explanatory note to the competitors research spreadsheet
Competitors research gives valuable insights into where our competitors stand in the market and whether there is a market gap that our company might cover. For the sake of positioning and strategy though, we dig deeper into our competitors communication style across channels to introduce changes to our tone of voice and brand identity.
Below, you will find a few observations concerning what our competitors do better than us and how we can keep up with the competition. In no way this explanatory note encourages to copy our competitors. On the contrary, these should be deemed more as and recommendations and aim to become a source of inspiration for us as we develop <name> marketing strategy and positioning.
<aside> 🚀 During the Customer interviews: Summary, we’ve established that the buying journey of our clients starts mostly with design portfolio review platforms. Therefore, we have rejected the idea of considering only SEO competitors and focused on the ones found on Dribbble and Behance, as well as on the ones provided by stakeholders.
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All design websites showcase their work directly as we land on their homepage. There are lots of animations and color pops that communicate creativity and innovation the agency itself represents. In some cases, that creativity comes at the expense of user-friendliness (like in the case RonDesignLab or Takasho), the risk which we might mitigate at <name>.
Homepages showcase case studies or clients the company has worked with right on the first screen, and pages are full of interactive elements such as sliders, animations, and videos to engage visitors and provide a dynamic user experience.
The structure of a portfolio and a blog page is also clear-cut, so that the user easily finds what they’re looking for.
Some agencies use their website as a on-pager that can transform into a company deck for sales (e.g. Musemind). Not sure why they do that; however, we might consider creating a media company deck for <name> for the use in PR campaigns.
<aside> 🚀 Recommendations for improvements:
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Tone of voice of product design agencies is mostly conversational and engaging. They’re not afraid to speak the informal language of their clients, oftentimes using metaphors and even pulling jokes, thus, establishing a connection with potential clients.
Their calls-to-action are conversion-oriented — specific, engaging, and spot on.
Both blog articles and landing pages lay out clear and concise information, avoiding unnecessary jargon or complexity. The agencies explain complex technical concepts in a straightforward manner, drawing comparisons and painting a clear picture with words in readers’ minds.
The tone conveys confidence in the agency's capabilities and the value it can bring to clients. In some cases, agencies remain organization-oriented using phrases like “we do.. we are”; however, the ones that leave the biggest impact are the customer-centric ones applying imperative voice (see Netguru or The Software House as examples).
Every landing page targets a different ICP.
<aside> 🚀 Recommendations for improvements:
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Brand voice remains consistent across all social media channels. In most cases, it’s still fun and engaging; however, each medium has a different purpose. IG and FB reinforce the company’s design portfolio. LinkedIn showcases company’s expertise, know-hows, and partnerships.
Pony Studio has an interesting integration of socials on their website, where they clearly explain what each medium is about. They’re also using Discord, one of the socials mentioned by <name> client, to talk about AI and web3.