An all-encompassing content marketing strategy, white hat organic SEO practices, consistent link building efforts and solid social media marketing, well, this sure makes for a killer digital marketing strategy.
But hey, too much of it all, and you’re only doing what the rest of the world is doing. Today, let’s try and look through the things a little differently.
Let’s deal with a few questions first.
Do you remember when exactly was the last time you ran a competitive analysis? Don’t mind me asking it, but have you ever done it at all? If your answer is a big, naive no, then perhaps you don’t have any idea how your digital marketing strategy stands compared to your competitors.
Let me tell you a secret, peeping over your competitors can be an unexpectedly wonderful can massively help you find your own shortcomings and in the process, help you get better at the game. I’m sure you’ve heard this saying countless times before – keep your friends close, and your enemies, even closer. And in the realm of online marketing, this is one quote you need to live by.
See, every business that exists on this planet has at least a competitor who’s aiming for the bigger portion of the pie. So doesn’t it make sense to know how your competitors are sailing more smoothly than you when both of you are dealing in the same products or services. If you look at it closely, it’s quite a creative way to get a better understanding of your target audience. Once you’re familiar with the tactics, you can formulate some really killer strategies.
So here are some of the things your business competitors can teach you about digital marketing.
Target audience and traffic: I’m sure that you think that you have a fair idea of who your customers are and where they come from. But a simple analysis can determine whether any of your competitors is attracting more traffic than you or not. It they actually are, it would be a wise idea to go for the strategies they’re going for.
Content that matters: It’s a misconception that anything that’s original, it sells. Within an industry, there is only a limited type of content that gets shared. It could be anything – blog posts or weekly quizzes and surveys or Q&As. Perhaps your competitors know it better than you do.
You also get to know what doesn’t work: The best way to progress is actually to learn through others’ mistakes, don’t you think? Your competitors can also go wrong. So it’s a good idea to constantly monitor their marketing campaigns and learn what catches the eye and what just doesn’t work with the masses.
The key here is to learn from those who are better at this game. And once you’ve figured out the key players, you make their good moves better and avoid their failures.
And yes, always remember that there’s no substitute to originality.