Do you study your competitor's content?

[Shawn]

Do you keep a close eye on the content being posted on competing forums?

If yes, how has it helped you?

If no, why not?

[AWS]

Sometimes. On the tech sites I watch when beta's are announced. I want to keep up with them so I check what they are doing.

[flow]

I don't really put too much emphasis on my competitors. I focus more on understanding the needs of my audience. In this vein, I find that conducting surveys and gathering feedback helps a lot and it could be a game changer too. Also, I make sure to focus on niche topics and it sets my forum apart from the competition.

 

[AWS]

Just now, flow said:

I don't really put too much emphasis on my competitors. I focus more on understanding the needs of my audience. In this vein, I find that conducting surveys and gathering feedback helps a lot and it could be a game changer too. Also, I make sure to focus on niche topics and it sets my forum apart from the competition.

 

That is a good strategy. Make your saite the best it can be. Yuor competitirs will be watching you set the trends.

[Tidal]

I find it very useful to monitor my competitors' content. This will help me to identify the gaps in the market and it’ll make me stay up-to-date on the industry trends. 

 

com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.kix.editors.clipboard?uuid=ad86a690-d128-4df7-9dc6-c8ebb6c48230

[Exoticdreamer]

As @todal has said, I watch my competitors not to copy them, but to identify gaps in my content and my own community. I then gauge whether what they are doing differently would serve my audience, and then find ways to incorporate it if I find out it will.

If you do not do this right, you might find yourself relying on checking up on your competitors so much that you no longer have any original ideas. As with everything else in life, doing this is about moderation and finding a balance between inspiration and outright copying, inspiration and over-reliance on other people's ideas and content.

[Debashis]

I am not a content creator but I believe that it's really important to keep an eye on the work of the people who you feel are doing better than you. It's all about learning, implementing and growing.