Should You Mention Your Competition In Your Marketing Message?

I will be the first to tell you that there are a lot of ideas regarding this question. Undoubtedly, there will be some out there who disagree with me. That said, here are a few things to consider before you decide to mention your competition in your marketing message.

Reasons Not To Mention Your Competition

• Make Sure You Are Honest- Only in politics can the opposition throw out lies and the people fall for it (as witnessed by movement in the polls almost always in favor of the one who lies). But in business, you are more likely to be the target of a lawsuit if you lie about your competition and lose credibility from your prospects. Lying about your competition is a recipe for disaster.
  
  
• You May Be Giving Free Advertising For Your Competition- If you are not sure of your marketing strategy, you may be gratuitous to a fault by giving undue attention to your competition rather than focusing on your own company. Be careful how you mention your competition.
  
  
• You May Start A Mini War You Are Not Prepared For- It may sound like a good idea to mentioned your completion, but if you are negative in any way, you may be waking a sleeping giant. It is unwise to take on a successful competitor in a head-to-head battle that you invite if you don't know your competition's marketing savvy.
  

Reasons To Mention Your Competition

• Coattails Can Be A Powerful Force- If you have little or no name recognition, a strategically placed name of a well-known competitor may do more to help define your product in the public's eye than anything else you can do. If you use this strategy, be prepared to get the good and the bad with the name recognition.
  
  
• Create Synergy Via Joint Ventures- Rarely is the playing field so small that there is room for only one player in any given market. If you are thoughtful and respectful of your competitor, it may return to you many times over if you can work out a mutually beneficial relationship that helps you both penetrate deeper into your market than you could have done alone.
  
  
• Respond To A Competitor Mentioning You. Often, the best thing to do if you are attacked is to move on and not fall into the trap of giving your accuser what they are really after: exposure. On the other hand, if your competitor does mention you, it opens the door for you to legitimately respond to what they say. If you keep it as positive as possible, you may come out as the bigger person to your prospects.
  

Mentioning your competitor can be a risky strategy, but it can also pay dividends if you do it right. Be careful and thoughtful if you opt to engage in this strategy and always remember that an ill-executed marketing plan can be a hard thing to undo.