Strategic intelligence, your ally in turning information into the right decisions

By Samantha Mur

Published: 24 October 2024

Strategic intelligence is a valuable decision-making tool. Although considered time-consuming, it is part of a vital business intelligence approach!

In today's fast-moving and uncertain economic climate, it is more vital than ever to avoid the threats and seize the opportunities that arise, in order to find the path to performance.

Find out more about the challenges of strategic intelligence, the different types of intelligence and the tools you need to implement it within your organisation!

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Strategic intelligence: definition

What is Business Intelligence?

Strategic intelligence is an information process put in place by an entity (business, government, administration, etc.) that decides to listen to its environment.

It involves collecting, analysing and disseminating essential information on a permanent and organised basis about :

the market and its players
competitors
potential customers
innovations and technological advances, etc.

Its primary objective is to guide the organisation's strategic decisions.

☝ Business intelligence is a broader concept, which includes strategic intelligence. The two approaches are complementary; they use the same methods and share the same objectives.

Why carry out strategic intelligence?

Because you don't want to be left behind by the competition!

By setting up a strategic intelligence system, you can stay alert and on the lookout for all the developments in your environment and the information that has an impact on your business.

Depending on your specific objectives, strategic intelligence can help you to :

detect opportunities and weak signals before your competitors do
protect against potential threats;
anticipate, so that you can adapt flexibly rather than reacting in a hurry;
keep abreast of new products coming onto the market;
observe the trends that impact your customers;
keep abreast of technological advances so you can innovate more effectively;
compare your methods and know-how with a view to improving them, etc.

There are many benefits to be gained, which can ultimately lead to better overall management of your business and improved economic performance.

What are the different types of strategic intelligence?

There are several types of strategic intelligence, each with its own objectives and subjects of study. These categories enable you to select sources of information that are relevant to your objectives and the type of information you are looking for.

Technology watch

Technology watch or scientific watch studies specialist platforms and sites, scientific publications, patents and emerging players in order to keep abreast of all current innovations.

Whether it's a question of products, techniques or manufacturing processes, technology watch enables you to identify and track advances in your field, so that you can strengthen your capacity to innovate and make better R&D investment choices.

Competitive intelligence

Competitive intelligence involves monitoring the activities of competitors to ensure that you remain competitive. It aims to explore your market from every angle: products and services, market, main players, leaders, customers, etc.

This type of monitoring gives you all the information you need before launching a new product.

Regulatory watch

The aim of regulatory or legal monitoring is to anticipate the publication of new laws or regulations relating to your company's activity.

This knowledge of the regulatory and legal landscape is essential to ensure that you remain compliant, but also to keep you informed of potential risks of fraud or counterfeiting.

Commercial intelligence

Commercial intelligence focuses on two aspects: your customers and your suppliers.

It is useful for analysing :

customer needs and how they are changing, the relevance of your offer to the market, customer satisfaction, in order to improve customer loyalty ;
the financial health of your suppliers and subcontractors, the quality/price ratio of their products, the services provided, in order to be ever more competitive and optimise the supply chain, for example.

Strategic intelligence: 3 examples of use

Here are a few concrete examples of areas that can be chosen for strategic intelligence, depending on your specific activity:

You are a start-up offering a digital service:
- technological innovations affecting your sector
- new services or features developed by your competitors,
- the fund-raising activities of your competitors,
- marketing methods used by competitors,
- trade fairs and conferences in your field of expertise, etc. ;
you are a recruitment agency:
- changes affecting employment legislation
- trends in the digitalisation of recruitment practices,
- well-being in the workplace,
- offers and rates applied by competing recruitment agencies,
- the means of communication used by competitors, etc. ;
you are an SME in the food industry:
- the major players in the market and their positioning,
- state-of-the-art production techniques,
- R&D investment in the sector,
- current or forthcoming changes to the legal and regulatory framework,
- news concerning a particular sector, etc.

How do you organise your strategic intelligence?

The 5-step method

Define your objectives. Clarify your information needs, so as to identify the information that will be of real interest and the expected benefits. Make the link with your company's strategic objectives.
Search for information. Target your research using relevant sources, and qualify them according to your issues (specialist websites, trade shows, conferences, blogs, social networks, etc.).
Data processing. Sort, prioritise and compile the results of your information gathering. Experts in the field concerned can extract the meaning and added value for your company's strategy.
Distribute the results. In the form of pre-determined deliverables (reports, market studies, press reviews, event lists, state of the art, etc.), communicate useful information to the right people at the right time, to help them make the right decisions.
Exploiting the information. The recipients, whether they are decision-makers, business departments (sales, R&D, marketing, etc.) or project teams, have all the relevant information they need to guide their decision-making and take action.

Choosing the right intelligence tools

It's hard to implement a strategic intelligence approach without the right tools! Turn to solutions that facilitate and structure monitoring at different levels.

They will help you to :

automate information gathering and research,
organise your data sources, such as RSS feed aggregators,
save time in processing information and interpreting results.

Depending on your specific needs, you can opt for tools such as :

marketing intelligence software
a data visualisation tool
a business intelligence platform,

And why not a complete tool centralising all these aspects, from information retrieval to knowledge enhancement?

This is the case with Geotrend, an intelligent solution that maps your market and gives meaning to all its relevant information. It offers ready-to-use analytical elements to help you guide your strategic choices.