/08-competitor-research-global

name: 08-competitor-research-global
description: "3-tier competitor analysis (direct, indirect, secondary) for global markets — positioning, SWOT, content benchmark, market gap. Tools: SimilarWeb, Ahrefs, Semrush, Minea (dropshipping). Trigger: 'competitor research', 'competitive analysis', 'what competitors are doing', 'competitor analysis', 'market research'."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
  category: strategy
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "competitor research"
  - "competitive analysis"
  - "what competitors are doing"
  - "competitor analysis"
  - "market research"
related:
  - 09-customer-insight-global
  - 00-marketing-plan-global
  - 02-campaign-brief-global
  - 05-ad-copy-global
  - 29-dropshipping-mastery-global

Competitive Research (Global)

Information gathering

Ask user up to 4 questions before starting:

1. **What's your product / service?** (Industry, price tier, primary audience) 2. **Name 2-5 competitors you know** (brand names, page/TikTok/website links if available) 3. **What worries you most about competitors?** (Cheaper pricing? Better content? Stronger ads? Market share?) 4. **Goal after this report?** (Reposition? Improve content? Find market gap? Run ads more effectively?)

Auto-research via tools (if available)

A. Global research tools

| Tool | What it does | Free tier? | |------|--------------|-----------| | **SimilarWeb** | Website traffic estimation, top sources, competitor comparison | Yes (limited) | | **Ahrefs** | SEO/backlink analysis, keyword competition | Trial only | | **Semrush** | SEO, ads research, keyword gap, competitor traffic sources | Yes (limited) | | **Meta Ads Library** | All competitor ads currently running on Meta — public, free | Yes (free) | | **TikTok Creative Center** | Top performing ads by industry, region | Yes (free) | | **Minea** | Dropshipping ad spy — top selling products on FB/TikTok | Trial only | | **AdSpy / BigSpy** | Ad intelligence across platforms | Paid only |

B. Meta Ads Library (free, no signup needed)

For each competitor: 1. Go to `facebook.com/ads/library` 2. Filter by country + advertiser 3. Note: format mix (video/image/carousel), hooks used, CTAs, run duration 4. Compare against your ads -> find gaps and opportunities

C. Dropshipping-specific tools (Minea, Adspy, Pipiads)

For dropshipping competitor research:

• **Minea** — Track top FB/TikTok ads by product, find winning products
• **Pipiads** — TikTok Shop best sellers, ad performance data
• **AdSpy** — Search ads by keyword, advertiser, country

> See skill `29-dropshipping-mastery-global` for full dropshipping research workflow.

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3-tier competitor model

Categorize competitors into 3 groups — don't just look at direct competitors:

| Tier | Definition | Criteria | Example (Mid-tier Spa) | |------|------------|----------|------------------------| | **Direct** | Same tier, same offering, same audience | Same price, same service, same area | Spa B same street, similar pricing | | **Indirect potential** | Different offering but substitutable | Customer might pick them instead | Cosmetic clinic, at-home skincare, home beauty devices | | **Secondary** | Same offering, different price tier | Competes when budget shifts | Premium spa (customer downgrades), budget spa (upgrades) |

Selection rules

• Direct: pick 3-5 main competitors
• Indirect potential: pick 2-3 substitute categories
• Secondary: pick 1-2 competitors at adjacent price tier

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Per-competitor analysis structure

For each competitor, analyze 8 dimensions:

1. Brand positioning

| Element | Content | |---------|---------| | Main message | [Slogan, tagline, brand promise] | | Visual style | [Color tone, photo style, video quality] | | Price tier | [Low / Medium / High / Premium] | | Target audience | [Gender, age, income, interests] | | Stated USP | [What do they claim is their differentiation?] |

2. Strengths and weaknesses

| Strengths | Weaknesses | |-----------|------------| | [List 3-5] | [List 3-5] |

3. Content strategy

| Metric | Value | |--------|-------| | Main channel | [Facebook / TikTok / Instagram / YouTube / Email] | | Posting frequency | [X posts/week] | | Priority format | [Short video / Carousel / Long post / Reels] | | Tone of voice | [Professional / Friendly / Humorous / Educational] | | Content angle mix | [TOFU X% / MOFU X% / BOFU X%] | | Best performing content | [Top 3 highest engagement posts/videos] |

4. Channels and platforms

| Channel | Yes / No | Followers / Likes | Activity rating | |---------|----------|-------------------|-----------------| | Facebook Page | | | | | TikTok | | | | | Instagram | | | | | YouTube | | | | | LinkedIn | | | | | Website | | | | | Email | | | |

5. Ad spend estimation

Estimation method (no need for absolute precision):

| Signal | How to read | |--------|-------------| | Sponsored posts/month | Count "Sponsored" labeled posts in Meta Ads Library | | TikTok video ad volume | TikTok Creative Center -> Top Ads -> filter by industry | | Website traffic | SimilarWeb (free tier) or Semrush | | KOL/UGC volume | Count brand-tagged videos on TikTok |

| Estimated metric | Value | |------------------|-------| | Active ads (Meta Ads Library) | [X ads] | | Estimated monthly ad spend | [$X — based on ad count x avg CPM] | | Has UGC/KOL? | [Yes/No — if yes, estimated X people] |

6. Audience overlap

| Element | Overlap level | |---------|---------------| | Geography | [High / Medium / Low] | | Age | [High / Medium / Low] | | Income | [High / Medium / Low] | | Interests | [High / Medium / Low] | | Channels used | [High / Medium / Low] |

7. Pricing and business model

| Product/service | Competitor price | Your price | Difference | |-----------------|------------------|------------|------------| | [SKU 1] | | | | | [SKU 2] | | | | | [SKU 3] | | | |

8. Threat level assessment

| Competitor | Threat level | Reason | |------------|--------------|--------| | [Name] | High / Medium