A competitive analysis is a vital part of building your digital marketing strategy<\/a> because it tells you not only who you are working against, but what has been working for them and what hasn\u2019t. This insight is important as it can save you quite a bit of time and resources, avoiding the trial-and-error period that many brands in your market have to go through to find success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking the time to conduct adequate competitor research can help your business jump ahead of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to understand what belongs in a competitor research report<\/a>, especially if you are working on a competitor research template that can be used repeatedly. Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve got your competitor research template organized, then you can get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to the many available tools on the internet, conducting thorough competitive research is a lot easier than you may think. Even if you aren\u2019t using a tool designed explicitly for competitor research, you\u2019ll want to make sure you are following each of these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identify your main competitors:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the individuals who have already established themselves in your market and built their community of supporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carefully analyze each competitor\u2019s online presence: Analyze their business strategy:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n How are they marketing their products\/services? How are they pricing their products\/services? What do their sales look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where have other brands succeeded\/failed: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing this helps you identify market gaps and learn from others\u2019 mistakes so you can avoid them entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are all required steps when conducting your competitor research. However, it\u2019s essential to remember that competitor research shouldn\u2019t be a one-time project. Ideally, you should conduct fresh research each time you are preparing to launch something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are plenty of both free and paid tools at your disposal to help you with your market research. Not quite sure where to begin your search? Here are five market analysis tools worth looking into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve never used U.S. Census Data Tools<\/a>, you\u2019ll want to begin by watching their Data Gems videos, explaining how to access and utilize the data available. From there, you can start using their tools, which cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Helpful information that you can find in the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Entrepreneurship Education<\/a> resources include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the first two options are great for finding more general market information, if you want something more customized to your audience and niche, then you\u2019ll want to check out Google Analytics<\/a>. This is a free tool that gives you direct access to your brand\u2019s analytics to help you better understand who your audience is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This tool allows you to create several different reports, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Should you decide you want a little more information, you can upgrade from the free subscription to Analytics 360, giving you access to Data Freshness, Unsampled Reports, and Roll-Up Reporting. Of course, that\u2019s not all. Once you\u2019ve reviewed your information, you\u2019ll be able to picture who your ideal client is, what they\u2019re looking for, and who they\u2019ve likely turned to before coming to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BuzzSumo<\/a> is an amazing tool that allows you to dig even deeper into your market analysis by showing you what\u2019s trending and with whom. For example, if you enter a specific keyword into the search bar, you\u2019re given a list of the best-performing content on the web, across social media, and even a list of top influencers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even better, BuzzSumo allows you to track your competitors and analyze the content they are putting out, giving you some extra ideas of what is working with their audience and how you can create even better content to share with your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BuzzSumo does require a subscription<\/a>. However, you can give it a try for free for 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moz<\/a> is another great tool for building your business strategy, especially when it comes to content creation. They have recently announced their local market analytics, which allows you to create detailed market reports that include competitor research, gap identification, multi-SERP sampling, market metrics, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n Like BuzzSumo, Moz does require a subscription<\/a> to access its latest tools, such as their local market analytics tools. However, you do have the option of a 30-day free trial as well.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re building a brand-new startup or getting ready to release a new product or service, conducting competitor research helps you strengthen your\u00a0digital marketing strategy. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n Conducting competitor research gives you an idea of who you are up against and helps you view the market from your customer\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n How? By putting you in their shoes. To truly understand your competitors and their tactics, you need to conduct your research as if you were one of their clients, allowing you to identify what works and what doesn\u2019t when it comes to your customer journey map, communication tactics, etc.<\/p>\n By analyzing your competitor\u2019s business tactics and successes and failures, you will start to identify gaps in the market. These gaps show you what has worked for your competitors in the past and what is currently working for them now. They can also show you what hasn\u2019t worked so that you can avoid mistakes made in the past, helping you save time and valuable resources.<\/p>\n Competitor research provides you with an opportunity to fill in marketing\/business gaps that your competition may not address.<\/p>\n For example: Can your product be purchased online without talking to a sales representative?<\/p>\n If the answer is yes<\/strong>, you want to make sure your e-commerce strategy is flawless to ensure the best customer experience.<\/p>\n If the answer is<\/strong>\u00a0no<\/strong>, you need to make sure your content includes engaging promotions that encourage your visitors to reach out to a sales rep to move forward with a purchase.<\/p>\n Again, this step helps you better build your digital marketing strategy to ensure you are giving your potential customers something that your competition doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n By analyzing your\u00a0competition\u2019s marketing efforts<\/a>, you\u2019ll have a better idea of what consumers in your market are looking for as far as content and communications go.<\/p>\n Customers no longer expect sub-par communications. They expect to be treated like the individuals they are and receive prompt replies to comments and questions. They also expect you to create and\/or\u00a0curate content\u00a0relevant to them and their needs. By conducting competitor research, you\u2019ll be able to see how your audience has reacted to certain types of content and tones of voice \u2013 better preparing you for\u00a0creating content<\/a>\u00a0and conversing with your leads in the future.<\/p>\n Knowing your audience is an essential part of your business strategy. Another vital piece of that puzzle is knowing who your direct competitors are, how they work, and using that information to outperform them. This is why B2B\u00a0competitor analysis<\/a>\u00a0is important when creating both your business and marketing strategy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A B2B competitor analysis is an examination of the competitors working within your industry. Not only does a competitor analysis help you identify your competitors, but it also allows you to carefully evaluate their strategies to see where they\u2019re succeeding and where their weak points may be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When done right, a B2B competitor analysis will tell you:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This analysis can give you insight into who makes up their customer base, what they need, and how you may be able to outperform your competitors by utilizing industry trends.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you’re ready to take your business and marketing strategy up a notch, then you’ll want to consider conducting your own competitor research. With the right market research tools at your side, this can be a lot simpler than you may think. Not quite sure how to get started? Simply follow along with this\u00a0B2B marketing<\/a>\u00a0research template:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You want to take the time to categorize<\/a> your competitors appropriately:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Primary Competition:<\/strong> These individuals are your direct competitors, and that means they likely have similar products and services as you do and target the same audience as you do. \u00a0<\/p>\n Secondary Competition:<\/strong> While these competitors may sell something similar to you, they are likely selling to a completely different target audience. For example, you may be selling Porsches while your competitor is selling Chevys. While you\u2019re both selling cars, those looking at your products are interested in a much more luxurious, high-end product than those looking for a Chevy.<\/p>\n Tertiary Competition:<\/strong> These are considered competitors that do not sell the same products as you but are still within your niche. For instance, if you sell jewelry, a tertiary competitor may sell gemstones. These are important to note if you are planning on scaling your business later on down the line and expanding on your products\/services.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Research your competitors\u2019 online presence. This means looking at their website, their social media profiles, and checking out their customer reviews on these locations and other online business listings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This helps give you an idea of what they are doing, who they are interacting with, and how. It also tells you if their customers are pleased with how business is conducted with your competitors, allowing you to move on to any potential gaps that may need filling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You’ll want to not only research your competitor’s sales tactics but their results as well. That means finding answers to questions such as:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n From there, you’ll also want to do some research into how they price their products\/services, especially if they are similar to yours. Don’t forget to note any promotions they are running and any past promotions to see how customers have responded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It doesn’t matter if it’s in the form of videos, infographics, whitepapers, or blogs \u2013 you want to take the time to review what kinds of content your competitors are creating.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Make a note of how your competitor\u2019s audience is responding to their content. Are they leaving comments? Asking questions? Sharing via social media? This will help give you an idea of what kind of content works well and doesn’t when it comes to your\u00a0audience engagement<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While you’re taking a look through your competitor’s sales, marketing, and business strategies, it’s essential to start running a simplified Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT<\/a>) Analysis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As you analyze each of their strategies, you want to jot down notes regarding where your competitors are succeeding and where they can improve. You want to make sure you find opportunities to one-up them or any possible threats they may impose upon you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here at CadenceSEO, we understand that every successful marketing strategy<\/a> requires statistical research to back up each move you make to better your business. We work with your team to properly research your market and competitors and formulate a plan of action to see your business dreams become a reality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
What to Include in a B2B Competitive Analysis Report<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
How to Perform a B2B Competitive Analysis (Step-by-Step)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>
This means analyzing their websites, social media pages, and even their email marketing practices<\/a>. The goal here is to understand their marketing efforts, what they are sharing with their community, how they interact with their community, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTop 5 B2B Competitive Analysis Tools to Use in 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. U.S. Census Data Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
2. U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Entrepreneurship Education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
3. Check Google Analytics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
4. BuzzSumo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Moz<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How B2B Competitive Analysis Strengthens Your Digital Marketing Strategy<\/h2>\n
1. Helps You Understand and Keep in Touch with Your Market<\/h3>\n
2. Helps You Identify Market Gaps<\/h3>\n
3. Enhances Your Marketing Process<\/h3>\n
Why B2B Competitive Analysis Matters<\/h2>\n
\n
Detailed B2B Competitive Analysis: Key Steps and Framework<\/h2>\n
1. Identify Your Competitors and Categorize Them<\/h3>\n
2. Analyze Each of Your Competitor’s Online Websites, Social Media Sites, and Reviews<\/h3>\n
3. Research Your Competitor\u2019s Sales Tactics\/Results, Etc.<\/h3>\n
\n
4. Review Their Content Marketing Strategy<\/h3>\n
5. Complete a SWOT Analysis<\/h3>\n
B2B Competitor Analysis Consulting with Cadence SEO<\/h2>\n