The Seven Secrets of Successful Content Marketing You Can Learn from Your Competitors’ copy

It is said that you need to stand out and not follow the herd if you want to be a success. This may be true but to stand out it sure makes sense to know what the herd is doing and even where they are going. There is tons of copy and content out there, some good, some bad and some you wish you had thought of and all of it can help you in your business.

Learn from a Grey-Haired Writer

Have been selling and marketing since 1996. Back then the internet was in its infancy but the written word was still valuable for sales then as it is now. I soon learnt to learn from my competitors, emulate what I thought was good, avoid what I could see wasn’t working and do what they were not doing. In the last 25 years not only has my blonde hair gone grey but I have learnt the seven secrets to content marketing success that can be found in the copy and content of your competitors.

Their Copy and Content Gaps are Your Building Blocks

If we are honest, we are never critical about our own website copy and other online content. We can be more critical about our competitors’ websites and we very often are. Your competitors’ website lifts the skirt on everything about the company and how it communicates. The first secret to more successful content marketing is to realise your competition is saying everything you need to know. Do you like or dislike how they describe what they do? Do you like or dislike the way you are drawn into a buying position or not? Take notes on what your competitor is doing because their copy and content is the modern-day equivalent of being in their sales presentation.

What Content Works

Every organisation has competition, and each competitor is watching you as much as you are watching them. Website copy and content effectiveness are easy to measure and from this, you can learn what is working and what is not. The second secret you can find from your competitors’ copy and content is what is working for them. You can see the kinds of blogs they are writing and where they are positioning such content, you can read comments if there are any. Look to see which posts and articles get the most comments and shares, this is also true for social media. Your competitor is unknowingly giving you clues what to write about, share, talk about and how to do it. In 1996 I soon learned that my competitors were my best friends, not my enemies.

Inspire you to do more

The third secret is not so much found in the content your competition is publishing but in your response. Content is king but to be the king of kings you need to have the right content and you need to produce more of it. Content marketing is easy but requires continued effort and how you respond to your competition and their copy and content sets your trajectory. The third secret your competitor will never see is how they have inspired you to do better, do more, be more creative and outwit and outperform because you know their game plan!

Avoid Mistakes

Mistakes cost time and money and when it comes to content marketing these mistakes are hard to undo. Poorly written copy is remembered because it fails in its purpose and potential. Taking the time to read your competitor’s copy will teach you not to make the same copywriting mistakes they have made; it may convince you that you need a professional copywriter or that you need to outsource your content marketing. The small cost of using professionals to produce your copy and content can be the best investment you make. The fourth secret shows you the mistakes others make so you can avoid them.

Doing things right

The other side of avoiding mistakes is learning how to do things right. There are times when a competitor really hits the nail on the head and does things right. You will know instantly that it works and is pure genius. Competition is a good thing; very rarely do you find just one fast food outlet or one petrol station; they open in pairs. There is a good reason for this and whether it is a coffee shop or an AI development company each will continuously strive to be better than the other. Content and copy on websites and social media are exactly the same. Secretly your competitor is forcing you to do better so they can do better, and the cycle never ends.

Find new tools and resources

The sixth secret that your competitors’ copy, content and digital marketing contains the tools and resources they are using to do what they do. By reading and taking note of your competitors’ website and social media you can be introduced to new tools, useful resources and even people who can help you with your business. Everything you need to be more competitive is hidden in plain sight and yet most of us can’t see it, and when we do, we do nothing with it.

The Phrases that Pay

Keyword research and finding those all-important phrases that your audience is searching on to find you can take up plenty of valuable time. The right keywords are like gold and it will come as no secret but many of them are staring straight back at you in the copy and content on the website of your competitor. Once you learn to take note of the phrases that pay, and those that don’t inside the copy of your competitors you can begin to produce copy that works better for you.

Blindness

Organisations today have become blind to the secrets and truth that are hidden within websites and social media. A reliance on technology has stopped us from reading to boost our business, we read to entertain, inform or educate ourselves. However, smart marketers should read to discover the secrets of improving and boosting content marketing. The information to read is nearly always free and it only cost time to read it. So, take half an hour a week, read what your competition is up to and unlock the secret to improving your own performance.