Do you know who your competition is? I hope so. By keeping an eye on them, you can glean insights and learn new ways to go toe to toe with them. Sometimes they do little things that you don’t that might give them an edge. And if you can incorporate those little things, you can take that advantage away, allowing you to compete on other things.

However, getting back to the original question, do you know who your competition is? It is a very common mistake for businesses to cast a too narrow net in defining who their competitors are. This can lead to less than optimal outcomes for your company.

So, be sure to cast a very wide net in terms of defining your competitors. You have direct competitors, who are very easy to identify. Let’s take the example of a pizza parlor. Your most direct competitors are other pizza places. They compete with you for pizza customers. However, other restaurants are also competitors. Be sure to treat them as such. Just because a taco place doesn’t sell pizza doesn’t mean they aren’t a competitor. Customers could very well choose them over you. Supermarkets are also a competitor. People could choose to buy groceries and make dinner at home instead of going out to eat. Don’t forget about this.

Casting a wider net is more complicated, because you have many more competitors to have to understand and address, but the benefits of understanding them all will benefit you greatly. It will allow you to create a better set of marketing activities to attempt to attract positive attention and ultimately drive sales.