How Do You Talk About the Competition?
We all do it in one form or another. We love to talk about the competition and what they are doing wrong. Hell, it might even be another blogger that you just don’t like, but in one form or another we talk about them. Is there every a good way to talk about your competition?
Internally I’m sure we are all aware that we shouldn’t ignore the competition, but that doesn’t mean that externally we should show that we acknowledge them. For 9rules our competition is considered to be other content networks and blog networks so if I write an entry like the previous one it can be taken as writing about the competition.
Is it out of line though to talk about an industry and what you can see being improved with it? In most cases when I see people talk about their competition its comes across as a hate-filled diatribe and that only gives off the wrong impression to your readers. However, I know many people are reluctant to throw around praise because they feel as though they shouldn’t give the competition anymore exposure.
I understand that every circumstance is different, but how do you handle talking about the competition?
Related reading:
A quick example that I can think of is if you own design firm and it has a blog, do you point out the great work of others or fear that doing so will push potential clients to them?
By Scrivs on December 19, 2006 3:36 pm
Feel free to delete this but the link goes to the current (not previous) entry.
By Devin on December 19, 2006 5:29 pm
I am weary of companies that do not speaking openly of their competition. I think it is healthy. Many companies live in a self-fulfilling echo-chamber and blow smoke up their arses on a day-to-day proclaiming the greatness of their product.
However, it takes a true, focused company to step beyond those boundaries and observe the situation from the outside in. This is one reason why I believe consultants are an important, integral role of any company on a regular basis.
Failing to acknowledge the competition and brush off any external threats is extremely dangerous. My belief is that if a company is truly an industry leader, they will embrace the competition, which should in theory exemplify their product features and strengths - assuming the company is as strong as it thinks.
If any company supresses discussions around the competition, immediately run the other way…
Cheers,
Aidan
By Aidan Henry on December 19, 2006 5:41 pm
Devin: Thanks, I fixed it. Simply forgot to paste in the url when I was writing the entry.
Aidan: Couldn’t agree with you more and really have nothing else to add.
By Scrivs on December 19, 2006 6:01 pm
My only thought on this is the old theory that you can’t please everyone. Someone is always going to find fault with anything you do and therefore turn away from you or what you are doing. The only thing you can do it make your best effort to please the masses and expect a certain level of offense from certain crowds.
This is life.
By Kyle on December 19, 2006 6:26 pm
What competition?
(If you focus on your own goals, then anyone pursuing similar goals is an ally, not a competitor. And when distinguishing solutions for others, you’re actually looking for the best fit to their own situation, not the general “we’re best” rap.)
jd/adobe
By John Dowdell on December 19, 2006 8:17 pm
People will always find some reason to jump all over you. Look at Michael Arrlington and all the nitpicking over disclosure.
The guy who runs plentyoffish.com quite often discusses what his competition is doing wrong on his blog. http://plentyoffish.wordpress.com/
I find it very interesting to read as an outsider to the industry.
By engtech on December 19, 2006 9:17 pm
John: That’s actually something we talk about at 9rules, where we don’t necessarily worry about the competition (we do keep an eye out to see if we can learn anything) because lots of times if you execute correctly you will find that the competition handles itself. Also though, any time a company succeeds it’s usually good for the industry so it still becomes a win for you.
Engtech: Markus (Plenty of fish) gives great insight and he is one of the few sites on my feed list.
By Scrivs on December 19, 2006 10:22 pm
Oh and John, we gotta get you to fix up the design of your blog man. Can’t be working for Adobe, the design masters, and have the default mt template up!
By Scrivs on December 19, 2006 10:25 pm
(Yeah, my weblog is embarrassing… I keep waiting for another domain name change to invest time in the combination of MT templates and sidebars, and Macromedia templates and sidebars, and any customizations I want of them… last time I republished there were over 6000 entries to make static, so the preview cycle hurts too. I don’t like the way it looks either. :(
By John Dowdell on December 20, 2006 7:14 pm