Nobody likes to talk about competitors, I am so aware of this! Especially when it comes to our online business, there is a feeling (and trend) of “friendship over competition” which is sometimes turning a blind eye to the importance of having competitors in your business.
Sometimes this could be straight up impostor syndrome within you!
Whether you don’t know how you feel about competitors, you don’t want to talk about it or you feel negative feelings arise… I got you. This blog post was written for you.
The truth about competitors
Whatever feeling you are feeling is completely normal, and let me explain to you why. We have been so brainwashed in thinking that we don’t need competitors and we need to be doing our own thang, that we have forgotten the whole purpose of having competitors.
Who are competitors, then?
Glad you asked! Competitors are the people that tried something before you and it turned out pretty good. You have a shared passion and expertise for a certain topic… and YES YES YES you CAN be friends with your competitors.
They are not bad people, whether your subconscious agrees with you or not. In fact, having competitors in your business is CRUCIAL and you should worry if you don’t have competitors, not the other way around.
Let me add that you don’t have to shy away from some healthy competitor research just because some coach told you to put your blinders on.
You need to find your sweet spot between inspiration and data.
By any means, you should NOT focus solely on what other people in your niche are doing, but you need to have an idea of what they are doing so that you can do your thang.
Your competitors can be inspiring and can create some really dope shit. And you can use their work to track data and understand more about your business and brand.
Makes sense?
How can you use competitors effectively?
A healthy way to let your competitors help you grow your business is by comparing what YOU want to do to their approach.
NOT the other way round – you don’t wanna be influenced but you simply want to improve your stuff.
For example, if you are putting together a new program or service, your competitors could give you a hint in the right direction in terms of what is missing or what can be improved.
DO NOT create the exact program, but compare what are some extra things that you would do differently. This is the same concept that you apply when you take a course or get coached. What would you improve about the overall experience?
Another healthy way to work with competitors is through collaborations! Using each other’s audiences will build some extra momentum for you and expose you to a whole new audience. Such a sweet deal, am I right?
There are countless other ways to use your competitors strategically, and here at Wildly Creating we always include deep competitor research in our brand strategy: we just value this so much!
Not only that, but we always come up with a list of collaborators too, so that you can explore all of your possibilities!
What is the relationship with your competitors? Love them or hate them? Or both? 🤣
If exploring your competitors and strategically positioning yourself among them is something you’d be interested in, inquire here to discuss your options! And why not check my other services as well? You can do it here.
