competitive-intel

Competitive Intel

Performs weekly competitive landscape monitoring across websites, social media, content, and client signals. Uses company-researcher patterns for deep competitor analysis. Produces a structured intelligence report with notable changes, content gaps, opportunities, and threats. Designed to run weekly as part of a strategic review cadence.

Prerequisites

• agency.config.json in the project root
• WebSearch tool available
• List of 3-5 competitor agencies to monitor (stored in config or provided by user)
• Optional: previous competitive intel report for change detection

Capabilities Used

1. company-researcher -- for competitor deep dives and structured data extraction

Phase 0: Read Config and Competitor List

1. Read agency.config.json from the project root.
2. Check for competitors[] array in config. If present, use it:

   {
     "competitors": [
       {
         "name": "Agency Alpha",
         "website": "https://agencyalpha.com",
         "linkedin": "https://linkedin.com/company/agencyalpha",
         "instagram": "@agencyalpha",
         "twitter": "@agencyalpha",
         "notes": "Premium positioning, strong in fashion D2C"
       }
     ]
   }
   

3. If no competitors in config, ask the user:

   Name 3-5 competitor agencies to monitor. For each, provide:
   - Agency name
   - Website URL
   - LinkedIn company page (if known)
   - Any other social handles
   

4. Extract services[].name to know what service areas to compare.
5. Extract icp.segments[] to understand which markets and industries overlap.
6. Check for previous report: look for the most recent competitive-intel-YYYY-MM-DD.md in the project directory.

Phase 1: Website Monitoring

For each competitor, visit their website via WebSearch:

Queries:

• site:{{competitor_website}}
• "{{competitor_name}}" new
• {{competitor_website}}/blog or {{competitor_website}}/case-studies

Extract and compare:

Service offerings:

• List all services visible on their site
• Flag any NEW services not seen in previous report
• Flag any REMOVED services
• Note pricing if publicly visible (rare but valuable)

Case studies:

• List visible case studies / portfolio items
• Flag new case studies since last report
• Note industries and results highlighted
• Extract client names mentioned

Team changes:

• Check team/about page
• Flag new team members (especially leadership or sales hires)
• Flag departures if previously noted members are gone

Website changes:

• New pages or sections
• Design/branding updates
• New tools, calculators, or lead magnets
• Messaging changes (headline, value prop, CTA wording)

Compile per competitor:

[Competitor Name] -- WEBSITE CHANGES
---
New services: [list or "none"]
New case studies: [list or "none"]
Team changes: [list or "none"]
Website updates: [list or "none"]
Pricing visible: [yes/no, details if yes]

Phase 2: Social Monitoring

For each competitor, check social presence:

LinkedIn:

• WebSearch: "{{competitor_name}}" site:linkedin.com
• WebSearch: "{{competitor_name}}" linkedin post {{current_month}} {{current_year}}
• Check for: new posts, client announcements, hiring posts, thought leadership content
• Note engagement levels (likes, comments) if visible in search snippets

Twitter/X:

• WebSearch: "{{competitor_name}}" site:twitter.com OR site:x.com
• WebSearch: from:{{competitor_twitter}} {{current_month}}
• Check for: announcements, client tags, industry commentary, product launches

Instagram:

• WebSearch: "{{competitor_name}}" site:instagram.com
• Check for: portfolio posts, client features, behind-the-scenes, engagement rates

YouTube (if applicable):

• WebSearch: "{{competitor_name}}" site:youtube.com {{current_year}}
• Check for: new video content, webinars, tutorials

Compile per competitor:

[Competitor Name] -- SOCIAL ACTIVITY
---
LinkedIn:
  Posts this week: [count estimate]
  Notable posts: [topic, engagement]
  Hiring posts: [roles, if any]
  Client mentions: [companies tagged]

Twitter:
  Activity level: [active/moderate/quiet]
  Notable tweets: [topic]

Instagram:
  Posts this week: [count estimate]
  Content type: [portfolio/behind-scenes/educational]
  Engagement: [high/medium/low relative to followers]

Phase 3: Content Analysis

For each competitor, analyze their content strategy:

Blog/content audit:

• WebSearch: site:{{competitor_website}}/blog {{current_year}}
• List articles published in the last 30 days
• Categorize by topic: [SEO, CRO, design, development, marketing, case study, industry news]

Keyword targeting:

• What topics are they publishing about repeatedly?
• What keywords do their article titles target?
• Are they going after the same keywords as us?
• New keyword territories they're entering

Content formats:

• Blog posts (long-form, short-form)
• Video content (tutorials, webinars, client testimonials)
• Carousels/infographics (LinkedIn, Instagram)
• Podcasts or audio content
• Downloadable resources (guides, templates, tools)
• Email newsletters (check if sign-up page reveals frequency/topics)

Content quality assessment:

• Depth: surface-level vs comprehensive
• Originality: unique insights vs rehashed content
• Data usage: proprietary data, case study numbers, industry stats
• Production quality: design, visuals, formatting

Compile:

CONTENT LANDSCAPE
===
[Competitor 1]:
  Publishing frequency: [posts/month]
  Top topics: [topic1, topic2, topic3]
  Formats: [blog, video, carousel]
  Quality: [assessment]
  New topics this month: [topics not covered before]

[Competitor 2]:
  ...

Phase 4: Client Signals

Monitor competitor client movements:

New client signals:

• WebSearch: "{{competitor_name}}" "client" OR "partner" OR "worked with" OR "case study" {{current_year}}
• WebSearch: "built by {{competitor_name}}" OR "designed by {{competitor_name}}"
• Check for new logos on their website
• Check for client testimonials or reviews added

Lost client signals:

• Clients previously featured that are no longer on the site
• Companies that previously tagged the competitor but have stopped
• WebSearch: "{{former_client}}" "new agency" OR "switched to" OR "partnered with"

Client overlap check:

• Are any competitors targeting the same prospects as us?
• Are any competitors pitching to our existing clients?
• WebSearch: "{{our_client_name}}" "{{competitor_name}}"

Compile:

CLIENT SIGNALS
===
[Competitor 1]:
  New clients spotted: [list]
  Clients no longer featured: [list]
  Industries gaining: [industries of new clients]

[Competitor 2]:
  ...

OVERLAP ALERTS:
- [Competitor] appears to be targeting [industry/company] -- also in our pipeline

Phase 5: Positioning Analysis

Synthesize all data into a competitive positioning map:

Service overlap matrix:

SERVICE           | Us | Comp1 | Comp2 | Comp3
---               | -- | ----- | ----- | -----
Store development |  Y |   Y   |   Y   |   N
CRO               |  Y |   N   |   Y   |   Y
Cataloging        |  Y |   N   |   N   |   N
Perf. marketing   |  Y |   Y   |   Y   |   Y
[service]         |  ? |   ?   |   ?   |   ?

Price positioning:

• Premium (higher than market), Mid-market, Budget (competing on price)
• Based on visible pricing, case study size, and client type

Unique selling points comparison:

USP COMPARISON:
---
Us: [our primary USP]
[Competitor 1]: [their USP -- what they emphasize most]
[Competitor 2]: [their USP]
[Competitor 3]: [their USP]

GAPS WE OWN (services/capabilities no competitor offers):
- [gap 1]
- [gap 2]

GAPS COMPETITORS OWN (things they offer that we don't):
- [Competitor]: [capability]

Market positioning:

• Which segments is each competitor strongest in?
• Where do we have the most differentiation?
• Where is the market most crowded?

Phase 6: Weekly Intelligence Report

Compile everything into the final report:

COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE -- Week of [Date]
===

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
[3-4 sentences capturing the most important competitive developments this week]

---

NOTABLE CHANGES:
1. [Competitor] [specific change] -- Impact: [high/medium/low]
   Context: [why this matters to us]
2. [Competitor] [specific change] -- Impact: [high/medium/low]
   Context: [why this matters]
3. [Competitor] [specific change] -- Impact: [high/medium/low]
   Context: [why this matters]

---

CONTENT GAPS (topics competitors cover that we don't):
- [topic 1] -- covered by [competitor(s)], [estimated search interest]
- [topic 2] -- covered by [competitor(s)], [estimated search interest]
- [topic 3] -- covered by [competitor(s)], [estimated search interest]

CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES (topics nobody covers well):
- [topic 1] -- [why it's an opportunity]
- [topic 2] -- [why it's an opportunity]

---

CLIENT MOVEMENT:
- [Competitor] added [client] (industry: [x], size: [y])
- [Competitor] may have lost [client] (no longer featured)

---

OPPORTUNITIES:
- [specific opportunity based on competitor weakness or gap]
- [underserved segment or topic area]
- [timing-based opportunity -- competitor slow to react to trend]

THREATS:
- [competitive move that could affect our pipeline]
- [competitor entering our strongest segment]
- [pricing pressure from competitor]

---

POSITIONING SNAPSHOT:

             Premium
                |
    [Comp1] ---|--- [Us?]
                |
             ---|---
                |
    [Comp3] ---|--- [Comp2]
                |
              Budget
         Specialist --- Generalist

---

WEEK-OVER-WEEK CHANGES:
[What's different from last week's report -- new entries, resolved items, trend shifts]
If no previous report: "First report -- baseline established."

Phase 7: Recommendations

Based on the intelligence gathered, provide specific recommendations:

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
===

IMMEDIATE (this week):
1. [Action] -- because [competitor did X and we need to respond]
2. [Action] -- because [opportunity window is closing]

SHORT-TERM (next 2-4 weeks):
1. [Action] -- because [competitive gap to exploit]
2. [Action] -- because [content opportunity identified]

STRATEGIC (next quarter):
1. [Action] -- because [market positioning shift needed]
2. [Action] -- because [service gap to fill or differentiation to build]

MONITOR (watch but don't act yet):
- [Signal to keep tracking]
- [Competitor move that hasn't materialized yet]

Save the report as competitive-intel-{{date}}.md in the project root for historical comparison.

Example Usage

Trigger phrases:

• "Run competitive intel"
• "Weekly competitor check"
• "What are our competitors doing?"
• "Monitor competitor agencies"
• "Competitive landscape update"

User: Run competitive intel
Assistant: [reads competitor list from config, searches websites/social/content/clients for each, compiles weekly report with changes, gaps, opportunities, threats]

User: What's Agency Alpha been up to lately?
Assistant: [deep dive on single competitor, full website + social + content + client analysis, positioning comparison]

User: Are any competitors going after Shopify CRO in India?
Assistant: [focused search on competitors' CRO offerings, Indian market presence, content targeting, client signals in that segment]