Competitor ad research helps you refine your marketing strategy by analyzing what works for others in your industry. For print-on-demand businesses, understanding competitor ads can reveal trends, audience preferences, and effective messaging. Here’s a quick summary of how to approach it:
- Why It Matters: Learn from competitors’ successes and avoid their mistakes to improve your campaigns.
- Challenges: The POD market is crowded, fast-moving, and requires constant innovation to stand out.
- Where to Look: Use tools like Facebook Ad Library, Google Ads Transparency Center, and TikTok Creative Center to find competitor ads.
- What to Analyze: Focus on visuals, messaging, calls-to-action, and seasonal patterns.
- How to Track: Create a system for monitoring ads regularly and use tools like Merch Informer or SEMrush for deeper insights.
- Improving Your Strategy: Use competitor data to set benchmarks, test strategies, and refine your campaigns over time.
How To Do Your Competitor Ads Research Like A Pro (+ Free Template)
How to Find and Monitor Competitor Ads
With digital ad spending set to reach a staggering $870.85 billion by 2027, keeping an eye on your competitors' ads is more important than ever. The right tools can help you uncover valuable insights into their strategies and performance.
Using Social Media Ad Libraries
Social media ad libraries are a great starting point for researching competitor ads. These free and publicly accessible resources let you see what ads companies are running, how long they’ve been active, and some basic performance details.
One of the most extensive options is Facebook’s Ad Library. By searching for a competitor’s name, you can view their active ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Since Meta reported 3.05 billion daily active users across its suite of apps as of Q3 2023, there’s a good chance your competitors are advertising here.
Take note of the ad formats being used. For example, Girlfriend Collective, a sustainable clothing brand, runs both video ads and static image campaigns on Facebook. This mix of formats suggests they’re experimenting to find what resonates most with their audience.
Google’s Ads Transparency Center offers similar insights for search and display ads. You can search by company name or keywords to see text ads, display banners, and even video campaigns. This is a powerful way to understand how competitors are positioning themselves in search results.
On LinkedIn, ad research is straightforward. Head to a competitor’s company page, click on the "Posts" tab, and then select the "Ads" tab to see their sponsored posts. This method is especially useful for targeting B2B audiences or professional demographics.
For TikTok, the TikTok Creative Center is your go-to. In the "Campaign Inspiration" section, you can filter ads by country, industry, and campaign objective to find competitor campaigns relevant to your niche.
While social media libraries provide a solid foundation, a broader, cross-platform strategy is essential for comprehensive monitoring.
Finding Ads on Multiple Platforms
Tracking ads across various platforms can feel overwhelming, but it’s key to getting a complete view of your competitors’ tactics. Each platform has its own unique ad formats and targeting options, so companies often tailor their strategies accordingly. For instance, while Instagram ads appear alongside Facebook ads in the Meta Ad Library, Instagram campaigns often focus on visually striking content, such as lifestyle imagery and product mockups.
To stay on top of this, schedule regular reviews - monthly or quarterly - and log details like new ads, creative styles, and campaign durations in a simple spreadsheet. Consistency is critical to spotting trends over time.
Using Print-on-Demand Research Tools
For print-on-demand (POD) businesses, specialized tools can provide targeted insights into competitors' strategies. These tools are particularly useful for identifying trends and analyzing successful product designs.
- Merch Informer: Focused solely on Amazon’s Merch on Demand platform, this tool offers insights into trending designs and effective product strategies.
- Helium 10 and Jungle Scout: These platforms provide detailed analysis of the Amazon marketplace, helping you see which products competitors are advertising and why they’re performing well.
- Flying Research: This affordable option includes trademark watchlists to help POD businesses avoid legal pitfalls. While it doesn’t dive deep into design specifics, it’s great for tracking competitor product launches and spotting market gaps.
For a broader look at paid search strategies, tools like SpyFu and SEMrush are invaluable. SEMrush, in particular, excels at analyzing SEO, backlinks, and organic performance. Kaya’s Competitor Ad Intelligence Tool is another option, offering insights into paid social campaigns and ad spend data.
Paul Nakata, Founder & CEO of Abbot, speaks highly of Kaya:
"Kaya has been helping us out with some marketing as well, and they have been AMAZING to work with. Highly recommend talking to them!"
The best results come from using a mix of these tools rather than relying on just one. Combining different platforms allows you to piece together a more complete picture of your competitors’ advertising strategies.
Analyzing Competitor Ad Content and Messages
Once you've gathered competitor ads, the next step is to dig into their visual and messaging strategies. This analysis helps you translate what works in their campaigns into actionable insights for your own.
Reviewing Visual and Design Elements
Visuals are the first thing that grabs attention in a crowded feed. To stand out, it's crucial to understand how competitors use design elements like typography, color, and white space.
As Maverick Steffen puts it, typography reflects a design's personality and can elevate its overall appeal. Look at how competitors mix font sizes, weights, and styles. For print-on-demand businesses, the right typography on product mockups can make a big difference in catching a potential customer’s eye.
Colors are just as important. They evoke emotions and can shape how people perceive your brand. For example, blue often conveys trust, red grabs attention, and green suggests freshness. Pay attention to how your competitors use these colors strategically. Also, notice how they incorporate white space to direct focus to key elements. Apple, for instance, is known for its clean print ads, where a single product image against a minimalistic background takes center stage, letting the product speak for itself.
Once the visuals are nailed down, the focus shifts to the messages and calls-to-action that drive customer engagement.
Understanding Messages and Calls-to-Action
Competitor messaging offers a window into what resonates with your audience. By analyzing their tone and language, you can pinpoint opportunities to make your brand voice stand out.
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are especially critical. Phrases like "Shop Now", "Discover", or "Get Started" are common, but notice how competitors create urgency with lines like "Limited Time" or "While Supplies Last." Using the AIDA framework - Attention, Interest, Desire, Action - can help you evaluate how effectively their ads grab attention, build interest, and ultimately drive action.
Social media engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares can reveal which messages hit the mark. For print-on-demand businesses, it’s helpful to see how competitors address common concerns such as product quality, shipping times, or return policies. These insights can guide your messaging to better connect with your audience.
From here, identifying what sets competitors apart can help refine your campaigns even further.
Identifying Competitor Selling Points
Understanding what makes competitors' ads stand out can reveal opportunities to differentiate your campaigns. Start by identifying their unique selling propositions (USPs) - whether it’s superior quality, faster delivery, exceptional customer service, or standout designs.
Competitors often highlight their USPs through community engagement and creative promotions. For instance, Glossier’s focus on Instagram communities and G Fuel’s influencer partnerships are great examples of strategies that emphasize their unique strengths.
Damian Grabarczyk, co-founder of PetLab Co., shared his experience:
"In the highly competitive niche, we realized that building genuine engagement required more than just knowing what content to post - it demanded insight into what captured attention in our niche. Thus, we regularly analyzed competitors' social media activities to see which themes and stories resonated most with audiences. We noticed that while many brands focused on polished promotional content, authentic moments featuring pets and their owners sparked deeper emotional connections. We saw our community engagement soar by pivoting our strategy to highlight real stories and interactive posts that encouraged our followers to share their experiences. This approach differentiated us from others and solidified us as a brand that listens and values its audience, fostering trust and long-term growth."
Holger Sindbaek, owner of WOCG, shared a similar insight:
"In our niche, where multi-million-dollar platforms dominate, gaining a competitive edge requires more than just great gameplay; it demands understanding how competitors position themselves and engage their audience. When we examined customer reviews and feedback on larger platforms, we noticed a gap: users often pointed out frustration with disruptive ad placements and premium features that felt underwhelming. We restructured our marketing strategy by leveraging these insights to highlight non-intrusive ad experiences and value-packed premium options. This subtle shift in our approach resonated with players seeking a more user-friendly experience, ultimately boosting engagement and solidifying our foothold in a crowded market."
Finally, check how competitors use ad extensions like sitelinks or structured snippets to highlight different aspects of their business. Comparing these strategies with customer feedback can uncover gaps between what brands promote and what their audiences value most. These insights can help you position your campaigns more authentically and effectively.
Evaluating Audience Targeting and Engagement
Understanding how competitors target their audience and engage with them can help refine your strategy and uncover untapped opportunities. Start by routinely searching for industry-specific keywords to identify which ads show up in search results. This can give you valuable insight into the terms your competitors are bidding on and their positioning strategies. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, follow their social media activity to observe patterns in posting frequency and timing.
Engaging with competitor content can also reveal their retargeting strategies and how they guide potential customers through their sales funnels. Pay close attention to their ad copy - look for how they craft clear, concise, and compelling messages that appeal to specific audience segments. Also, note how their calls to action are tailored for different groups.
Take the apparel industry, for example. Vegansavage leverages Instagram to highlight user-generated content, appealing to customers who value authenticity and community-driven interactions. Similarly, visual artist Janina Rossiter collaborates with initiatives like Plastic Free July to connect with environmentally conscious consumers. Analyzing competitors' ad placements and timing can also uncover trends like seasonality, market gaps, or broader shifts in strategy.
These insights lay the groundwork for measuring engagement and evaluating how effective these tactics are.
Measuring Engagement Performance
Engagement metrics are a powerful way to gauge how well competitor ads resonate with their audience. On Facebook, calculate engagement by dividing the total likes, comments, and shares by the number of followers. On Instagram, analyze recent posts to find the average number of likes and comments, and identify which types of content generate the most interaction. For Twitter, tools like Twitonomy can help track tweet frequency and determine the percentage of tweets that are retweeted.
Real-world examples highlight the impact of this approach. One major beverage brand saw a 25% boost in engagement and a 30% increase in brand awareness within six months after refining its social media strategy based on competitor insights. Similarly, an e-commerce retailer shifted its budget from paid search to social media, achieving a 40% jump in conversions in just three months.
In addition to engagement rates, consider broader metrics like follower counts, interaction rates, website traffic, impressions, costs, views, share of voice, and clicks. These numbers can provide a more complete picture of competitor performance.
But numbers alone don’t tell the whole story - seasonal trends also play a significant role in shaping ad effectiveness.
Monitoring Seasonal Patterns
Seasonal trends can have a huge impact, especially in industries like print-on-demand. During peak times such as Halloween, Christmas, and Back-to-School, order volumes can surge by as much as 250%. Competitors often adapt their ad messaging and targeting during these periods, using themed designs and limited-time discounts to capitalize on increased demand.
For example, during the Back-to-School season in early August, competitors often promote custom stationery, lunch boxes, tote bags, and teacher appreciation gifts. Their campaigns are tailored to parents, teachers, and students. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, they tend to roll out exclusive designs and seasonal discounts, creating urgency and scarcity in their messaging. Thanksgiving campaigns frequently center around themes of family, cooking, and gratitude, with personalized home decor or products emphasizing family unity performing particularly well.
As the Christmas and New Year season approaches, you’ll see campaigns featuring festive apparel and decorations. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day are also prime opportunities for competitors to offer designs aimed at couples, families, and friends, using personalized messages and creative visuals. By studying how competitors balance evergreen and seasonal products, incorporate seasonal keywords, and implement discount strategies, you can develop a more effective approach to sustainable growth.
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Improving Your Strategy with Competitor Data
Once you've gathered insights from competitor research, it's time to put that knowledge to work. The goal isn't just to observe what others are doing but to adapt their strategies to improve your own campaigns.
Setting Performance Benchmarks
Start by analyzing competitor engagement metrics like CTR (click-through rate) and CPC (cost per click) to set realistic performance benchmarks. This allows you to gauge what’s achievable in your niche and measure your progress effectively.
"With my 15 years of experience, I've witnessed the game-changing impact of competitor ad spending data, especially with tools like AdClarity. In the Retail sector, where industry leaders like Amazon allocate a staggering $443.4 million monthly, Semrush and AdClarity together equip you with the insights to strategically plan and stay ahead of the curve in your advertising efforts." – Laura Cruceru, Performance Marketing Team Lead at Semrush
Take the Fashion & Apparel sector as an example. Businesses in this space, including print-on-demand companies, allocate 78.9% of their total ad budgets to social advertising. This kind of data can help you determine if your spending aligns with industry norms or if adjustments are needed.
Benchmark comparisons should focus on metrics that directly impact your results, such as customer acquisition costs, conversion rates, and return on ad spend. If competitors are consistently outperforming you in certain areas, dig deeper into their strategies to uncover what you might be missing. For example, if they’re investing heavily in video content or specific platforms, it could highlight areas worth exploring.
Once you’ve established benchmarks, refine your campaigns further through A/B testing, using these insights to guide your approach.
Using Insights for A/B Testing
Competitor data provides a strong foundation for A/B testing. Instead of guessing, you can test strategies that are already working for similar businesses in your industry.
Focus your tests on key elements that competitors use effectively. For instance, if their messaging resonates with your shared audience, test variations of their approach while keeping your own brand identity intact. The aim isn’t to copy but to understand what works and why.
Visual elements are particularly useful for testing. If competitors consistently use specific color schemes, image styles, or layouts, experiment with similar approaches tailored to your brand. For print-on-demand businesses, this could mean testing different product mockup styles, backgrounds, or text overlays that competitors use successfully.
Targeting strategies also offer valuable insights. If competitors are effectively reaching demographics or interests you haven’t explored, create test campaigns to see how these audiences respond to your products.
By forming clear hypotheses based on competitor insights, your tests will yield more meaningful results. This focused approach helps you optimize not just individual elements but your overall campaign performance.
Building a Competitor Tracking System
To stay ahead, you need a system for consistently tracking competitor activity. This ensures you can identify patterns and adjust your strategies over time.
Monthly competitor reviews are a great starting point. Dive into your top competitors’ ad campaigns regularly to track changes in their messaging, visuals, and targeting strategies. Save screenshots of standout ads and note what makes them effective. Pay special attention to long-running ads, as these are usually the most successful.
Platform-specific monitoring is also essential. Tools like Facebook Ad Library allow you to view competitor ads and analyze their creative strategies. Similarly, LinkedIn’s Ad Library can help you track campaign evolution by filtering ads by company name and date range.
Organize your findings systematically. For example, use folders to store screenshots and notes, creating a historical record of competitor strategies. This makes it easier to spot successful patterns and even predict future trends.
Here’s a quick guide to tracking key elements:
| Tracking Element | Frequency | Key Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Ad Creative Changes | Weekly | New designs, messaging shifts, seasonal themes |
| Budget Allocation | Monthly | Spending patterns, campaign duration |
| Audience Targeting | Bi-weekly | Geographic focus, demographics, interests |
| Landing Page Updates | Monthly | Design changes, offers, conversion elements |
| Seasonal Campaigns | Quarterly | Holiday strategies, promotions, themed content |
Tools like Print2Social can streamline this process, helping you quickly implement competitor-inspired strategies. For example, you can use AI-generated content to replicate effective visual styles while maintaining your unique brand voice.
Finally, set up alerts for major changes in competitor campaigns. Focus on significant updates rather than minor tweaks to avoid being overwhelmed by too much information.
Conclusion: Using Competitor Ad Research for Business Growth
Competitor ad research can be a game-changer for driving growth in your print-on-demand business. By keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing, you gain valuable insights that can lead to smarter decisions and more impactful marketing campaigns.
The numbers back this up: 90% of Fortune 500 companies actively monitor their competitors. For smaller print-on-demand businesses, this strategy levels the playing field, offering a chance to learn what works and adapt it to fit your brand's unique identity.
"In an increasingly dynamic and interconnected world, competitive intelligence is not just a tool - it's a cornerstone of sustainable business success. By understanding your competitors, anticipating market shifts, and leveraging data-driven insights, you position your business to lead rather than follow." – Quid
The market moves fast. Design trends, seasonal demands, and platform algorithms can change in the blink of an eye. Businesses that stay alert and actively monitor competitors are better equipped to seize new opportunities and respond quickly to these changes.
To make the most of competitor research, build it into your overall strategy. Create systems for collecting and analyzing data, involve your team in gathering competitive insights, and use this information to guide your decisions. Whether it’s fine-tuning your pricing, improving your ad creative, or testing new targeting strategies, competitor data can serve as a roadmap for informed action.
Tools like Print2Social simplify this process by automating content creation inspired by successful competitor strategies, all while ensuring your brand's voice remains distinct. Use these insights to shape strategies that resonate with your audience and align with your products.
FAQs
What’s the best way to use social media ad libraries to research competitor ads for print-on-demand businesses?
How to Research Competitor Ads Effectively
If you're looking to get a competitive edge in the print-on-demand industry, studying your competitors' ads is a great place to start. Tools like the Facebook Ads Library make this process straightforward by giving you access to active ads on both Facebook and Instagram. You can search using brand names, keywords, or even locations, and refine your search with filters based on ad format or status.
When analyzing competitor ads, focus on the details that matter. Look at the ad creatives, messaging, and visuals to spot patterns that might resonate with your audience. Take note of the types of ads they run, how often they appear, and how they showcase product features or promotions.
This kind of research isn’t just about imitation - it’s about inspiration. By understanding what works for others, you can develop strategies to make your ads more engaging and better suited to capture attention in a crowded marketplace.
What visual and messaging elements should I analyze in competitor ads?
When analyzing competitor ads, take a good look at their visual elements - things like color schemes, imagery, and overall design style. These aspects can give you insight into how they grab attention and express their brand's personality.
When it comes to messaging, pay attention to their tone, value propositions, and how clear their call-to-action is. Understanding how they present their benefits and drive action can inspire you to fine-tune your own print-on-demand ad strategies to connect more effectively with your audience and boost conversions.
How can I use competitor ad insights to improve my marketing strategy?
To make the most of competitor ad insights, begin by examining their best-performing ads. Pay attention to the messaging, visuals, and formats they use. This can reveal what resonates with your shared audience and highlight strategies worth incorporating into your own campaigns.
On the flip side, look for gaps or shortcomings in their approach. These can be golden opportunities for you to differentiate yourself - whether by addressing overlooked customer needs or offering something fresh. By tweaking your ads based on these observations, you can craft campaigns that truly engage, strengthen your connection with your audience, and give you an edge in the print-on-demand market.
