It’s very rare that a business idea is completely unique, which means you’re likely to have a few competitors when your business is established. You may not think that knowing what your competitor is doing will be important, but it’s vital to your business. Every day your business is in a competition and you need to make sure you win. It’s not about being competitive, it’s about allowing your business to survive so you and your employees get paid. So, how can you keep an eye on what your competitors are doing?
Google Alerts
It’s certainly worth your time to set up Google alerts. You’ll be notified every time your competitor makes changes to their website or uploads any new content. You can also get notifications if your competitor is mentioned in other content online, like blogs or articles. You can also use Google alerts to monitor when your own companies name is used in online content. It’s an ideal way of making sure what is said about your business and products is true and has marketing value.
Social Media
Businesses don’t survive without a social media account these days. It’s vital for connecting with customers and potential customers and collecting data. The same can be said when it comes to collecting data on your competitors. Monitoring your competitor’s social media accounts will ensure you’re always up to date on what they’re doing and what they have planned. You can view anything, from a new product launch to a change in branding company.
Feedback
It’s likely that your customers will have seen what your competitors are doing, and you may find that you lose customers to your competitors somewhere down the line. Don’t let this aggravate you. It’s just business and it’s bound to happen. Instead of getting annoyed, use it as an opportunity to collect information. Ask customers why they decided to give your competitors their business instead. It’s all a valuable learning curve and your business could become all the better for it.
Web Scraping
It may seem a bit invasive but web scraping is used by many businesses to collect data. It’s a method that involves extracting large amounts of data from websites so businesses can assess and compare. For example, you may want to know how much your competitor is charging for a product that you’re also selling. You can learn more about web scraping here.
Stay Informed
Being the best at what you do isn’t just about beating your competitors. It’s about staying abreast of the information that’s relevant to your industry. Make sure you read articles regarding industry news and attend any conventions that could propel your business to the next level. Stay ahead of competitors by dipping your toes into new pools. If you are always innovative in the way that you work, it’s your competitors that will have to keep an eye on you.
Keeping your ideas fresh will keep your customers interested, but never underestimate your competitors because they don’t care whether you stay in business or not.
If you get any value from this post be free to comment or share. Also feel free to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter!
text me: +385/9193-55474
email: hrvojeh75@gmail.com
skype: hrvojeh75