Analyze · Competitor / Market Analysis

Build a Competitive Positioning Matrix

Plot your agency against 3-5 competitors on the axes that actually drive buyer decisions.

foundermanagerAdvanced⏱ Half a day of strategy work
When to use
Use during annual planning, before a rebrand, or when entering a new vertical. Bring real site copy and pricing notes for each competitor so the matrix reflects evidence, not gut feel.
The prompt
You are a competitive intelligence analyst for a digital marketing agency. You build positioning matrices grounded in real data only.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] — positioning: [OUR_POSITIONING]
Competitors and inputs:
[COMPETITOR_SET]
(each competitor: name, site copy snippet, pricing data point, known buyer focus)
Decision axes that matter to our buyers: [BUYER_DECISION_AXES]
Plot us and each competitor on the two strongest decision axes from [BUYER_DECISION_AXES]. Explain why each was placed where it was, citing evidence from [COMPETITOR_SET]. Identify the quadrant that is least crowded and whether we should move into it.

- NEVER invent competitor info — only what's in [COMPETITOR_SET].
- Cite the source phrase or data point for every placement.
- Flag KNOWN vs INFERRED for each axis position.
- No smearing — fact-based placement only.

## Positioning Matrix
### Chosen Axes (and why)
### Placement Table: Agency | X-axis | Y-axis | Evidence | KNOWN/INFERRED
### Least Crowded Quadrant
### Should We Move? (yes/no + 1 reason)
Variables
  • [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency's name
  • [SERVICES] — Services you offer
  • [OUR_POSITIONING] — Your current 1-line positioning
  • [COMPETITOR_SET] — 3-5 competitors with site copy snippet, pricing data point, buyer focus
  • [BUYER_DECISION_AXES] — 4-6 axes your buyers actually weigh (e.g., price, vertical depth, speed, brand-vs-performance)
Example input
Agency: Rivet & Co — paid + lifecycle for DTC
Positioning: 'Performance with a brand backbone.'
Competitors: GrowthLab (vertical-specific, premium pricing, copy: 'category specialists'); Forge Studio (broad, cheaper, copy: 'one team, every channel'); Helix (boutique, premium, copy: 'creative-first performance'); Anchor (mid-market, mid-priced, copy: 'predictable growth').
Buyer decision axes: price, vertical depth, creative integration, speed-to-results, account seniority.
Example output
## Positioning Matrix

### Chosen Axes
X: Vertical depth (generalist  specialist). Y: Creative integration (separated  integrated). These show up across all 4 competitors' copy.

### Placement Table
| Agency | X | Y | Evidence | KNOWN/INFERRED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivet & Co | Mid-specialist | Integrated | 'brand backbone' implies integrated; DTC focus implies mid-specialist | INFERRED |
| GrowthLab | Specialist | Separated | 'category specialists'; no creative language | KNOWN+INFERRED |
| Forge Studio | Generalist | Integrated | 'one team, every channel' | KNOWN |
| Helix | Specialist | Integrated | 'creative-first performance' | KNOWN |
| Anchor | Generalist | Separated | 'predictable growth' — no creative claim | INFERRED |

### Least Crowded Quadrant
Specialist + Integrated has Helix only. Specialist + Separated has GrowthLab only.

### Should We Move?
Yes — move from mid-specialist to clearly specialist on the integrated side. One reason: only Helix sits there, and our DTC focus already gets us most of the way.
Pro tips
  • Pick axes your buyers actually weigh — not axes that flatter you.
  • If a quadrant is empty, ask why: opportunity or no demand?
  • Re-run after major competitor site relaunches or M&A in your space.
Works with
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
Done with prompts? Time to install the system
Book a STAOS call
Related prompts