The content analysis is performed to understand patterns in the current content processes of the client in comparison to a competitor’s content strategy.
The observed content is labelled with codes based on the concepts taken from the literature. The content analysis also identifies if the current content is aligned with the persona and the brand values.
Limitations
The limitations relate to the accuracy of the labels in the analysis. Having a second person to discuss with or double check the labels can make the analysis more objective.
Method
51 posts from social media (Facebook and Instagram) are analyzed for the client and 51 posts for the competitor. Facebook and Instagram are the most often used channels where content is published for both companies.
The sampling technique is a systematic method where each third post is included in the analysis. Repetitive posts were skipped and the next one was taken into consideration.
The competitor is a local organization nearby the client’s geographical location. It was chosen after keyword research on Google. They offer guided activities like hiking, snowshoeing, biking, skiing, and gear rental for individual use like bikes, skis, and snowboards. In terms of followers, the competitor seems to perform slightly better and have higher reach in general on both platforms.
The analysis begins with general information about the organization (the company that developed the content), platform, content ID (a unique name given to keep track of the content pieces), owner (the company in charge of the content), date of publishing, URL address of the content, content topic and content type.
Then, the content is analyzed for the following characteristics:
PESO Model
In the PESO model (Dietrich, 2020) the content is divided according to the channel usage, thus content can be paid if the channel is used is paid, owned if the channel is owned by the company (e.g., website), earned if the content is published on behalf of the brand from another party for free and shared content that is used-generated content shared via social media channels.
Content Topic
The definite topic summarizes what the topic of the content is about through the visuals and the text.
3H Taxonomy
The 3H taxonomy is also used where each post is categorized as either hub, hygiene, or hero based on the channel distribution tactic and the information that the visual and the text provide to the viewer (Think with Google, 2015).
Brand Post Category
The content category framework (Tafesse & Wien, 2017) for defining the type of post is used in the analysis. The decision was made based on the elements of the image and what the message communicates.
Organizational Alignment
When considering if content is fit with the organizational alignment like the sweet spot and domain fit a positive decision (yes, it is a fit) was made when half of adjectives in the sweet spot/domain fit were expressed through the content (3 out of 6 adjectives in the sweet spot).
For the content mission statement, a positive decision was made when the content topics were covered, and the UPS of the client communicated.
Customer Alignment
Stage in journey and persona fit refer to the content alignment with the targeted persona.
Based on the information provided via the post, the post was assigned to the journey stage. Also, the post was judged as a persona fit when the post matched the persona interests like the activities and physical exercise, motivations, and personality that were obtained during the survey and interviews.
Storytelling
The narrative elements are the ingredients of the storytelling method defined by van Laer and his colleagues (2019).
The identifiable characters are participants who have similar interests and motivations to the persona that were found in the posts. See how I tested the effects of identifiable characters on content perception.
The imaginable plot consists of the events that the character goes through during the trip.
And verisimilitude is judged by the research as the authenticity of the story. When the posts displayed a character or an event and were believable, it was concluded that the ingredient of storytelling was present.
Persuasion
The six persuasion principles by Cialdini (2012) are assigned to the posts according to what the post displayed as a visual and the accompanying description. In case it was hard to determine what principle could play a role, the field was mark with ‘/’ sign.
Engagement
The total of the likes, shares, and comments was calculated by the researcher using the available information on the post.
Verdict
Lastly, the verdict was given for the client and competitor depending on how well the content fit with the elements in the content analysis and the persona.
Analysis
The data is collected in an Excel file and a pivot table is used to make comparisons in different categories for the client and its competitor. You can see some of the results of the content analysis.
| GENERAL | CUSTOMER ALIGNMENT | Verdict | ||||||
| Date | URL | Content type | Platform | 3H Taxonomy | Content Category | Stage in Journey | Engagement Rate | Verdict |
| 26.10.2021 | https://www.intagram.com/p/xxxxx | PICTURE + TEXT | IG | Hub | Emotional brand post | Loyalty | 5,79% | Adapt |
| 15.10.2021 | https://www.intagram.com/p/xxxxx | VIDEO+ TEXT | IG | Hub | Emotional brand post | Evaluation | 6,30% | Adapt |
| 9.10.2021 | https://www.intagram.com/p/xxxxx | PICTURE + TEXT | IG | Hub | Experiential brand post | Loyalty | 6,55% | Keep |
| 3.10.2021 | https://www.facebook.com/p/xxxxx | VIDEO + TEXT | FB | Hero | Experiential brand post | Information Search | 5,79% | Keep |
| 30.9.2021 | https://www.facebook.com/p/xxxxx | PICTURE + TEXT | FB | Hygiene | Emotional brand post | Purchase | 5,29% | Keep |
| 26.9.2021 | https://www.facebook.com/p/xxxxx | PICTURE + TEXT | FB | Hero | Employee brand post | Evaluation | 6,30% | Adapt |
In brief
During another session with the client, we worked on defining communication goals by using a message architecture. The results are essential for the development of the sweet spot and content mission statement that both match with the persona insights from previous research. And then used as a benchmark in the content analysis.
Overall, I found the client to be doing well based on the content analysis.
Topics fit with the persona and brand values. And they used a lot more characters in their content in comparison to the competitor that focused on nature-inspired content.
With respect to the competitor, the content types can be diversified to include more videos.
Moreover, I noticed that there is a lack of informative content that is used to build the authority of the brand and content that focuses on relationship-oriented value.
And since the community is still small, I felt like we needed more proof from current buyers about the quality of the experience as it is important for the customer to make a good decision about choosing the service of the provider.
If you enjoyed this content, please get in touch with me! I would be happy to connect.