What is a competitor analysis? Conduct a comparison of the websites of two community service organizations that target similar client groups....

A competitor analysis looks at the strengths and weaknesses of competing organizations and assesses the opportunities and threats that competitors pose to the organization in an attempt to produce an effective marketing strategy. There are different ways to organize the results of a competitor analysis.

One way to produce a competitor analysis template is to have a 2X2 table. Across the top, you would list each organization. For an example, I chose two organizations based...

A competitor analysis looks at the strengths and weaknesses of competing organizations and assesses the opportunities and threats that competitors pose to the organization in an attempt to produce an effective marketing strategy. There are different ways to organize the results of a competitor analysis.

One way to produce a competitor analysis template is to have a 2X2 table. Across the top, you would list each organization. For an example, I chose two organizations based in New York City that offer advocacy and other services for Latino/a clients--the Hispanic Federation and Mixteca (see the links below). Each organization would have one column. In each of the boxes across the top, I would insert information about their services. Then, in the two boxes on the bottom (under each organization), I would list their comparative strengths. For example, the Hispanic Federation's site lists its total grants and number of supporters in a bold graphic entitled "See our year in numbers" at the bottom of the page; this type of display is a strength. Mixteca does not have this type of graphic, which is a weakness. While they are both worthwhile organizations, the Hispanic Federation has more clearly visible contact information than Mixteca. This is another strength of the Hispanic Federation website. The analysis of each organization that you want to compare with your organization can go in the boxes across the bottom, making it easy for you to understand what other organizations offer that yours doesn't.

There are other ways to organize the template. For example, you can have your organization in the center of the page and other organizations branching off from it; within the circle for each organization you can note its relative strength.