Combining Digital Marketing Assessment and Competitive Intelligence for Better Business Decision-Making

April 13, 2023

An effective way of staying ahead of your competitors in this day and age is using digital marketing assessment and competitive intelligence. These tools will give you the necessary information to thrive in your industry. Combining digital marketing and competitive intelligence can help businesses make better strategic decisions and gain a competitive advantage.

Competitive Intelligence 101

Competitive intelligence is the process of gathering and analyzing information about your competitors and the marketplace to learn insights not only into their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses but also into the opportunities that might be available for your business. Competitive intelligence aims to help companies stand out from their competitors by anticipating or timely responding to their strategic moves in the marketplace.


There are different data sources for gathering competitive intelligence:

• Primary sources – Information collected through direct contact with competitors, customers, industry experts, and others. Data can be obtained through interviews, surveys, and focus groups.


• Secondary sources – Data collected from public sources, such as news articles, financial reports, and social media.


• Digital Marketing sources – Data collected from online sources, such as website traffic, social media activity, and email marketing.

The Role of Digital Marketing Assessment in Competitive Intelligence

Digital marketing assessment can provide valuable insights into your competitors' strategies and approaches. By analyzing their online activity, your business can get a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. It will also help you benchmark your digital marketing results against your competition, find gaps in your digital marketing strategies, and identify social threats to your company.

There are various areas of digital marketing assessment that can be used to gather competitive intelligence, including:

• Social media monitoring – tracking competitors' social media activities, such as posts, likes, and comments.


• Search engine optimization (SEO) analysis – analyzing competitors' websites and online content to understand their SEO strategy and the keywords used to position themselves in the digital landscape.


• Email marketing analysis – analyzing competitors' email marketing campaigns to understand their messaging, segmentation, and targeting.


• Website traffic analysis – monitoring competitors' website traffic and behavior to understand their audience and engagement.


• Online advertising analysis – monitoring competitors' online advertising campaigns to understand their targeting, messaging, and creative approach.

Benefits of Combining Digital Marketing Assessment and Competitive Intelligence

There are several benefits your business can get from combining digital marketing and competitive intelligence:

• Improved decision-making based on data-driven insights – by gathering and analyzing data from digital marketing activities, businesses can make insightful decisions about their own marketing strategies and tactics.


• More effective marketing strategies based on competitive intelligence – by understanding competitors' strategies, businesses can optimize their marketing strategies to be more effective and competitive.


• Competitive advantage in the marketplace – leveraging digital marketing and competitive intelligence allows businesses to get a competitive advantage in the marketplace by staying ahead of the competition and identifying new opportunities.

Strategies for Combining Digital Marketing Assessment and Competitive Intelligence

To effectively combine digital marketing assessment and competitive intelligence, businesses should follow these strategies:

• Identify which of your competitors are present in the digital landscape – not all of your competitors might have an online presence.


• Create a comprehensive competitive intelligence plan – define the goals, sources, and methods of gathering competitive intelligence, and identify key digital marketing areas to focus on.


• Choose the right digital marketing areas to gather competitive intelligence from – monitor your competitors' digital marketing efforts that will provide the most valuable insights into their strategies and approaches.


• Analyze and interpret data to make informed decisions – once the data has been collected, businesses need to analyze and interpret the data to make smart decisions.

Challenges and Risks

While combining digital marketing assessment and competitive intelligence can provide numerous benefits, there are also potential pitfalls and risks that businesses need to be aware of. Some of these challenges include:

• Legal and ethical issues - gathering competitive intelligence can be a sensitive and legally complex process, and businesses need to ensure that they are not violating any laws or ethical standards.


• Overreliance on digital marketing - digital marketing assessments can provide valuable insights but should not be the sole source of competitive intelligence. Businesses need to use a variety of sources and methods to gather the information they need to create a solid competitive analysis.


• Misinterpreting data - data can be complex and difficult to interpret, and businesses need to ensure that they are interpreting the information they collect correctly.

Combining digital marketing and competitive intelligence can provide numerous benefits for your businesses if you are looking to get ahead of your competitors.

By using digital marketing to gather competitive intel, your business can make more robust decisions and optimize your marketing strategies. However, you need to be aware of the challenges and risks involved and follow best practices to ensure that you are using digital marketing assessment and competitive intelligence effectively and ethically. This will allow your business to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace and achieve long-term success.

If you're unsure how to conduct competitive intelligence research via digital marketing assessment and how this can benefit your business in the short and long term, you can contact us. Our highly experienced professionals can guide you through the entire process.


We operate with a flexible, scalable staffing model leveraging subject matter experts as needed. We enable clients to generate profitable growth through the practical use of research, innovation, and technology. Whether your firm is a start-up or a Fortune 500, Peak Innovation is here to answer your toughest marketplace questions.

All you need to ensure you make the right decisions to help your business succeed, increase market share, and stay abreast of your competitors is one phone call away. Contact us at (844) 485-8070 or fill out the form on this website for questions about our services or to schedule a time to speak.