This is a competitive analysis done for a smoking cessation client. An addition deck with recommendations based on this information can also be found here on slideshare.

1. Legacy EX Social Media Competitive Analysis
06/08/12

2. Secondary Research Method
•Website
•Top competitor websites were reviewed to determine messaging, as well as identify pros and cons of each in both content and
user experience/design.
•Mobile
•Research was done to see if competitors have optimized their sites for mobile.
•Apps offered were identified along with the price of each and what each provides in terms of content, community and
integration.
•Social Media
•Twitter was researched to identify what content is being provided, is it effective for engagement and interaction (RTs and
@mentions), is the message consistent with other media, and what tone is being used, along with the number of followers.
•Facebook was researched to identify content provided, interaction (likes and comments), tone used and consistency of
message, along with amount of fans and “people talking about this.”
•YouTube was researched to see if each competitor has a video presence, what content is being provided and how often it’s
being shared or viewed.
•Summary
•Key takeaways and recommendations/thought starters were provided based on this research and industry best practices.
2

3. Competitor Overview
•PRIMARY
•QuitNet
•Messaging
•Homepage
•Community
•Website Summary
•Facebook
•Tw itter
•YouTube
•Mobile
•Smokefree.Gov and SmokefreeWomen
•Messaging
•Homepages
•Community
•Website Summary
•Facebook
•Tw itters
•YouTube
•Mobile
LIVESTRONG
•Messaging
•Home Page and Quitting Smoking Page
•Quit Smoking Community
•Mobile Apps
•Facebook
•Tw itter
•YouTube
•Mobile
•Mayo Clinic
•Messaging
•Homepage
•Community
•Facebook
•Tw itter
•YouTube
•Mobile
•Mobile Apps
•BecomeAnEX
•Messaging
•Homepage
•Community
•Website Summary
•Facebook
•Tw itter
•YouTube
•Mobile
•Mobile Apps
•SECONDARY
•Weight Watchers
•Messaging
•Homepage
•Online Community
•Facebook
•Tw itter
•Mobile
•Mobile Apps
3

4. QuitNet
4

5. Messaging
•Tagline: “Don’t Quit Alone.”
•Mission: “Join QuitNet and track the amount of
lifetime and money you'll save by quitting.”
•Source: QuitNet official website
5

6. Homepage
6

7. Homepage Features
7
•Nicodemon – Villianizes Smoking
•Money Saved/Lifetime Saved Calculator
•Fun Facts (Factoids) – Provides a source for each fact
•Trivia Questions – Have to click on to see the answer,
which leads to a page (makes researching more fun)
•Resources for medical treatment questions and
recommendations
•Product promotion – QuitNet sells merchandise on
the site as well.

8. Online Community
•Largest support
community boasting
~60,000 monthly users
•“…the QuitNet
community is designed
to help members help
each other quit
smoking... for good!”
8

9. Online Community
•User Content Filled Forums
•User Created Clubs
•Chat
•Q-Mail – Email with other quitters
•Member Directory with profiles
•Anniversaries – Those who wish
for their profile to be public, can
have their quit date anniversary
displayed on the webpage
•Testimonials.
•Q-Cards – encouragement cards
members can send to one another
•Quitticisms – Glossary of quit
terms (401Q, Cyber Trout, Elder,
etc)
9

10. Website Summary
10
•Clunky and cluttered design
•Easy-to-find contact info
•Large, active online community
•Lots of tools and resources

11. Facebook
11
•Open Wall
•Users can make, commenton and like
posts and other users’posts/comments.
•Wall Posts:
•Curated content
•Timely relevant material (holidays, etc)
•Encouraging notes
•Inspirational quotes
•Facts
•Stat Shouting - Fridays
•Tabs:
•Photos
•Twitter
•Stats:
•4,604 “Likes”
•76 “Talking about this”

12. Twitter
12
•@QuitNet
•Website/Blog Promotion
•Active in RTing relevant
tweets
•Frequent posting (at least
once a day)
•Followers: 726

13. YouTube
13
•Content includes:
•2 Videos uploaded by QuitNet: Both are
advertisements.
•Featured videos favorited by QuitNet
•Last active on March 22, 2011
•Easy to find
•No links from the website or Facebook,
though.
•Also, appears as if it’s not being used
anymore.
•Channel Views: 2,532
•Subscribers: 29

14. Mobile Optimization
•The QuitNet website is NOT
optimized for mobile devices.
•This is a shrunk version of the
regular QuitNet website.
•Much of the community (chat)
is inaccessible due to running
on ShockWave.
14

15. Smokefree.Gov
+
SmokefreeWomen
15

16. Messaging
•Smokefree.gov also has an initiative dedicated specifically
to women who are quitting, SmokefreeWomen. Because
SmokefreeWomen does such a great job at interaction and
engagement, This compares both.
•Tagline: “Quit Smoking Today. We Can Help.”
•Mission: “Smokefree.gov is intended to help you or
someone you care about quit smoking.”
•Source: Smokefree.gov official website
16

17. Homepages
17

18. Smokefree.gov Homepage Features
18
•Survey questions
•Step-by-step quit guide
•Tools to help quit
•Talk to an expert
•Text messaging program sign-up
•Twitter
•Search

19. SmokefreeTXT
•Text program to help
quitters
•Starts 2 weeks before and
•runs 6 weeks after your set
quit date
•Provides extra help when
needed (see above) by
texting a keyword.
19

20. SmokefreeWomen Homepage Features
20
•Quit Topics relevant to
women
•Depression, Pregnancy,
Relationships
•Step-by-step quit guide
•Contact info
•Twitter
•Facebook
•Email
•Tool to help quit
•Quizzes
•SmokefreeTXT
•Savings calculator
•Medication guides
•Smokefree e-cards
•Talk to an expert
•More free resources
•Digital booklets to help quit

21. Online Community
21
•Smokefree.gov does not have an online community.
•SmokefreeWomen uses Facebook for their online community.
• They encourage women to:
•post their picture with their quit date as the caption
•Post messages or video – at least every other day, but more often if you like about
your quit journey, strategy , challenges and success
•Support others by commenting and engaging
•Motivation comes when they:
•Set public goal
•Receive virtual support
•Learn new ways to deal with challenges
•Inspire other women to quit

22. Website Summary
22
•Attractive, Clean design
•Easy navigation
•No website community (Facebook houses the community)
•Lots of great information, guides, booklets and help that is
all related to women who are quitting.
•SmokefreeWomen Website features YouTube videos on
the sidebars

23. Facebook - SmokefreeWomen
23
•Open Wall
•Users can make, comment on and like posts and
other users’ posts/comments.
•Wall Posts:
•SmokefreeWomen Community
•Constantly encourages and congratulates quitters.
•Refer to quitters as “Smokefree ____” < Branding
•Propose quitting challenges
•Repost community comments (“We Love this”)
•Inspirational quotes and photos
•Tabs:
•Shop Now: They sell t-shirts
•Photos
•Encouraging photos
•User submitted photos
•Notes
•Contests
•Stats:
•3,714 “Likes”
•258 “Talking about this”

24. Twitter – Smokefree.gov
•@SmokefreeGov:
•Helpful tips to quitting
•Encouragement
•Links to relevant news
•Followers: 1,102
24

25. Twitter - SmokefreeWomen
•@Smokefree:
•Copies encouraging posts from the FB community
•RT followers posts
•RT other smoking cessation
•groups’ tweets
•Posting around 4-7 times daily
•Tweets are frequently RT’d
•Followers: 7,325
25

26. YouTube – SmokefreeWomen
26
•Content:
•This channel was used mostly for a video
contest they ran. Only 2 other videos have
been uploaded since, both on the topic of
pregnancy and smoking.
•Last active on July 13, 2011
•Easy to find in search
•No links from the website or Facebook, though.
•Also, appears as if it’s not being used
anymore.
•Channel Views: 12,960
•Subscribers: 43

27. Mobile Optimization
•The Smokefree.gov and
SmokefreeWomen websites
are NOT optimized for mobile
devices.
•They are just a shrunk version
of the regular website.
27

28. LIVESTRONG
28

29. Messaging
•Tagline: “Get informed. Find support. Take control.”
•Mission: “LIVESTRONG serves people affected by cancer and empowers
them to take action against the world's leading cause of death.”
•Because LIVESTRONG concentrates on all forms of cancer and disease,
the numerical results from this comparison are skewed. When possible,
emphasis has been placed specifically on their smoking cessation portions.
•Source: LIVESTRONG official website
29

30. Homepage and Smoking Page
30

31. Quit Smoking Page Features
31
•The corporate site breaks down into LIVESTRONGmen
and LIVESTRONGwoman. Both of these sites have the
same general content; they are just slightly tweaked for
each sex.
•The sites then have a choice for “community.”

32. Quit Smoking Page Features
32
•Under community, there are choices for success stories
(most related to weight-loss), groups and challenges,
forums, dares and a food tracker. We will concentrate on
dares.
•One of the dares is to quit smoking. This is where you
commit to downloading the app (next slide) and you can
post your results on this page.
•It is basically one massive page of comments.

33. Quit Smoking Page Images
33

34. Mobile Application
34
•LIVESTRONG MyQuit App
features:
•Personalized quitting plan
•Upload own motivation
•Track consumption and allowance
•Earn badges and awards
•Tips, facts and motivation
•Facebook and Twitter integration
•Lite is Free/Full is $3.99

35. Facebook
35
•Open Wall
•Users can make, comment on and like
posts and other users’ posts/comments.
•Wall Posts:
•Branded content
•Merchandise promotion
•Curated Content
•After searching as far back as 1 year, the only
smoking-related posts were for Prop 29
•Questions for engagement
•Facts
•Tabs:
•Photos
•Events
•Share your story
•Blog
•Stats:
•1,636,502 “Likes”
•5,889 “Talking about this”

36. Twitter
•@LIVESTRONG
•Curated content
•Facts about
smoking/cancer
•High engagement
•Followers: 284,934
36

37. YouTube
37
•Content:
•Full work out video series and self-help tips
for those struggling with cancer.
•99% of the videos are fitness-related
•Last active on May 30th, 2012
•Easy to find in search
•Links on website and Facebook
•Over 2,600 uploaded videos
•Channel Views: ~52,000,000
•Subscribers: ~99,000

38. Mobile Optimization
•The LIVESTRONG website IS
optimized to be viewed on a
mobile device.
•Full Site Search Function
•Embedded Video
•Access to your quit plan
•Information about smoking is
readily available after a search
38

39. Mayo Clinic
39

40. Messaging
Mission: “Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide
leader in medical care, research and education for
people from all walks of life.”
Source: Mayo Clinic official website
40

41. Homepage
41

42. Homepage Features
42
•Mayo Clinic Homepage
•Social Media Links
•Twitter
•Facebook
•YouTube
•Prominent Search Window
•Appt Request
•Donation
•Research and Education
•Mayo Clinic Quit Smoking Page
•E-Newsletters
•Action Plan
•Recommended Diet
•Tipsand Info - on quitting and
staying quit.
•Info on Medical Assistance
•Resources– Includes QuitNet,
EX, and Smokefree.org

43. Online Community
•“Each year, more than 500,000
visit Mayo Clinic for diagnosis
and treatment.”
•“These patients, their families
and friends, and Mayo Clinic's
50,000 employees and
students are part of the global
Mayo Clinic community.”
•“This site provides a place for
community members to share
information, support and
understanding.”
43

44. Online Community
•Discussion Board –
Featuring topics from most
diseases and cancers
•News Articles
•Mayo Clinic Blog Articles
•Videos
44

45. Facebook
45
•Open Wall
•But state on About Me: They will remove spam,
personal attacks, advertisements and
inappropriate language
• Wall Posts:
•Mayo Clinic happenings (research and events)
•Invites for chats with medical professionals
•Curated Content
•Questions for engagement
•Facts
• Tabs:
•Know Your Numbers
•Events
•YouTube
•Videos
•Forum
•Notes
•Stats:
•96,471 “Likes”
•1,588 “Talking about this”

46. Twitter
•@MayoClinic:
•Links to Mayo research or articles
•Invitation to Twitter and Facebook
Chats
•Occasional RTs but only if it has
to do with Mayo
•Followers: 354,550
46

47. 47
YouTube
•Content:
•Research studies and doctor’s comments
•Last active on June 5, 2012
•Easy to find in search
•Updates frequent
•Over 2,000 videos uploaded
•No videos on smoking cessation were
located.
•Channel Views: 6,845,350
•Subscribers: 5,630

48. Mobile Optimization
•The Mayo Clinic website is
NOT optimized for mobile
devices.
•It is a shrunk version of the
regular website.
48

49. Mobile Application
49
•Mayo Mobile App allows access to:
•Latest news, publications and health
information from Mayo Clinic
•Maps/directions to each clinic
•Personal medical record and lab
results
•Appointment schedule
•This app does NOT include any
information on smoking cessation
•App is a free download.

50. Mobile Application
50
•Community Mobile App allows
access to:
•The online Mayo community
•Member discussion forum
•Articles and Blogs
•Health Information
•App is a free download.

51. EX
51

52. Messaging Summary – Listening Online
52
•Tagline: “Re-learn life without cigarettes.”
•Mission: “The EX Plan is a free quit smoking program,
one that can show you a whole new way to think about
quitting. It’s based on personal experiences from ex-
smokers as well as the latest scientific research from the
experts at Mayo Clinic.”
•Source: EX official website

53. Homepage
53

54. Online Community
•“Quitting is tough, but you're
not alone.”
•“If you need a place to vent
or celebrate or get advice,
everyone here wants to help
you quit smoking.”
•Community has 564,384
members currently*
•*Note: This is the total number of members, not those
that are active.
54

55. Online Community
User Created Blog Postings
•User Created Groups
•Member Pages (Profiles)
•Member Badges are engaging
•and fun
•Legacy Created Forums
•Dr. Hurt
55

56. Facebook
•Open Wall
•Users can make, comment on and like
posts and other users’ posts/comments.
•Wall Posts:
•Questions from EX
•Engagement (Like this if…) posts
•EX responds to ~75-80% of user posts (This
was taken from the last 100 posts)
•Promoting the EX website/blog
•Promoting the Dr. Hurt blog
•Tabs:
•Get started (includes an intro video)
•Videos (Interesting facts or personal
videos of ex-smokers)
•Events (currently only one past event from
12/26/11) – buried on the second page
•Stats:
•11,659 “Likes”
•135 “Talking about this”
56

57. Twitter
•@TheEXTeam
•Website/Blog Promotion
•Questions/Fill-In-Blanks
•Requests for RTs
•Not much engagement
•No RTs of other users posts
•Stream is all EX
•Not many tweeting
@TheExTeam
•Followers: 661
57

58. YouTube
58
•Contains little content
•Last active on September 7, 2010
•Difficult to find
•No links from the website or Facebook.
•Doesn’t appear to be a current focus
•May want to consider removing it, as it adds
little value currently.
•Channel Views: 7,237
•Subscribers: 1

59. Mobile Optimization
•The BecomeAnEx website IS optimized to be
viewed on a mobile device.
•Access to the Community
•Imbedded Video
•Access to your quit plan
59

60. Mobile Application
60
•The EX Plan:
•Personalized quitting plan
•Connect with other smokers
•Tools from the BecomeAnEx
•Website.
Note: Searching for BecomeAnEx or EX
yields no results. You have to type in “Legacy
EX” or “The EX Plan.”
•Also, there isn’t a very visible link on the
website to notify members about its existence.
•App is $.99

61. Key Takeaways
61

62. Social Media Community Comparison
Making a fun, branded experience – QuitNet examples:
“Quiticisms.” - Glossary of terms used on their website. They have in essence developed their own language for users to
grasp onto. Examples are “cyber trout” – A cyber trout is a drawing that members send to other members after they go 3
days without a cigarette – a reward. 401Q is the savings from not smoking. And there are about 50 others that users
regularly use.
Q Mail – Email with Quitters
Q Chat – Ability to chat with members instantly when a craving happens
Q Cards – Fun, encouraging cards to send other members
Display of users “quit anniversaries.”
Stat Shouting – Every Friday they ask their followers to shout their stats (money and life saved since quitting)
62

63. Social Media Tone Comparison
Professional as opposed to a casual tone:
Because LIVESTRONG and Mayo Clinic are seen as trusted leaders in their field and have such a
robust and large contributor and/or fan base, their tone is very professional and comes across as
genuine and reliable.
QuitNet has a slightly less professional and more casual tone.
SmokefreeWomen has the most casual and friendly tone. They talk to their users as you would a close
friend, and their users engage them in the same manner.
63

64. Social Media Engagement Comparison
Interacting with followers and fans on Facebook and Twitter:
LIVESTRONG responds to tweets and posts quickly, RTs their followers comments and posts and posts relevant, value-
added content.
QuitNet and EX post questions to engage, links to articles and blog posts, but lack the engagement from their followers,
however QuitNet often RTs their follower’s successes or struggles.
SmokefreeWomen tweets their users successes from the community that is built on the Facebook page. They also
engage heavily with users on Facebook.
Mayo Clinic keeps everything branded. Every tweet or Facebook post relates to a Mayo Clinic article, event or piece of
research. They RT content, but only if it is concerning Mayo Clinic. If they don’t have a branded article concerning
something, they have a doctor write one (example within 24 hours of the large soda ban in New York, they had 3 doctors
comments on it available.
64

65. Social Media Content Comparison
Each focuses on similar content (Links to relevant articles, info on
handling cravings, links to their respective websites), with a few
exceptions.
LIVESTRONG posts regarding events and merchandise and posts their members’ successes and encouragement.
Mayo focuses only on Mayo created content and does not engage with users.
QuitNet and EX post questions and give members an opportunity to engage.
Most competitors mirror the content offered on Facebook and Twitter
(Smokefree.gov does not have a Facebook).
.
65

66. Primary Competitor Comparison
66
EX QuitNet Smokefree.gov SmokefreeWomen LIVESTRONG* Mayo Clinic*
F:Likes 11,659 4,604 N/A 3,714 1,636,502 96,471
F:Talking About 135 76 N/A 258 5,889 1,588
T: Followers 661 726 1,102 7,325 284,934 354,550
Smartphone App N/A N/A N/A N/A MyQuit
Mayo and
Community
YouTube
Y: Few
videos/nothing
recent
Y: Several
videos/nothing
recent No Official
Y: Few videos -
contest
related/Nothing
recent
Y: Workout and
Well-Being
Y: Research and
Studies
Original Video Y N N Y Y Y
Online Community Y Y N
Y: Through
Facebook N Y
Posting Links Y Y Y Y Y Y
Posting CuratedContent Y (but very little) Y Y Y Y N
Posting CreatedContent Y Y Y Y Y Y
Mobile Application(s) Y N N N Y Y
Mobile Site Optimization
Y – Access to
community, videos
and quit plan N N N
Y – Search,
Resources, Videos
and Dares N
*NOTE:These high figures are the result of the entire site, not just smokingcessationportions

67. Secondary:
Weight Watchers
67

68. Messaging
Weight Watchers is slightly different because they are selling a product and not just
providing a free service and support.
Because of this, the tone of the media is both sympathetic and promotional.
Mission: “At Weight Watchers, weight management is a partnership that combines
our knowledge with your efforts.”
Source: Weight Watchers Homepage
68

69. Homepage
69

70. Homepage Features
70
•Social Media Links
•Twitter
•Facebook
•YouTube
•Myspace
•Prominent Search Window
•Food/Recipes
•Fitness/Health
•Promotions – Individual
•pages (online for Men)
•Success Stories

71. Online Community
•Challenges – Ranging from
weight loss to being active to
changing habits
•Blogs – Written by users
•Groups – Started and
maintained by users
•Message Board
•Recipe Swap
71

72. Facebook
72
•Open Wall
•Wall Posts:
•Reasons to Believe
•Weight Watchers News
•Encouraging/Helpful Posts from
others
•Tabs:
•LLA: Live Life Active
•Get Started
•Believe
•Daily Recipes
•Contests
•Videos
•Stats:
•1,000,381 “Likes”
•17,481 “Talking about this”

73. Twitter
•@WeightWatchers:
•All Weight Watchers or Weight Watchers affiliates content
•RT Weight Watchers news
•Recipes
•Polls and surveys
•News and Articles
•Followers: 140,205
73

74. Mobile Optimization
•The Weight Watchers
website is NOT optimized for
mobile devices.
•Shrunk version of the regular
website
•Fails to even resize very well
74

75. Mobile Application
75
•App allows users to access:
•New recipes daily; save 10
•Cheat sheets
•Success stories
•Find meetings in your area
•Connectwith community
•Profile
•Photo uploads
•For members:
•Track points values
•Calculate values
•Search over 31,000 food options
•Track weight and set reminders
•App is a free download

76. Mobile Barcode Scanner Application
76
•App allows users to:
•Scan thousands of brand
name foods
•Integration with the
PointsPlus tracker
•Comparison feature to look
at multiple foods
•App is a free download

77. Secondary
Key Takeaway
77

78. Social Media Comparison
Community engagement:
Everything is integrated. You can share any page, any recipe, any blog post on Facebook and Twitter.
Not only this, but the buttons that allow this sharing are prominently displayed on each page/post. This
allows the user to be as public or as private as they want. For some, being public is gaining that
accountability and encouragement that they so desperately want and need.
The buttons for sharing on the EX site can be hard to find if you don’t already know where they are.
78

79. Summary
Thought Starters
79

80. Thought Starters
Engagement and Interaction: Consider becoming more interactive and starting a conversation with users.
-RT follower’s successeses/goals/quit dates/anniversaries – things that emotionally encourage
-Find new followers: Search twitter: “Just quit smoking” or “quit smoking” or “last cigarette” or things relevant –
Send those people a tweet that is warm, friendly, encouraging and links them to BecomeAnEx.org
-Follow up: Keep a list of @screennames you communicate with. Send them all a follow-up tweet a few days later
to see how they are doing and provide some added encouragement.
Tone: Consider injecting more personality into social media communication
Content: Consider using curated content. Developing a set of content or author guidelines, or even a list of
recommended sources could ensure EX is posting relevant on-brand content.
Sharing Integration: Consider making the Facebook and Twitter page-share buttons in more standard
locations (right above or below each blog entry or page), so users understand their ability to share
seamlessly.
APP promotion: Consider using the standard “Available in the APP store” icon on your website promotion of
TheExPlan mobile app. Also consider making search terms “BecomeAnEx” and “EX” in the mobile
application to make it easier to find.
80

81. Helpful Links
•EX:
•www.BecomeAnEX.org
•www.Facebook.com/BecomeAnEX
•www.Twitter.com/TheEXTeam
•www.YouTube.com/BecomeAnEX
•QuitNet:
•www.QuitNet.com
•www.Facebook.com/quitnet
•www.Twitter.com/quitnet
•www.YouTube.com/quitnet
•Smokefree.gov / SmokefreeWomen:
•www.Women.Smokefree.gov / www.Smokefree.gov
•www.Facebook.com/Smokefree.Women
•www.Twitter.com/SmokefreeWomen /
www.Twitter.com/SmokefreeGov
•www.YouTube.com/SmokefreeWomen
•LIVESTRONG:
•www.LIVESTRONG.com / www.LIVESTRONG.org
www.LIVESTRONG.com/man /
www.LIVESTRONG.com/woman
•www.Facebook.com/livestrong
•www.Twtitter.com/LIVESTRONG
•www.YouTube.com/LIVESTRONG
•Mayo Clinic:
•www.MayoClinic.com
•www.Facebook.com/mayoclinic
•www.Twitter.com/MayoClinic
•www.YouTube.com/MayoClinic
•Weight Watchers:
•www.WeightWatchers.com/index
•www.Facebook.com/WeightWatchers
•www.Twitter.com/WeightWatchers
•www.YouTube.com/WeightWatchers
81