One of the foundational activities I love to do with my clients is to look at similar businesses or organizations to see what they're doing and whether it's effective.

The goal isn't to emulate them or even to get inspiration. It's about finding gaps in the marketplace that could be filled with my client’s business offerings or through communication and marketing differentiation.

Being different is GOOD. After all, if every company presents itself in the same way, what's the point?

I don't usually talk much about social media here because I'm not an expert on these tools and I don't generally help people with day-to-day use of these platforms. 

However, I am going to use a popular social media platform to demonstrate the importance of not letting your competition distract you from the core of who you are as a business.

The story of Instagram

Instagram: the network people love to hate these days is now the poster child of competitive awareness gone completely wrong.

Instagram launched in October 2010. I no longer remember whether I had to wait for an invite to sign-up or whether you could sign-up and jump in right away. But I posted my first picture on February 27, 2011. 

When you look at the story of Instagram, you find that the original app was called "Burbn," allowing users to check-in, post their plans, hang out with friends, and share photos.

It was basically a Foursquare knock off — though it wasn’t as good, as focused, or as appealing.

The founders, Kevin Systrom, a 27-year-old Stanford University graduate, and 25-year-old Mike Krieger, also a Stanford graduate, later reassessed the app after realizing the jumble of features made it confusing. 

Their new direction? Deciding to focus primarily on one thing: photographs taken on mobile devices. This inspiration came from Systrom’s girlfriend, after they went on a trip to Mexico and found she was consistently disappointed with the quality of photos she took with her phone, making her hesitant to publish them on social networks like Facebook. 

Looking at the other apps in the marketplace, they found this was a consistent gap. Combining filter capabilities with social sharing opportunities was their solution. 

This insight didn't even come from competitive intelligence! 

It was a simple observation about a gap in the app market, with a dose of jealousy of a friend's photos that were always better than everyone else's. (We'll set aside the debate about filters being better or not. 😉)

The idea was brilliant. 

Cue start-up funding and the Facebook acquisition just 18 months after launch – all of which was based merely on an iOS app! The Android app only launched about a week before the Facebook acquisition after Android users begged for it, and the platform continued steady growth.

The changes begin

In 2013, the first of Instagram's changes based on competition came when they added 15-second videos in response to the now-defunct Vine (a 6-second video platform that eventually failed despite being acquired by Twitter).

The next competition-inspired change was Instagram Stories, which were added to the platform in 2016 in response to Snapchat's "temporary" posts feature. 

This was about the time I started eye-rolling at Instagram's changes.

Next up (in 2018) was IGTV, a feature that never made sense, given the length of the videos and the mobile-only focus of the platform at the time. It didn't even seem to be motivated by competition (though was likely inspired by YouTube), but it was another shift away from the company's core purpose.

Then came the threat of TikTok. After launching worldwide outside mainland China in 2018, the app has continued to explode in popularity, allowing users to create, watch, and share short videos on mobile devices, set to music and sound effects.

Instagram’s response? The introduction of “Reels” in 2019/2020.

All of that brings us to 2022 and the launch of Instagram's newest version of their app, which is...basically TikTok with a default algorithmic feed that has pictures sprinkled throughout. 

Though they’ve since released statements claiming they are attempting to “rebalance the algorithm” to push-out video and photo content equally (no doubt due to audience complaints), the bottom line is that Instagram continues to be swayed by competitors. 

The app that started as a clunky carbon copy of one competitor, has turned into a clunky carbon copy of multiple competitors. 

Despite original reviews of the app "Burbn" being that the jumble of features made it too confusing, it seems they have ended up in the same place, with countless users wondering, “who asked for these new features?”

One thing is clear, Instagram has lost its way.

Don’t try to become your competition 

Now that we’ve outlined the background and history of Instagram, showcasing their seeming obsession with focusing on what competitors are doing (and allowing that focus to take them down a path that is completely divorced from the core of what they initially stood for), let’s talk about why this is a problem.

1) When you lose the throughline of the problem you solve for your people, you're more likely to cause confusion.

The number of features that Instagram has created in response to their competitors has resulted mostly in overwhelm on the user end. 

Businesses are struggling to keep up with updates and content creation “requirements,” and audiences are having their attention pulled in a million different directions. 

Instead of trying to solve every problem and help every person with your product or service (which is impossible anyways), focus on what you’re good at! 

Go back to the core of why you started your business and work on improving and optimizing that. 

Over time, with that sense of streamlined focus, there’s no doubt you’ll become a go-to expert in that area. 

2) Listening to users (clients and customers, too) is important. 

Know that your customers aren't always going to be right, despite what the old adage says. 

However, telling them they're wrong without hearing them out is to your detriment.

Too often businesses think that they know best, not remembering that their audience is the one creating their success or failure. 

Ask for feedback, read your reviews, and make time to connect with your clients and customers. If there’s an overwhelming response in one particular direction, it’s likely worth looking into further. 

Data is key! 

3) When you're focused on the competition, you can lose sight of your own goals, intentions, and where you wanted to go. 

Analyzing the marketplace and looking for gaps your business can fill is great strategic marketing. But look away from your own business for too long and you'll hit a wall. 

You cannot expect to see continued success as a business if you are simply copying another. 

Your strength lies in what you do differently.  

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it's not going to show how you're different. 

Your competition's way of doing things shouldn't ever be the goal for how you operate your business. 

Embrace your differences. 

Use them as leverage to find the people who need YOU and the unique value you have to offer. 

And keep your north star in mind as you grow. 

KCW Consulting can help you find your north star and build the business you dream of with confidence. Book a consult today to learn more about how we can help you show up and stand out authentically in your business.