3 Competitive Analysis Ebooks That Should Be On Your Team’s Reading List
As any marketer worth their salt will tell you, competitive analysis is essential no matter your business size. According to experts on Forbes, in an increasingly crowded landscape, having this analysis doesn’t just guarantee that you stand out from competitors. Rather, it allows you to study and adapt to their successes while avoiding and learning from their failures.
A recent Small Biz Trends survey estimates that up to 94% of companies plan to invest in more aggressive or targeted competitive analysis. That said, for any competitive analysis effort to succeed, every marketing team member must be similarly well-versed in the initiative. This helps safeguard your team from knowledge silos and ensures you’re maximizing your manpower to the fullest.
In this regard, ebooks are an effective way to secure team-wide efficiency in competitive analysis. Enhance your workflow with intuitive book reading apps to stay organised and engaged.
Why ebooks are great competitive analysis resources
In the age of digital media, what sets ebooks apart is their credibility. Whereas other mediums, like podcasts, streamed videos, and blogs, can all offer valuable information, they are not subject to the same strict standards as most ebooks. Therefore, ebooks are typically stringently fact-checked, regularly updated, and written by industry experts. The ebooks featured on Everand include New York Times bestsellers, Pulitzer-winners, and much more. Across various genres, including business, thousands of established authors have penned insights on a myriad of topics, like competitive analysis. Ebooks are available online and off (once downloaded), so marketers can carry these references virtually anywhere. Moreover, ebooks are highly cost-efficient. Everand’s monthly subscription is less than the cost of one physical book. Meanwhile, titles on the Libby app are free as long as you have a valid library card. As a result, it’s easy to pick up new skills, even among beginners who are pressed for time, since they can refer to ebooks at their own pace. Given this diversity and accessibility, ebooks supplement team member learning without stretching your company budget or schedule.
Competitive analysis ebooks to check out
Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors
Written by Harvard Business School professor Micheal E. Porter, Competitive Strategy has been an industry bible for nearly two decades. Already on its 60th print, this book simplifies and breaks down complex theories surrounding competitive analysis. Working off the iconic Five Forces Model introduced in 1979, Porter teaches readers how competitive advantage is linked to profitability. By reframing the idea of what constitutes profit, this book helps fill a critical void in management thinking. Since this book’s release in 2008, it’s taught countless marketers how to study competitor behaviour and predict it.
Competitive Intelligence Advantage: How to Minimize Risk, Avoid Surprises, and Grow Your Business in a Changing World
Author Seena Sharp is a noted industry expert who founded one of the US’ first competitive intelligence firms in the 1970s. With her decades of first-hand experience, Sharp’s book is a practical guide. Tackling the ins and outs of the field, Competitive Intelligence Advantage explains how this can help companies minimize risk while providing immediate value. Most notably, for easier comprehension, it illustrates why competitive intelligence is an investment and not a cost through in-depth examples. With other passages focused on clarifying common misconceptions around competitive intelligence, this book is a resource goldmine for any marketer who needs a refresher or an unintimidating start.
Competitive Success: Building Winning Strategies with Corporate War Games
Published just this year, Arjan Singh’s Competitive Success teaches readers how to create world-class war game strategies based on competitive intelligence. Featuring anecdotes from the hundreds of Fortune 500 companies that Singh has run war games for, this playbook offers step-by-step support with invaluable insights. Since war games help arm your company with proven and tested responses to various scenarios, having Singh’s book as a guide ensures that no risk is unexplored. By the end, the book promises that readers will be better able to understand external opportunities, align teams for success, and predict competitor behaviour, among other things.
Final thoughts on ebooks for competitive analysis
As previously mentioned in our article , dependence on outdated information is a top hurdle many professionals face. That said, among the best ways to address this is via technology and an openness toward curiosity and learning. In terms of ensuring the entire team’s confidence and familiarity with competitive intelligence, ebooks happen to tick these boxes. With the right titles made more accessible, marketers are empowered with more wisdom and data to make informed decisions.
We are Octopus. The Global People-Powered Competitive Intelligence Agency.
Outsmart your competition. Make the unknown known. Octopus helps you gain clarity in complex markets. With clients and tentacles around the world, we deliver sharp, actionable competitive intelligence through a blend of deep primary (HUMINT) and secondary research. If you’re looking to make smarter decisions, beat the competition, and reduce uncertainty, we’re the partner you want on your side.
