market-researchWhen I have an idea, I want to search similar service that already exist or competition. I try to google but it seems it’s not efficiently to find all.(all service is not list on top google search result page or maybe it’s on beta or search keyword issue)
Is there any good way to find most of similar service or competition that already exist I want to try?
Four steps:
This is to get starting points:
Phrase it as a “how to solve…” type of question that would reflect what your audience would search.
Similarly, phrase it as a “solution for…” type of query.
Phrase it as a description of your solution and try that too.
Toss in the likes of “forum” or “recommendation” or “best” or “best way” into the queries, and you’ll usually locate a few forum threads that debate the merits of existing options.
Be sure to get a feel of the types of pages you run into while doing your research, as they can give indications of what users are actually looking for when doing research. Note down and test other potential search phrases as you discover them.
There are plenty. For instance, Google Keyword Planner.
At the very least, get a feel of whether the key search phrases you’ve come up with are entered often or not, and of the competition on these keywords to plan your SEO efforts.
If appropriate, dig a bit deeper to broaden the scope, as you might locate interesting variations of these search phrases or outright use cases that you’ve yet to encounter. Test them too.
Slap a big red flag on your idea if you’ve yet to come up with search phrases with reasonable traffic, or run into competition. It usually meets there’s little demand for the solution, or that users aren’t willing to pay for it.
There are plenty as well. For instance, Similar Web.
This may give you hints to further alternatives and competitors that you’ve yet to run into.
At this stage you should be building and fine-tuning persona, and trying to spot use-cases that you didn’t think about yet for future sales arguments. Note them down.
Don’t skip this. Locate some users in each segment you’ve identified. Make phone calls and meet with end-users. Interview a half dozen users in each segment.
Introduce yourself as an entrepreneur who is seeking to validate an idea, and ask for a few minutes of their time for some quick questions. Avoid cold calling during hours when they’re likely busy or in meetings.
Validate that the problem you’re trying to solve is one that they actively have and are actively trying to solve. Ask them for pricing details if applicable. And ask what solutions they or their peers are currently using. (You might discover new, non-obvious competitors or use cases.)
Be on the lookout for very surprising or obvious answers at this stage because sometimes the elephant in the room is hidden in plain sight. For instance, if you’re selling a point of sale solution for bars, the time they actually buy one is when they open the bar – come later and they’ll already have a solution in place, making your sales process harder and longer.
This will depend a lot on;
So, searching online might be a good way to see if there’s competition, but only if that’s how your potential customers would look for such a service. But many types of services are more often reached by telephone, or through some kind of club or referral service. You need to put yourself into your customer’s shoes, and go through the steps they would.
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