competitor-analyzer

# Competitor Analyzer ## Quick Start Analyze competitors objectively across product, pricing, marketing, and brand dimensions. Every finding must connect to a strategic decision -- no data without a "so what" and "now what." ## Workflow 1. Determine scope: full landscape overview, single competitor deep-dive, feature/pricing comparison, marketing strategy analysis, or SWOT assessment. 2. Collect the user's product/company info, competitors to analyze, industry, and the most important comparison dimensions. 3. Classify competitors: direct (same product, same market), indirect (different product, same need), or potential future (adjacent market). 4. Build a side-by-side comparison matrix across selected dimensions. 5. Perform SWOT analysis for the user's position relative to the market. 6. Identify gaps: where competitors are strong (threats) and where the user is strong (advantages to amplify). 7. Deliver prioritized recommendations: quick wins vs. strategic investments. ## Examples **Example 1: Competitive landscape** Input: "Analyze our project management tool vs. Asana, Monday.com, and Notion for the small business segment" Output: ``` Competitor Analysis: Project Management Software (SMB Segment) Date: March 18, 2026 Scope: Full landscape -- 3 competitors Competitive Landscape: | | Us (TaskFlow) | Asana | Monday.com | Notion | |-----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| | Product | Simple PM | Full PM suite | Visual PM + CRM| All-in-one workspace | | Pricing | $8/user/mo | $10.99/user/mo | $9/user/mo | $8/user/mo | | UX/Design | 8/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 | | Integrations | 40+ | 200+ | 200+ | 100+ | | SMB Fit | High | Medium | High | Medium | | Marketing | Minimal | Aggressive | Aggressive | Content-led | SWOT Analysis (TaskFlow vs. Market): | Strengths | Weaknesses | |------------------------------------|------------------------------------| | Simplest onboarding (5 min setup) | Low brand awareness | | Lowest price point | Small integration ecosystem | | Purpose-built for SMB | No mobile app yet | | Opportunities | Threats | |------------------------------------|------------------------------------| | SMBs overwhelmed by Asana/Monday complexity | Monday.com aggressively targeting SMB | | No leader owns "simple PM" positioning | Notion expanding PM features | Key Insights: 1. Monday.com's visual UX is the benchmark -- their drag-and-drop experience drives word-of-mouth. Invest in UX polish. 2. "Simplicity" is an unowned position in this market. Asana and Monday compete on features; we can win on ease-of-use. 3. Integration gap is the biggest churn risk -- SMBs need Slack, Google Workspace, and QuickBooks at minimum. Recommendations (by priority): 1. [QUICK WIN] Launch "5-Minute Setup" marketing campaign highlighting simplicity vs. competitor complexity -- Impact: differentiates positioning immediately 2. [STRATEGIC] Build top 10 integrations (Slack, Google, QuickBooks, Zapier) -- Impact: removes #1 objection in sales calls 3. [STRATEGIC] Ship mobile app MVP -- Impact: table stakes; blocks a growing churn vector 4. [MONITOR] Track Notion's PM feature releases quarterly -- they could become a direct threat within 12 months Next Review: June 2026 ``` **Example 2: Quick competitor comparison** Input: "How does Mailchimp compare to ConvertKit for creator newsletters?" Output: ``` Competitor Analysis: Email Platforms for Creator Newsletters Date: March 18, 2026 Scope: Head-to-head comparison | | Mailchimp | ConvertKit | |------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------| | Target user | SMBs + e-commerce | Creators + bloggers | | Free tier | 500 contacts | 10,000 subscribers | | Paid pricing | From $13/mo | From $15/mo | | Email builder | Drag-and-drop (rich) | Minimal (text-focused)| | Automations | Advanced | Advanced | | Landing pages | Yes | Yes | | Commerce | Strong (Shopify, WooCommerce) | Basic (digital products) | | Creator features | Weak | Strong (paid newsletters, tip jars) | Verdict: ConvertKit wins for pure newsletter creators. Mailchimp wins if you also run e-commerce. ConvertKit's generous free tier (10K subs) and creator-specific monetization tools make it the better fit for individual creators focused on audience growth. ``` ## Tools - Use `WebSearch` to research competitor products, pricing, campaigns, press releases, and reviews. - Use `WebFetch` to retrieve and analyze competitor websites and landing pages. - Use `Read` to load existing competitive intelligence documents or feature comparisons. - Use `Write` to save completed analysis reports to a file. ## Error Handling - If no competitors are named --> ask: "Which competitors should I analyze? If unsure, I can help identify the top 3-5 in your space." - If user's own product is not described --> ask for a brief description so the comparison has a baseline. - If data on a competitor is limited --> mark estimates as such and note confidence levels. Never present assumptions as facts. - If scope is too broad --> recommend focusing on 3-5 competitors across 2-3 strategically important dimensions first. ## Connectors (Optional) This skill works standalone. When connected to external tools, it unlocks additional capabilities: | Connector | What it enables | |-----------|----------------| | ~~analytics | Compare your traffic and engagement metrics against competitor benchmarks | | ~~social media | Monitor competitor social presence, posting frequency, and engagement | | ~~CMS | Audit your own content positioning relative to competitor pages | | ~~email marketing | Analyze competitor email campaigns via inbox monitoring tools | ## Rules - Objectivity is paramount -- present competitor strengths honestly. - Distinguish clearly between direct, indirect, and potential future competitors. - Note the analysis date and recommend a quarterly refresh cycle. - Focus on actionable insights over exhaustive data -- every finding must connect to a decision. - Always conclude with specific "We should..." recommendations, not just observations. - Never recommend unethical practices (scraping proprietary data, impersonating competitors). - When data is estimated, state the confidence level explicitly. - Prioritize recommendations by effort vs. impact. ## Output Template ``` Competitor Analysis: [Industry/Market] Date: [Analysis date] Scope: [Full landscape / Deep-dive / Feature comparison] Competitive Landscape: | | Us | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C | |-----------------|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------| | Product | [Note] | [Note] | [Note] | [Note] | | Pricing | [Range] | [Range] | [Range] | [Range] | | UX/Design | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] | | Marketing | [Assessment]| [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | | Digital Presence| [Assessment]| [Assessment] | [Assessment] | [Assessment] | SWOT Analysis (Us vs. Market): | Strengths | Weaknesses | |------------------------|------------------------| | [S1] | [W1] | | [S2] | [W2] | | Opportunities | Threats | |------------------------|------------------------| | [O1] | [T1] | | [O2] | [T2] | Key Insights: 1. [What they do well that we should learn from] 2. [Gap we can exploit for differentiation] 3. [Emerging threat to monitor] Recommendations (by priority): 1. [QUICK WIN] [Action] - Impact: [Expected outcome] 2. [STRATEGIC] [Action] - Impact: [Expected outcome] 3. [MONITOR] [Action] - Impact: [Expected outcome] Next Review: [Suggested date] ``` ## Related Skills - `seo-optimizer` -- For analyzing competitor SEO strategies and keyword gaps - `content-writer` -- For creating differentiated content based on competitive insights - `campaign-tracker` -- For benchmarking campaign performance against competitor activity - `social-media-planner` -- For developing social strategies informed by competitor analysis