If you're new here, don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed. You will regret it if you don't.
Thanks for visiting! See you again Soon!!!Copyright 2005 The Powerful Promoter
Competitive Marketing Analysis - What and Why is It Important
The keyword in this phrase gives us a hint – “competitive”. The competitive marketing analysis is an in-depth study of your business’s competition and the markets available to you in order to ensure your advertising and public relations budget dollars are spent where they will be most effective. In order to perform strategic planning for your firm’s future, it is imperative to know who the competition is and exactly what you are up against to ensure that your market share is sufficient for your firm’s future. Increasing market share is the goal of any competitive marketing analysis.
Identifying the Competition - Who is the competition and how can they be located? Since you know exactly what products or services your firm provides, you can locate your competition by identifying other producers or providers in the same market that you supply. This is not a difficult task; it does, however, require some research. Competing suppliers are not hiding; they advertise just as your firm does.
The yellow pages of your local telephone book can be the starting point for competition identification. Research the Internet searching for press releases and publications which use descriptions similar to your products or services. Government agencies, Dunn and Bradstreet, business magazine features or employment of a private research firm can reveal a great deal about your competition and how they operate.
Shop Your Competition - If you want to know first-hand about your competition, shop with them. For example, if you are in the restaurant business, eat at local restaurants that are similar in price range and clientele to your establishment. If you are a plumbing business, have someone contact the competition and learn prices of service calls and specific products. Knowing as much about the competition as possible allows your marketing analysis to include details rather than generalities.
