Social media content gap analysis: say what rivals do not

Key takeaways

A social media content gap analysis compares what buyers ask with what you and your competitors actually post. The gaps, questions nobody answers well, are where a small business can stand out. In most sectors they are price, process and what goes wrong.

• 1 hour and 5 competitors are enough for a useful analysis.
• Compare buyer questions with what is being posted.
• Price, process and problems are the most common gaps.
• Claim a gap with proof, not with a claim to be different.

What is a content gap?

A content gap is a topic or question your buyers care about that is not being answered, or not answered well, by the accounts they see. It is defined by demand, not by novelty. A gap nobody wants filled is simply an unpopular topic.

• How to create social media content that attracts the right customers
• Social media competitor analysis in one afternoon

How do you run the analysis in an hour?

List your buyers' top 15 questions down a page. Across the top, put yourself and five competitors. Look at each account's last 20 posts and tick which questions they address. Rows with few or no ticks are gaps. Columns show what each rival is known for.

• List 15 buyer questions.
• Pick five competitors your buyers see.
• Review each account's last 20 posts.
• Tick the questions each answers.
• Mark the rows with the fewest ticks.

• Turn customer questions into FAQ posts on social media

Which gaps appear most often?

Three gaps appear in almost every sector. Few businesses talk about price. Few explain their process in detail. And almost none discuss what can go wrong and how they handle it. These are the questions buyers most want answered before they commit.

• Price: ranges, starting points and what drives cost.
• Process: what happens, in order, and how long it takes.
• Problems: what goes wrong and how it is put right.
• Fit: who the service does not suit.

• Should you post prices on social media?
• Answer buyer objections in your social media content

How do you choose which gap to claim?

Choose the gap where buyer demand is high, you have real proof, and the topic leads towards your service. One or two gaps are enough. A gap you cannot support with examples is not yours to claim, however empty the field.

• The right-customer content scorecard for social media
• Turn a case study into social media posts that sell

How do you fill a gap convincingly?

Fill it with a small series, not a single post. Four to six posts on the one topic, each with an example, make you the account that covers it. Pin the best one. Return to the topic every month so the association holds.

• Recurring content series that make consistency easy
• Build content pillars for social media

What should you not copy from competitors?

Do not copy their posts, images or wording, which are protected by copyright, and do not disparage them. Comparative claims in marketing must be fair and verifiable. The purpose of the analysis is to find what is missing, not to imitate what is there.

• Should you use the same social platforms as competitors?
• ASA rules for social media advertising in the UK

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see across UK local service sectors: every competitor posts finished work and seasonal greetings, and nobody explains cost or timescale. The first firm to publish a clear 'what this costs and why' series tends to become the one buyers quote back to the others.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Content gap checklist

Run this twice a year.

• Fifteen buyer questions are listed.
• Five competitors are reviewed.
• Gaps are ranked by buyer demand.
• You have proof for the gap you choose.
• A series of four to six posts is planned.
• Nothing is copied or disparaging.

Next step

Draw the grid on one sheet this week. An hour of looking at competitors with your buyers' questions in hand is usually enough to find your gap.