fbpx
Table of Contents

7 Steps To Identifying Competitors In Your Marketing

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on reddit
Reddit

One of the first steps of creating a marketing strategy is identifying your competitors.

By analyzing your competition, you can determine ways your business can stand out from the crowd.

If you skip this step, you are going to miss a critical marketing knowledge, so here is a simple process you can follow to identify key competitors in your marketing.

Identifying Competitors in Marketing | Handmade SEO

7 Steps To Identifying Competitors In Your Marketing

 

Step 1: Take stock of your primary offerings

Figure out what your main offerings (products or services) are and write them down.

We recommend doing this in a spreadsheet, but you can also keep it simple and use a piece of paper.

This is what you will be competing with others on, so don’t include minor, tangential products or services that only make up a small percentage of your revenue.

 

Step 2: Pretend you are a consumer

Do a Google search for the products and services you offer, or look for them on Amazon or other online marketplaces. Think about it – where would your ideal customer start looking?

Phone books are still a great way of finding local competition, but don’t skip the Google search! Even if you operate locally, the rise of the global economy means you have to keep global competition in mind as well.

Pick 5 to 10 potential competitors and add them to your spreadsheet.

 

Step 3: Narrow it down

You should identify your marketing competitors by:

  • Your industry, such as Brazilian coffee imports
  • Your market, which encompasses the coffee suppliers in your area
  • The strategic group, or the suppliers using the same prices and marketing strategies as you are

You may have competitors in more than one of these areas, so make a note of these categories in your spreadsheet as well.

 

Step 4: Ask around

Word of mouth is a great way to discover where your ideal customer typically shops and which businesses have been successful.  Simply ask your friends and family or post a question on social media!

If you want to take it a step further, consider hiring a market research firm to do it for you.

 

Step 5: Zero in on their competitive advantage

What is unique about each of your competitors? Do they use promotions, bundles, free shipping or extra services in their marketing?

You should be able to identify the ways each of your competitors differentiates their product and start coming up with your own unique angles.

 

Step 6: Sign up for their newsletter

It’s not enough to identify your marketing competitors and forget about them.

You should keep an eye on their business and see if you can improve your own marketing practices.

You can also use this knowledge in sales conversations, for example, when talking about what other companies in your niche are offering (and why your product is better).

 

Step 7: Define your competitive advantage

Now that you have seen what the other companies have to offer, it is time to define your own competitive advantage.

If someone was searching for suppliers or providers in your area, what would make YOU stand out?

 

How Handmade SEO Can Help

Here at Handmade SEO, we don’t just grow traffic.

Identifying and analyzing competitors in your marketing is a big part of the Handmade SEO process. We then use that knowledge to build you a marketing strategy that establishes you as the go-to business in your niche.

Interested?

Get started now with our Free Digital Marketing Assessment!

Get Weekly SEO Tips and Updates on Growing Your Business?

Sign up to our newsletter and receive our weekly tips and updates on what you can do to take your business to the next level.

DISCOVER...
5 Mistakes You Should Avoid
And How to Overcome to Grow Your Business

By providing us with your information you are consenting to the collection and use of your information in accordance with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.