When starting a company, one relatively important aspect is to obtain competitor metrics (no. of users, traffic, growth %ages, etc.) for several objectives including estimating/planning your own metrics, investment, growth, etc.
I came across several tools including Quantcast, compete.com, comscore, google ad planner, alexa, etc. but quickly found that these are inadequate for many reasons:
- have data only for the big players
- highly inaccurate.
- do not cover the industry I need data on, etc.
It would be great if any of you wish to share your experience with a similar problem, how you worked around it?
Thanks.
Update: I’m looking for experienced people to help me with some approach technique here to figure out the best approximations. I generally try:
- Fine combing the annual reports if I’m studying a listed company (which is rarely the case).
- Googling all online content on the companies.
- Website, company blog.
Is there anything I’m missing? How would you approach the problem?
Murtaza Amin
I dont think there is any good reliable site doing this, people usually prefer alexa, or for seo is seomoz.com
try and let me know if you find anything.
Anshoo Grover
Thanks Murtaza, I think so too.
I ask this question more as an attempt to understand what are my options given the fact that there are no adequate tools. Is there any method to arrive at the given data by any other means??
I am sure a lot of people face this problem and all those intelligent people must have some tricks up their sleeves.
Gopikrishna Kannan
Its a brilliant question, I also have the same challenge.
You may have to reach out to the marketing services companies like Experian to get that kind of statistical data. But it will cost you a lot. Competitor benchmarking is not widely talked in the media since it is a trade by itself and it come with a charge.
Please let me know if you come across something.
Cheers!
Gopikrishna
tweet @gkrishnak1 | Co-founder – http://www.smartas.in
Murtaza Amin
lets not talk here, GTalk or Fb pls
add me or lets chat here on the rodinhoods chat option.
I might be of some help to you.
my Fb is murtuzi
Gtalk is murtuzi4u
Murtaza Amin
lets not talk here, GTalk or Fb pls
add me or lets chat here on the rodinhoods chat option.
I might be of some help to you.
my Fb is murtuzi
Gtalk is murtuzi4u
Anshoo Grover
nice website Gopi. Your competitor IMO is Happily Unmarried.
Gopikrishna Kannan
Hi Anshoo! Thank you 🙂
Didn’t quite get the abbreviation, what is IMO??
Anshoo Grover
‘in my opinion’
asha chaudhry
anshoo… thanks for pointing out gopi’s website. it rocks!!!
gopi… i’m always on the lookout for these kinda sites!!!
am sharing with my nutso friends 🙂
Gopikrishna Kannan
Oh, thank you soo much folks :), it means a lot…
Asha, thanks for those kinds words 🙂
Anshoo thanks for pointing it out, please do let me know if you get answer for your problem, i’m also on the same boat….
cheers!
Gopi
Anshoo Grover
I seriously hope someone gives me a proper helpful answer here or I’ll have no other option but to convert my trade to journalism for a while and interview the executives in the companies I want research on.
Gopikrishna Kannan
I have posted your question in “Quora” will see if i get any good response there….you can also give a try in “Quora” http://www.quora.com
Anshoo Grover
Please post the link to the quora question for me to follow. Although, I already checked on quora – it was where I got the info for all the automated tools (named above in the question), but thanks anyways – maybe some solutions show up there.