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#2.18: The “Keeping an Eye on the Competition” Issue

1 > What’s the competition marketing?
2 > Just announced…you better hear about it
3 > Horrible ads success?
4 > You’ve got to see this: Email Education Center

1 > What’s the competition marketing?

It’s easy to keep a pulse on what your competition is promoting on their Web site, but do you know what they’re mailing to prospective customers? Services are available that tell you what other companies are mailing. There are also services that crawl thousands of Web sites that will let you know where they’re advertising online.

The lesson: Keep a tight leash on your competition by staying abreast of nearly all communication touch points with their prospective customers. It gives you the unique opportunity to continuously differentiate yourself.

More info:
http://www.whosmailingwhat.com
http://www.marketrelevance.com
http://www.evaliant.net

2 > Just announced…you better hear about it

Is your competition publicly or privately held? If they are publicly traded companies, buy shares in them so that you receive their mailings, annual reports, and press releases. If they are private, set up a customized email alert, such as the service provided by Yahoo. Yahoo receives all of the newswires and some magazines articles, so you can register to be emailed the information when your competitor issues a press release or appears in an article.

The lesson: Keep a vigilant eye on your opponents. There are certain things that can be done to monitor every newsworthy event your competition does so you will never miss a beat.

3 > Horrible ads success?

Have you ever noticed the classified ads in DM News? They’ve been carrying the same seemingly dull-looking ads forever. Guess what — they’re working. This is a typical scenario with classified ads. No one continues to pay to run an ad if it doesn’t pull any results. Just when you thought your competition was wasting money by running a bad ad campaign year ago, they’re actually cleaning house.

The lesson: Never underestimate your competition. Keep a watchful eye on what and where they are advertising.

4 > You’ve got to see this: Email Education Center

Hey marketers! Check out this great resource — Email Education Center. The site is full of free resources for email marketers and publishers with case studies and white papers on everything from subscriber acquisition strategies to privacy issues. Stop by and tell your colleagues.

More info:
http://www.emaileducation.com

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