Running a business isn’t just about managing it, hiring staff, knowing the process, and investing time and effort. As a business owner, you also need to learn constantly and make the necessary adjustments for growth.
However, growth is only possible when you learn about yourself and your business, making it essential for companies to have competition. Learning about your competitors is vital in expanding your knowledge about the industry, especially if you want to refine your strategies to reach your target market.
It’s crucial to know your competitors so you can effectively communicate with your customers, set apart your company from other businesses, and enhance your processes. Here are the things you need to know about your competitors so you can always stay one step ahead of them.
Identifying Your Competitors
Generally, there are two kinds of business competitors- direct and indirect.
Direct competitors are the companies that offer the same products and services as yours. For instance, if you provide home loans, your direct competitors offer mortgage loans. Getting information about your competitors will help you elevate your procedures and stand out among everyone.
Indirect competitors don’t offer the same products but ultimately meet your customer’s needs differently. If your business is all about photo editing services, your indirect competitors are free image editing apps where people can edit photos themselves.
Competitor Positioning
You and your competitors can sell the same products or services but deliver them in various ways- how they sell their products and how a business presents itself determines their positioning in the market.
The more you know about other businesses positioning, the better. The information you will get can help you create unique strategies to put yourself on the front line. It also wouldn’t hurt if you were in the same positioning, but you have to know if both of your strategies are effective to make the necessary adjustments.
Competitor Pricing
Undeniably, most customers would go for the cheapest offers. But offering your products way too cheap can affect your business finances in the long run. It might even be the main cause of your bankruptcy.
It can be challenging if other companies offer the same products for a lower price. The best thing you can do is show your target consumers that even though your products aren’t cheap, they are made of excellent quality.
Competitor Strengths
Indeed, you want to win the competition, but at the end of the day, business is all about giving your customers the best you can offer. Therefore, you must know your competitor’s strengths. Learn what makes their loyal customers loyal and what people like about them. You need to offer the same thing or something better.
However, your competitors might offer something that you cannot match. What would you do? It would be wiser not to waste your time and effort to win their customers. You don’t need to meet every consumer’s need to survive in the industry, and that’s okay. Make sure to spend your time and energy on much more valuable things.
Competitors Weaknesses
Apart from using your competitor’s strengths to improve your business, you can also advantage their weaknesses. Since your strengths come instinctively to you, you might not realize that you have them. On the contrary, knowing your competitor’s weaknesses will help you identify your advantages.
In most times, the weaknesses of your competitors are your strengths. Knowing the areas where they are weak will help you highlight which strengths to use in your marketing strategies. Lastly, their weaknesses will help you avoid making the same mistakes they do.
The Importance of Knowing Your Competitors
Many entrepreneurs think that their businesses are unique and stand out from their competitors. But sadly, not all of their beliefs are validated.
The problem here is that many businesses can’t differentiate themselves because they don’t study their competitors. The task can be difficult, but it’s a critical step in dominating the market. Here are the advantages of knowing your competitors well:
- You get to understand your competitive advantages.
- Determining the marketplace where you can use those advantages.
- Maximizing the results of your efforts.
- Knowing your competitors help you avoid becoming a commodity.
- Understanding your competitors give you a solid idea about who they are.
- The information you get can help you design marketing and communication strategies to maximize your advantages.
In summary, it’s exceptionally vital to know your competitors’ pricing, positioning, weaknesses, and strengths. The data you collect will significantly help you improve your strategies to stand out in the market.
