Take A Look At Your Competition

When you’re in it – you’re in it deep. It is hard to see out of it – when you’re in it that deep. You are good at what you do – and you know it. What you are doing is great, if not brilliant. But sometimes we need to come up for air, and look around at what everyone else is doing and assess the situation.

We have all heard people say that they are “too deeply connected” or “too involved” or “too close to the situation” to see what everyone else is seeing. Truly, that is the case in so many small businesses. They are extremely busy, taking on every role they can in their small business, and they can’t, or don’t have the time, to look around and see what everyone else is looking at. This is a big problem that we have seen time and time again. You must, not only take a peek at your competition, but you need to study them. You need to know what their branding looks like, where they are advertising, what information they have on their website, what their showroom looks like, who are their customers, etc. The more you know about them, the better your chances of beating them to the punch.

You can start by doing a SWOT Analysis. This helps you look at your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It forces you to figure out what you are good at, what you aren’t good at and what your competition is doing that you aren’t. Don’t be discouraged by the results – or boastful if your analysis looks exceptionally positive. This is a learning experience that is meant to help you “see the light”. Once you complete the analysis, you will know what you need to work on and can set goals to get where you need to be, and that is a much better place to be than sitting in the dark not knowing what and who is going on around you.

Open your eyes. Look around. Be aware and adjust.

Too afraid to do this on your own, let Tarte Advertising assist. We will work through the SWOT Analysis with you and help you decide what your goals and priorities should be in taking your business to the next level.