Whether you’re talking about the people who grow fresh food or the people who market it, it’s no surprise that both ends are met with a lot of competition. This fact is evident at the grocery store—just look at all the different brands of fruit, veggies and pre-packaged produce you have to choose from!

With all of these competitors surrounding the fresh produce biz, it’s important to know where your brand or company stands. After all, the best way to beat the competition is to know what sets yourself apart from them and what you can be doing better. With these 5 simple suggestions, you will have a much better idea about where you stand amongst your competitors:

1. Run a competitive analysis to narrow down your POD (Point of Difference).

Why do people buy your product or services instead of your competitors? What do you offer that they don’t? For example, think of the extra convenience in a salad kit that includes salad dressing and toppings versus a bag of just salad greens. To sum it up—find out what sets you apart.

2. Check out their social media chop.

Do some searching and see how active your competitors are on social media—do they have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest account? How many followers? How often do they post, and what would you consider the quality of the content they share? If they have a strong following and are heavily engaged with consumers or customers, that means each of those prospects are finding and coming to THEM instead of you. How can you turn this around? Make sure you are present, engaged and listening in this space.

3. Differentiate between direct and indirect competition.

Along with your direct competitors who sell similar products, it’s important to acknowledge your indirect competitors—unhealthy or junk food in the case of the product industry. While these brands may not be working towards a recyclable clamshell container for fresh berries or resealable bags for fresh greens, the unhealthy foods like cookies and soda they create and advertise certainly count as competition. After all, you find both fresh and processed foods under the same roof at the supermarket.

4. Keep an eye out for future competitors.

Along with keeping an eye on your current competitors, it never hurts to be in tune with who your future competitors may be. You can do this by searching the web for similar products or services, advertising surrounding your product or industry, press releases or even searching for existing patented products that are similar to yours (i.e. recyclable containers, pre-cut produce, etc.).

5. Generate an Internal Assessment.

In many cases, our biggest competitive force as fresh produce marketers can simply be what we are not doing to elevate our brands. Our internal competitive barriers could be an outdated website, an unattended social media platform to not having measurement tools in place for your marketing activities. An internal assessment of what is working, what is not and what is missing is often the most productive ways to combat competitive pressures.

Using these tips to gauge where you stand, you’ll have the ammunition you need to fix what needs improvement and the confidence in your best practices that haven’t steered you wrong.