"Network Solutions - Small business conversations and working together for small business success" - 3 new articles
Understanding and Beating the Competition - Part 6 of the 2009 Marketing Plan SeriesThis is the second part of the situational analysis which deals with the competition and appropriately called “Competitor Analysis”. I mentioned in Part 5 that the Situational Analysis is probably one of the hardest sections you will write and this section validates that statement. You believe your product/service is the best on the market but not just to validate yourself but to validate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats along with trends of those competitors. Here is how the Competitor Analysis sub-sections break down: Competitive Landscape Then you need to perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weakenesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis and compare your firm with that of your major competitors. Include factors such as company reputation, size, distribution channels, location, financial standing, target market perception and if relevant, research and development capabilities. After your SWOT analysis is complete, use that as sounding board to honestly evaluate your chances as the new competition and how successfully you would be able to enter this market. Include your thoughts and observations on what you have learned from watching the competition and you can learn from the good and bad parts of their business models to increase your chances of success. Competitive Opportunities While in the competitive landscape doing much of the SWOT analysis, you should include a section that really expands on the opportunities you uncover because those usually end up being the foundation for things like your marketing messaging and web site content. It is designed to really expose the differentiators that make you stand out in a competitive marketplace. Competitive Trends
Upcoming March/April DC Area Tech and Social Media EventsIn case you’re interested in meeting up with some of the blog team members (or more likely, have an interest in tech and social media-type events), here are a few things coming up in the DC area where there’s a good chance you’ll find us. (For more events, check out DC Tech Events and Gary’s Guide DC, among others): * 3/25, 6:30-8pm: DC Media Makers March Meeting: Not only is our own Jill Foster the prime conspirator behind DC Media Makers, but Steve Fisher will be presenting as he talks about producing his very own movie. And Shashi should be there, too. The general unifying theme of the night’s sessions is video production, which we’re all interested in. Superficially ironic since the venue is National Public Radio, though not if you know anything about NPR social media honcho and host Andy Carvin. Aftershocks at Busboys and Poets, 5th & K. * 3/26, 3-5pm: [Sold Out] An afternoon event on Issue Advocacy Using Social and Traditional Media - From Twitter to MSNBC in 24 Hours, featuring Shaun Dakin, CEO and Founder of StopPoliticalCalls.org. At Siteworx in Reston Though the event is sold out, you can register to watch the stream online. * 3/26, 7pm: Refresh DC March Meetup: Web Education - Breakthroughs and Roadblocks. Monthly meeting of Refresh DC (new media and Web-types: designers, developers, malingerers, etc), with Jeffrey Brown as featured speaker talking about Web education. At CDIA Georgetown. * 3/27-3/28, 8am-6pm both days: [Sold Out] Government 2.0 Camp - An unconference on how to drag government into the Web 2.0 era. Although it’s sold out, check the Gov 2.0 Camp Wiki for session info, resources, and information on where you can pick up the live stream. At the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown. * 3/30, 6pm: Social Web Meetup: Monetization Conference. Another event with the DC New Media Technology - Web 2.0 - Video 2.0 - Social Web Meetup, led by Paul Worsham. Location TBD. * 4/1, 5-6:30pm: SxSW DC Digest [Facebook login required] — Jill gives a heads up for this followup event for attendees (and hangers-on) of the South by Southwest Interactive conference. Followed by a happy hour/Tweetup. At the USTelecom Association. Also 4/1, 6-7:15pm, and also via Jill: The inaugural Blogging and Cupcakes [Sold Out], which combines social media with “yummy cupcakes.” More info here. At Baked and Wired, in Georgetown. * 4/2, 6-9pm: Social Matchbox — another edition of speed dating for startups, job seekers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. Featuring demos and pitches by companies. Tip to presenters: Make sure people can hear you — even have a confederate in the audience to let you know if you need to be louder. At American University, Tenley Campus. * 4/9, 8am-5pm: Social Media Bootcamp. Steve had blogged about it previously, and Shashi is a featured speaker. All day in King of Prussia, PA — $449. * 4/19, 8am-5pm: eDemocracyCamp 2 — Say what you will about DC, there are a lot of folks interested in participatory democracy and transparency in government. Another unconference — check out the event wiki for more info. At George Washington University’s Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, Foggy Bottom in DC. Anyway, that’s my list. [A little further out are the next Twin Tech (May 28) and Blog Potomac (June 12).] I probably won’t make all of them, and there are plenty of other meetups, events and conferences that I’m leaving out, so if you’ve got your own events to suggest, please leave a comment below. Being a Director of Community Amber NaslundAmber Naslund who is one of my fav. bloggers at http://altitudebranding.com/ wrote a great post on the role of community director:
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