It's Dog Eat Dog

I am interning at Concept Marketing in Balcatta. It is designed as a one-stop shop for clients to receive corporate makeovers. So the majority of things they do relate to Corporate Public Relations and PR Techniques.

One of the first things to do after the initial meeting with a new client is to carry out a competitive analysis. As a part of my internship role I have to research competitors relevant to the client’s field of work for example one of our clients is a dust suppressant company (yes that is a thing) so I had to look at competitors on the market. This may be one of the oldest methods but it is so important! I think a lot of businesses would benefit at scoping out their competitors actions to ensure they themselves are putting their best foot forward.

The things I have to research are:

·       Website – appearance, colours, videos, photos, contact details, company details, menu options, blogs, links, banners and then list pros and cons (and boy did they all have pros and cons)

·       Company taglines

·       Google search ranking (extremely important in this day and age)

·       Metatags used

·       Customer service – call companies and see how long they take to answer and how helpful they are (yes humans still like to be able to reach other humans)

·       Company logo

Depending on the client this can seem like a boring task but I actually liked it. It helped me to better understand the client’s field of work and it also made me realise all those hours, days and what can only now be years I have spent perusing the internet have equipped me with the ability to quickly and confidently give a thumbs up or a thumbs down on a website.

I think people forget about websites now because they assume we’re all on social media…WRONG! BIG MISTAKE! HUGE MISTAKE! Your website is so important it shows me you actually care and your on top of things and you are current. If I come across your website and it looks like the website my friends and I made when we were 16 aka 2004 (yes it was awesome and unfortunately I cannot find it) then you are showing me that you either don’t really care, your not up to date with modern technology and if so that maybe your work methods are outdated as well.

After all in present day a website is generally the first time a consumer gets to meet you, first impressions leave a lasting impact they are a representation of your branding, values, ethics and all in all your relation to the public (see what I did there!)

Jacinta Ebsworth