Monitor competitors - Phar

Monitoring the competition requires constant attention on the part of the market watcher. This type of monitoring often marks the starting point of a company's monitoring activity, and requires you to focus on a short list of players on whom you will focus your attention.

If you're just starting to monitor your competition, it's a good idea to circumscribe the digital presence of your closest rivals: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, "in-house" blog... What are the digital venues on which your competitor is most present? Initially, it's a good idea to focus on the platforms where your competitor publishes more content.

Then, it's also relevant to "cover", among other things, a few particular angles when it comes to competitive intelligence.

• The local newspaper in the city where the target company's head office is located: this is usually the place where a "detailed interview with the CEO" type article will be spotted. Although a significant proportion of the local press is struggling, this type of source shouldn't be overlooked, as it spots investments and plant expansions in particular well ahead of any other source.
• Your competitors' job offers: special qualifications in production or business development, location of positions, language requirements of salespeople, etc. These signals, once accumulated, usually speak volumes about your competitor's development strategy.
• Your competitors' suppliers: you do case studies demonstrating the value of your interventions with your customers, your competitors' suppliers are certainly doing the same. This angle, often little exploited, allows you to learn about your competitors' productive choices, both in terms of machinery and IT.

Finally, it's also worth keeping an eye on your competitors' network. If your direct competitor publishes little (a situation we regularly see in B2B), turn your attention to its main marketing partners (distributors, agents, licensees, etc.) who have no choice but to work the reputation of the target company of its offering.