How do you show the value of your competitive intelligence research?

1 Know your audience

Before you present your CI research, you need to understand who your audience is, what their goals and pain points are, and how they prefer to receive information. For example, if you are reporting to a senior executive, you may want to focus on the key findings, recommendations, and implications for your business. If you are sharing your CI research with a product team, you may want to provide more details, examples, and comparisons of your competitors' features and benefits. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your message, format, and tone to suit their needs and expectations.

2 Align with objectives

Another way to show the value of your CI research is to align it with the objectives and priorities of your organization or project. For example, if your goal is to increase market share, you can show how your CI research can help you identify gaps, opportunities, and threats in the market. If your goal is to launch a new product, you can show how your CI research can help you benchmark your competitors, validate your value proposition, and refine your positioning. Aligning your CI research with objectives will help you demonstrate its relevance, usefulness, and urgency.

3 Use visuals and stories

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to presenting complex or abstract data. Using visuals and stories can help you show the value of your CI research by making it more engaging, memorable, and persuasive. For example, you can use charts, graphs, tables, or infographics to illustrate trends, patterns, or comparisons. You can also use stories, anecdotes, or case studies to highlight successes, failures, or best practices of your competitors. Using visuals and stories will help you convey your message clearly, concisely, and convincingly.

4 Provide actionable insights

One of the most important aspects of showing the value of your CI research is to provide actionable insights that can help your audience make better decisions or take specific actions. For example, you can provide recommendations, suggestions, or tips on how to leverage your strengths, overcome your weaknesses, exploit your opportunities, or avoid your threats. You can also provide scenarios, forecasts, or simulations to show the potential outcomes or impacts of your actions. Providing actionable insights will help you show the value of your CI research by linking it to tangible results or benefits.

5 Measure and report

Finally, you can show the value of your CI research by measuring and reporting its effectiveness and impact. For example, you can track and quantify the outcomes or benefits of your actions based on your CI research, such as increased sales, improved customer satisfaction, or reduced costs. You can also collect and share feedback, testimonials, or ratings from your audience or stakeholders on how they perceived or used your CI research. Measuring and reporting will help you show the value of your CI research by proving its value and improving its quality.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?