08-competitor-research-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.

---

## 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

---

## 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 / Low | [1 short sentence] |

---

## SWOT — Your brand vs Competitors

### SWOT summary table

| | **Positive** | **Negative** |
|---|---|---|
| **Internal** | **STRENGTHS** — Your strengths competitors don't have or are weaker at | **WEAKNESSES** — Your weak points competitors exploit |
| **External** | **OPPORTUNITIES** — Market gaps competitors haven't claimed | **THREATS** — Competitor trends/moves threatening you |

### Detail

**Strengths**
| # | Strength | Which competitor weak here? | How to leverage |
|---|----------|----------------------------|-----------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

**Weaknesses**
| # | Weakness | Which competitor strong here? | How to fix |
|---|----------|---------------------