Most businesses think they know exactly who they’re up against. But in reality, your competitors might not be who you think they are. You might say, “We sell supplements, so our competitors are other supplement brands.”
In 2025, the landscape of competition is broader (and blurrier) than ever.
It’s no longer just competing with similar products. You’re competing with DIY solutions, marketplaces, influencers, platforms, in-house hires, and even obscurity itself. And if you’re not aware of that, your messaging, marketing, and positioning could be missing the mark.
Let’s clear the air and get strategic about competitor analysis.
What is a Competitor (Really?)
When most people think of competitors, they picture a business offering the same product or service to the same audience. That’s the standard definition, but it’s not the full story.
Today, your competitor can be broken down into three key types:
Direct Competitors
These are the obvious ones. Brands that sell a similar product to the same customers. Think, two supplement companies targeting the same health-conscious demographic.
Indirect Competitors
These offer a different solution to the same problem. For example, if you sell a sleep supplement, your indirect competitors might include meditation apps, weighted blankets, or blue light-blocking glasses. They’re solving the same issue, each in a unique way.
At Mintun Media, we’ve experienced this firsthand.
In the past year, we’ve lost one client and one potential client to indirect competition. Not to other marketing or development agencies. Instead, we lost these clients to SaaS platforms. The long-term client decided to pivot into being a SaaS platform themselves. Another decided to use a SaaS platform instead of paying to have custom development work done.
They weren’t direct competitors in the traditional sense, but they still closed the deal. That’s why it’s so important to recognize that your competition might look nothing like you.
Attention Competitors
These are the ones most businesses overlook. You’re not just competing for a sale, you’re also competing for attention. That could be influencers, content creators, or even just unrelated brands showing up in the same ad space, inbox, or search result.
Today’s digital world is incredibly noisy, and attention is one of the greatest assets your brand can get. The point is, your real competition may not look like you, and they may not even be in your industry. Knowing this is key to improving your position, messaging, and conversion strategy.
Is Competitor Analysis Actually Important?
Short answer? Yes, when you’re using it right.
Competitor analysis gets a bad rap because many businesses use it the wrong way. They either obsess over what others are doing and copy them… or ignore them entirely, thinking it’s irrelevant.
Here’s the truth: Competitor analysis is about context.
It helps you:
- Understand what your audience is already seeing and expecting
- Spot gaps in the market your competitors aren’t filling
- See how your pricing, messaging, and offers stack up
- Make smarter decisions in areas like SEO and paid ads
- Create personas to help better tailor your marketing strategy
For example:
- In SEO, knowing who ranks for your key terms helps you plan better content and win more traffic
- In Google Ads, competitor research can show you what others are bidding on and where your budget is going head-to-head
- In eCommerce, seeing how others position similar products can help you differentiate and create more compelling offers
- Businesses using competitor insights improve their ROI by 25%, thanks to better targeting, copy, and bidding (Source: backlinko)
But there are limits…
Spending hours watching your competitors’ every move? Not helpful.
Using their success to sharpen your own? That’s strategic.
Common Mistakes in Competitor Analysis
Competitor analysis is powerful but only if done right. Here are some of the most common mistakes:
❌Assuming All Competitors Look Like You
Just because someone sells something different doesn’t mean they’re not taking your customers. Platforms, influencers, and DIY solutions can compete with your offer.
❌Copying Instead of Differentiating
Watching competitors is smart, copying them isn’t. You don’t know what’s working behind the scenes, and copying can water down your brand.
❌Focusing Too Much on Price
Trying to beat competitors on price alone is a race to the bottom. Highlight your value, not just your cost.
❌Not Tracking Real Data
If you’re not reviewing keywords, ad copy, offers, or landing pages, you’re guessing, not strategizing.
How to Perform Competitor Analysis
Step 1: Identify The Competition
Brainstorm beyond direct competitors. Include:
- Similar products (direct)
- Different solutions to the same problem (indirect)
- Content creators or platforms pulling attention (attention)
Use tools like:
- Google Search (see who ranks for your top keywords)
- Social Media (who’s running ads to your audience?)
- Customer feedback (“I was also considering…”)
Step 2: Research Their Strategy
Use free and paid tools to gather data:
- SEO: Ahrefs, Semrush → keyword rankings, backlinks, top content
- Paid Ads: Meta Ad Library, Google Ads Transparency → creatives, CTAs, offers
- On-Site Strategy: Look at their product pages, landing pages, funnels, and email opt-ins
Step 3: Analyze the Gaps
- What are they saying that you’re not?
- Where are they weak? What’s missing in their offer?
- How can you differentiate your voice, benefits, or buyer journey?
Pro Tip: Set up a simple competitor tracking document. Once a month, take 30 minutes to check in on your top competitors. No need to obsess over this, just do it to keep your team informed.
What to Do With Competitor Analysis (How to Use It Right)
Once you’ve identified your real competitors, what now?
Competitor analysis doesn’t mean copying. Utilize insights to improve your positioning, messaging, and performance.
Here’s how to use it strategically:
Track What Matters
Use tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or the Meta Ad Library to monitor:
- What keywords do they rank for
- What kind of ad creatives they’re running
- How they position their offers
- What landing page structures or lead magnets they use
Improve, Don’t Imitate
- Use competitor content to find gaps you can fill
- Improve your messaging to speak more directly to your audience
- Highlight what sets your offer apart, don’t just blend in
Test Smarter
- Split test your landing pages, offers, and headlines based on what’s working in the market
- Watch how your audience responds and iterate fast
All that being said, one of the most powerful outcomes of competitor analysis is collaboration.
Collaboration Over Competition
Not every competitor is your enemy. In fact, some might be your greatest growth opportunity. Especially in niche industries or eCommerce, collaborating with “competitors” can lead to:
- Cross-promotions
- Co-branded campaigns
- Affiliate partnerships
- User-generated content
- Expanded reach and shared audiences
For example…
Adidas x Allbirds
Two footwear companies in the same sustainability niche. Rather than compete, they co-developed a low-carbon performance shoe. A perfect example of collaborating for innovation and a shared mission.
Glossier x Into the Gloss
Glossier, originally born out of the blog “Into the Gloss,” frequently partners with other skincare and beauty brands, even ones with overlapping product lines. Instead of seeing other brands as threats, they focus on community and shared audience value.
Apple x Microsoft (Office for Mac, iCloud for Windows)
Historic tech rivals. But even Apple and Microsoft partner on tools and integrations, like Office 365 on Macs and iCloud compatibility on PCs. They understand that collaboration often benefits the end user more than competition.
LEGO x Fortnite
Once hesitant to partner with brands with mature themes, LEGO saw that games like Fortnite were pulling younger users away from physical toys. Rather than fight it, they teamed up, launching a co-branded universe that blends gaming with creativity. LEGO then produces Fortnite-themed LEGO sets and sells more physical toys. A perfect win-win.
When done right, these partnerships increase brand trust, increase customer value, and create momentum that’s impossible to replicate alone. When collaboration isn’t an option, acquisition presents a massive opportunity.
What If You Just Acquired the Competitor?
As your business starts to grow, there comes a point where beating or collaborating aren’t the only options. Sometimes, the smart move is to acquire them.
You see this all the time in the tech world.
Fortune 500s buy startups or merge with other giants. Think T-Mobile and Sprint! These deals make headlines because they’re massive, dramatic, and often trigger regulatory concerns.
But what you don’t hear about as often is smaller acquisitions. These happen every day, they help small businesses scale into larger companies.
Here’s a real example…
One of our clients started as Lake Martin Dock Company (LMDC). They only serviced boat docks around Lake Martin. With our marketing and development support, they grew into LakeScape, a larger entity that now acquires and partners with other construction and outdoor service contractors to expand their reach and provide more services.
Do you know what’s even more powerful?
LMDC was never worried about competitors to begin with.
As Grant Cardone says, “The only competition you should worry about is obscurity.”
In other words, if people don’t know who you are, that’s your real problem, not the competition. Cardone says to focus on massive action, value creation, and market domination.
LMDC followed this wisdom and focused on delivering exceptional service and providing real value. That positioning made competitors irrelevant until eventually they could be used to expand the company.
Acquiring competitors doesn’t always mean a full buyout. It could look like:
- Licensing their IP or software
- Hiring key team members (acquihire)
- Buying their email list or assets
- Merging complementary services under one roof
Growth doesn’t have to mean building everything yourself. Sometimes, the fastest way forward is to combine strengths and keep scaling.
Rethink Your Competition
Competitor analysis in 2025 doesn’t mean stalking brands you wish you could mimic. It’s all about understanding the bigger picture, from indirect competitors to becoming omnipresent in your market.
The brands experiencing success today aren’t obsessing over what others are doing. They’re using competitor insights to sharpen their message, evolve their offers, and take strategic action when it counts.
Yes, it can be important to know who you’re up against, but never lose sight of your own growth. If you’re ready to step back, look at your market differently, and position your brand to win, we’d love to help.
Book a strategy call with our team and let’s audit your competition, your positioning, and your next big move.
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