg engagement rate est.: Use visible likes and comments on the last 10 posts ÷ follower count × 100. Note this is an estimate, not platform-reported data.
• Paid ad activity visible: Yes / No / Unknown. See Section 3 for how to check.
• Notes: Anything notable — recent rebrand, viral post, account dormancy, verified status.

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2. Content Style Analysis Per Competitor

For each competitor (and the client), produce the following breakdown:

[Competitor Name]

• Most-used content type: Video / Image / Carousel / Text / Reel / Story (select the dominant format observed)
• Tone and voice: Formal / Casual / Humorous / Educational / Inspirational / Promotional (select the predominant tone)
• Visual style: Polished / Authentic / Branded / Minimal / User-generated (select the predominant style)
• Topics they dominate (3–4 themes): List the subject areas that appear most frequently in their content
• What they do not talk about (gaps): Identify topics, audiences, or formats conspicuously absent from their content

Repeat this block for every competitor, then include the client's own content style for comparison.

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3. Paid Ad Activity Note

How to find competitor ad data (free tools):

• Meta Ad Library (facebook.com/ads/library): Search by competitor page name. Shows all currently active Facebook and Instagram ads. No account required. Filter by country (select Uganda or the relevant market).
• TikTok Creative Center (ads.tiktok.com/business/creativecenter): Shows top-performing ads by category and region. Useful for spotting competitors running TikTok paid activity.
• LinkedIn Ad Library: Available via any LinkedIn company page under "Posts > Ads". Shows active sponsored content.
• Google Display Network: Search "[competitor name] ad" in Google Images to surface display banner ads. For traffic intelligence, use SimilarWeb free tier (similarweb.com) to estimate referral sources.

Important caveat: Data from these sources is indicative, not exact. Ad spend figures are not disclosed. The presence or absence of ads confirms activity only — it does not reveal budget, targeting, or performance.

For each competitor, note:

• Facebook/Instagram ads: Active / Not active / Unknown
• TikTok ads: Active / Not active / Unknown
• LinkedIn ads: Active / Not active / Unknown
• Observation: Any notable ad formats, themes, or calls to action visible in the ad library

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4. Gap Analysis

Identify where the client can win against the field. Produce 3–5 specific opportunities drawn from the comparison data. Structure each gap as follows:

Gap type — [title] What the gap is, which competitor(s) it applies to, and why the client is positioned to exploit it.

Use the following gap categories as a framework (not all will apply to every client):

• Platform gap: A platform where competitors are absent or under-active. If all competitors are focused on Facebook but no one is building a LinkedIn presence, the client can own that space in the industry.
• Content gap: A topic, format, or audience segment that competitors are not serving. In Uganda/EA, common gaps include: local-language content (Luganda, Swahili), SME-focused educational content, and behind-the-scenes / process content.
• Tone gap: If all competitors use formal, corporate language, authentic and conversational content will stand out. The reverse is also true in professional sectors.
• Community gap: If no competitor actively responds to comments, engages in discussions, or recognises their audience publicly, a client who does this consistently builds disproportionate loyalty.
• Speed gap: If competitors post 2–3 times per week and the client can consistently post 5–7 times per week with quality content, frequency becomes the differentiator.

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5. Strategic Recommendations

Produce exactly 5 specific recommendations. Each recommendation must link back to a named gap or insight from the analysis. Use this format for each:

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Recommendation [N]: [Title]

• What to do: Specific action (e.g., "Publish two Instagram Reels per week showcasing the production process")
• Why: The gap or finding that makes this the right move (cite the specific competitor or gap)
• Platform: Which platform(s) this applies to
• Expected benefit: The measurable or observable outcome if executed consistently for 90 days

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Ensure recommendations span at least 3 different platforms and cover a mix of organic and (if relevant) paid tactics.

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Quality Criteria

Output meets the standard if it:

• Includes a client row at the top of the comparison table for direct benchmarking
• Covers every competitor provided, with no placeholder or skipped rows
• Content style analysis identifies genuine absences (what competitors do not cover) — not just what they do
• Paid ad activity section directs the consultant to free tools with specific navigation instructions, not generic advice
• Gap analysis identifies gaps that are actionable for the specific client — not generic observations that could apply to any business
• Strategic recommendations are each tied to a specific gap or competitor insight from the analysis
• Recommendations span multiple platforms and include a realistic timeframe for expected benefit
• All output defaults to Uganda / East Africa context unless otherwise specified

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Framework Reference

Apply the POEM model (Paid / Owned / Earned) when categorising competitor activity. Earned media (shares, press, organic viral) is often the hardest to observe but most valuable — note any evidence of it in the competitor profiles.

Bodnar, K. and Cohen, J. (2012) The B2B Social Media Book. Hoboken: Wiley. Chaffey, D. (2024) Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. 8th edn. Harlow: Pearson.