When you start a Inbound Marketing strategy, it's important to know where you stand relative to your competitors. To do this, we do a benchmark, that is, a test bed.

The point, of course, is not to copy what others are doing, but rather to learn the best practices.

This benchmark, moreover, is not performed solely on direct competitors, but also looks at the sites of companies in comparable sectors.

Let's see how to set it up with the MART method. 

Identify, navigate, learn

To perform this benchmark, it is necessary to demonstrate a minimum of methodology.

In this case, we will use the SMART. method. This name is a memo-technical way to remember the characteristics that this benchmark will need to have.

Specific: The specification of the benchmark should be clearly stated. In other words, your benchmark will only be about you, your site and your context.

Measurable: A benchmark of this type must be measurable. The numerical indicators should be indisputable and objectively recognized.

In the case of a benchmark of sites in an approach of ’Inbound Marketing, For example, it will be a matter of listing the frequency of publication of 'blog-articles per week, the number of fans on a social network or even the number of indexed pages.

Acceptable: The objective of your benchmark must be achievable. It must be achievable and be readjustable if the context changes.

Realistic or Relevant: Your Inbound Marketing benchmark should be directly related to your business.

Time-bound: The completion of the benchmark must be time-bound, with an end date and possibly intermediate points.

Comparison IS right

A benchmark? A collective work in the service of different objectives

Once the methodological foundations have been established, here are the questions you will need to ask yourself to carry out this benchmark :

• What is the content strategy of competitors and other companies in the industry?
• What is our competitors' communication strategy? Is it working?
• What are our competitors, bloggers and social media users saying about the topics that interest our company?
• What are our results and how do they compare to competitors  ?

The result of this benchmark will provide you with valuable information to define your own strategy.

To go further, feel free to download our white paper on internet visibility.