Staying ahead of your competition is no easy task. And this is why automation is so important, and that’s why I use Zapier. This tool has become my right-hand man, helping me automate the tracking of my competitors’ activities. I can easily tweak my own strategies on the fly and stay a step ahead, all thanks to Zapier. It provides a brilliant insight into the moves of my competitors and its impact on my business.
Why I Use Zapier?
As a small business owner, Zapier has become my trusted aide in keeping a tab on my competitors. It integrates different services, thereby automating various processes. For instance, by connecting Shopify to Slack, you can be the first to know when a certain product has been purchased – say for example, if you wanted to keep track of the sales on a new product that you just launched.
Zapier has also made it a breeze for me to set up automated workflows. This keeps me updated about any moves made by my competitors, enabling me to react swiftly. From simple notifications about activities on my competitor’s websites and social media accounts, to more nuanced alerts based on specific keywords used online – Zapier feeds me all the insights I need to stay ahead without me having to do the leg work of checking manually.
Here are a couple of strategies you can employ with your business to stay on top of the automation world:
Blog Monitoring with Zapier + RSS
Running an online business can be demanding and staying ahead of the competition – even more so. So, I turn to Zapier to keep my finger on the pulse of what my competitors are doing. Zapier connects different applications together, taking the manual labour out of tasks like data entry.
I’ve also set up Zapier to grab RSS feeds from my competitors’ websites. This means, whenever they post news or updates, I get them delivered straight to my Slack channel. It keeps me clued into the strategies my competitors are using, allowing me to adapt and stay competitive.
Social Media Tracking with Zapier + Mention
Zapier and Mention make an unbeatable combo for me to keep tabs on my competition. There are a number of other tools that you can employ too that’s compatible with Zapier, such as SEMRush, Hootsuite and BrandMentions. I can follow what my competitors are saying about their products and services, and track their activities in real time. When something noteworthy happens, like a new product launch or an event, I’m usually the first one to know and I can either repost, or create something similar to steal their thunder.
With Zapier, I have connected their social media channels account with Google Sheets and Slack. This ensures any important information posted gets automatically logged into my database. It’s a game-changer. I even do it with my own social media channels, and by connecting it with ChatGPT, it automates customer communication as well, which means even if a customer just mentions my name without any follow-up, Zapier is quick to send out an automated response thanking them.
Website Changes Tracking with Zapier + Wachete
I’ve found that combining Zapier and Wachete helps me keep a close eye on any changes on my competitors’ websites. I set up ‘Zaps’ that notify me whenever new content is posted or existing content is changed. Wachete adds an extra layer of convenience by visually tracking changes in images, text, and prices, saving me hours of manual searching. You can use Wachete on its free tier for up to 5 pages.
Email Newsletters Tracking with Zapier + Gmail
I’ve been using Zapier for years to stay informed about my competitors’ activities, be it launching new products, modifying prices, or targeting different customer segments. With Zapier, I set up automated tasks that track updates from my competitors via newsletters and emails. To do this, I simply create triggers for specific subject lines or from specific emails through Gmail in Zapier, and it sends me an email or text message alert whenever relevant activity happens. You can even have it logged into a Google Sheet so that the information is documented.
While you can already do this without Zapier, what I do is connect it to my Slack channel so that the moment they send out a newsletter, I am alerted right away on Slack so I never have to visit my inbox.
Extract Pricing with Zapier + Browse.ai + Google Sheets
Price is a significant factor that influences consumers’ purchasing decisions. It’s crucial for me to know if my competitors change their prices, offer discounts, or launch new pricing models.
So here’s the thing: If you run an eCommerce store and you’re acting as a reseller, you’re going to have some serious competition. You’re competing against others who are virtually selling the same thing, so knowing when someone has decided to undercut your pricing or has come up with offers that give them an edge over you is detrimental for your business.
This may be a bit more on the complicated side, but I can assure you, once you’ve set it up, it will work like magic. Use a scraping tool like Browse.ai to do a daily scrape of your competitor’s website pricing onto a Google Sheet, and then on a daily (or even hourly basis), use Zapier to compare and contrast the pricing on your website against theirs (as shown on the Google Sheet).
If their pricing is lower than yours, Zapier will communicate directly to you on Slack to alert you to make changes immediately. This way, you’re never caught off-guard by a competitor’s pricing strategy. I can react fast to stay competitive.
This might seem like a small detail, but staying on top of pricing changes can make a big difference in how you position your products or services. Remember, it’s all about understanding the market, knowing your competitors, and meeting the needs of your customers. And with Zapier automating these tasks, I have more time to focus on creating value for my customers.
