As it says in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War:
“If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win numerous battles without jeopardy.”
While this saying, placed into the context of digital marketing, may sound slightly melodramatic; the sentiment still stands true against the backdrop of the modern business. If you aren’t aware of the marketing tactics of your peers, you can be at a disadvantage when strategising your own. With that in mind, let us delve a little deeper into the benefits of competitor insights.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. ~ George Santayana
In our daily lives, we often look to the past as a way of predicting future events.
While this may not be a foolproof method, the idea that understanding what has come before us can guide us to more fortuitous circumstances definitely has its merits. This is no truer than in the world of eCommerce marketing, as companies and startups continue their never-ceasing battle for acknowledgement from their target audience.
These boons and blights experienced by your competitors can give valuable insights into how you should be planning your campaigns, allowing you to pragmatically view these results without the risks associated with experiencing them first hand.
But how do we go about peering into the experiences of our competitors?
Gathering and Analysing Market Information gives you the ability to observe every piece of information from a competitor’s website, allowing you a window into marketing tactics, pricing and customer behaviour that you can use to alter your strategies.
However, going through this process can be intensely time-consuming, taking you away from other areas of your business that need attention and maintenance. For this purpose, allowing an external company to handle the necessary data extraction and processing has a wealth of benefits.
Not only does this mean that you have time to lend your focus elsewhere, it also gives you a view of your industry that is consistently being updated. In the digital landscape, nothing stays static for long, so keeping your finger on the pulse of industry changes and consumer expectations is vital for the proliferation of your brand.
“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” ~ Margaret Heffernan
While it can be a scary proposition, giving your customers the opportunity to voice their suggestions, concerns and criticisms is integral to the growth and development of your business. Not only will it allow you to find new ways you could be better targeting your audience; being offered a voice gives this audience a way to feel connected with your brand.
The idea of the loyal customer is something often lost in the world of eCommerce and digital, as people rarely feel they can have any connection to the service they are being provided (the exception, of course, being social media). However, if you can show that you are open to the suggestions of your demographic, your business is sure to benefit from it.
There is still much more to be discussed, however, as time goes on we are sure to cover more topics through the Industry Compete blog. Just remember, when it comes to succeeding on digital platforms, diligence is your most important virtue.
To quote Sun Tzu once more; “Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”