In The Art of War, Sun Tzu offers marketers some very good advice. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” What makes marketing easier — what makes building a brand possible — is having an objective, clear-eyed understanding of your own company’s real strengths and weaknesses, and a deep and often-refreshed knowledge of your competition. That knowledge alone will lead you to make better choices, to have better ideas and to become a better brand. What steps have you taken to truly understand your own organization? Do you follow your competitors on social media? What else are you doing to know yourself — and your enemy — better?
