2019. 12. 06.

How to Write a Competitive Analysis

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How to Write a Competitive Analysis
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Pseudonyms
Negotiating Contracts There are few documents that get the attention of product planners and marketers the way that a competitive analysis does. A
Setting Fees/Getting Paid good competitive analysis is a scouting report of the actual market terrain that your company must navigate in order to be
Rights & Copyright successful. And there is no person better equipped to write one than a market-savvy technical writer.
Tech Tools
To write a good competitive analysis, you must:
The Writing Life
The Writing Life Be objective.
Rejection/Writer's Block Conduct fearless and thorough research.
Health & Safety
Write well.
Time Management
Column: Ramblings on the
Writing Life
If you're like most successful technical writers I know, you have these skills already. So, how do you put these skills together
to do the job?
Fiction Writing -
General A competitive analysis covers five key topics:
General Techniques
Characters & Viewpoint Your company's competitors.
Dialogue Competitor product summaries.
Setting & Description Competitor strengths and weaknesses.
Column: Crafting The strategies used by each competitor to achieve their objectives.
Fabulous Fiction
The market outlook.
Fiction Writing - Genres
Children's Writing A List of Competitors
Mystery Writing
Romance Writing The analysis begins with a list of your company's competitors. Most of the time, such a list is comprised of what your
SF, Fantasy & Horror company cconsiders to be its chief competitors. However, there may be other companies that indirectly compete with yours,
Flash Fiction & More
ones that offer products or services that are aiming for the same customer capital.
Nonfiction Writing
General Freelancing You will also want to include information on companies that may be entering your market in the coming year. Once you
Columns & Syndication have compiled the list, you can highlight those companies that will be the greatest challenge.
Newspapers/Journalism
Topical Markets Competitor Product Summary
Travel Writing
Photography
Creative Nonfiction Analyze the competition's products and services in terms of features, value, and targets. How do your competitor's sell their
Memoirs/Biography wares? How do they market them? Customer satisfaction surveys conducted by the trade press can help you tremendously.
International Freelancing How do customers see your competition? Ask your sales force for information -- they can be your best source of information
Business/Tech Writing about your competitor's customers.

Other Topics It's likewise important to include information on how competitors distribute and advertise their products. You will want to
Poetry & Greeting Cards talk about product quality and, where possible, find out how they are staffed.
Screenwriting

Book Publishing Competitor Strengths and Weaknesses

Traditional Publishing
Self-Publishing As you put together the list of competitor strengths and weaknesses, be objective. You'll do your company no good if you
Electronic Publishing allow bias toward your own products and services to cloud your judgment. Try to see the competition's products as though
POD & Subsidy you were the competitor. What makes their products so great? If they are growing rapidly, what is it about their product or
Publishing
service that's promoting that growth?
Promotion/Social Media
General Promotion Tips
You can find this information in a variety of ways. Certainly there are numerous Internet resources you can use -- the
Book Reviews competitor's Web site is always a good start. The trade press is an invaluable resource, but don't do all your research through
Press Releases the Internet. Make some phone calls, talk to the journalists and consultants who are active in the industry. These people are a
Blogging/Social Media lot easier to find than you'd think, and they are often happy to share facts and opinions with you.
Author Websites
Media/Public Speaking
Booksignings
Competitor Strategies and Objectives

Articles in Translation Observe how your competitors market themselves through press releases and advertising. Quarterly and annual reports
reveal a great deal of information, too. But more than likely you'll have to do quite a lot of footwork to nail your competitors
Search Writing- down.
World.com:

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2019. 12. 06. How to Write a Competitive Analysis
Interviews of journalists and consultants can be valuable. You will have to go to many different sources to get a complete
Search picture. What about your competitors' customers? Good sales people will know who they are and can help you get this sort
of information. It takes practice and a little shrewdness on your part to piece together a complete picture of strategies and
Google: objectives. Focus on the facts, be persistent, and trust your intuition to help you.
Yahoo: MSN:

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Market Outlook
JavaScript Kit
What is the market for your company's product like now? Is it growing? If so, then there are likely quite a few customers left
to go around. If on the other hand the market is flat, then the competition for customers is likely to be fierce. Your company
will find itself scrambling to win market share. Is the market splintering -- is it breaking up into niches?

The outlook portion of your analysis may seem like prognostication, but it's really a measure of trends. By the time you've
done most of your research, you'll have enough information to determine what the outlook really is.

Writing a competitive analysis can be a challenging and interesting piece of work. You'll learn a lot about your industry and
in the process become a more valuable resource for your company or clients.

Copyright © 2001 Michael Knowles

This article may not be reprinted without the author's written permission.

Michael Knowles creates technical materials that help companies market and support their products and services. He also
writes nonfiction, and poetry, publishes the weekly WriteThinking newsletter, and is working on the third draft of his first
novel. He lives in North Carolina, with his wife, two sons, and six cats. And he laughs. A lot.

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