You can only build a strong brand if you set yourself apart from your competition. But you can’t do that if you don’t really know what the competition is doing. Too many marketers ignore this – and weaken their own brands in the process.
Luckily, this is an easy problem to solve. Start by visiting your competitors’ websites. How’s their content? Are they blogging or posting videos? Is the site updated regularly or out of date. How’s their SEO?
Next, follow them. Download and read their whitepapers. Subscribe to and read their emails. Watch the videos they post. Follow them on social media and pay attention to their audience and their social success.
Set up Google alerts about their companies and their key products and people. You’ll know every time they’re in the news – and why.
(By the way, this is perfect work for an intern. It’s meaningful and valuable to your organization, and it helps them learn quickly about your industry.)
What are the benefits of all this effort? Not only will you know what your competition is doing, but you’ll be able to see how you stack up. Where are you ahead of the curve? Where are you falling behind? What are the opportunities you’re missing? Most of all, you’ll have a much better idea of how to successfully position yourself against everyone else. That’s the essence of brand-building, and the ticket to making your marketing more effective. (Don’t have time to do all this? Idealogy can help. Engage us to take a close look at your competitors – and you – and let you know how you compare, and where the opportunities are. Reply to this email to get details.)