Want to outshine your rivals on LinkedIn? Here’s how to do a competitor analysis in 5 simple steps:
- Find Your Competitors
- Study Content Patterns
- Track Follower Numbers
- Check Engagement Stats
- Record and Plan
This guide will show you how to:
- Identify who you’re up against
- Analyze their content strategy
- Track their growth and engagement
- Turn insights into action
By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to boost your LinkedIn game. Let’s dive in!
Quick Comparison:
| Step | What You’ll Learn | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Find Competitors | Who to watch | Know your playing field |
| 2. Study Content | What works for others | Improve your content |
| 3. Track Followers | Growth rates | Gauge popularity |
| 4. Check Engagement | Audience interaction | Measure real impact |
| 5. Record and Plan | Turn data into strategy | Take action and improve |
Ready to level up your LinkedIn strategy? Let’s get started!
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1. Find Your Competitors
Identifying your LinkedIn competitors is step one in competitor analysis. Here’s how to spot the businesses you need to watch:
Pick Main Competitors
Focus on direct competitors – those targeting the same audience with similar offerings. To find them:
- Brainstorm with your team
- Search industry keywords
- Check who your customers follow
For example, if you’re Dropbox, you’d eye Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Box.
Use LinkedIn’s Built-in Tools
LinkedIn has tools to help you find and track competitors:
1. LinkedIn search
Use the search bar to find companies in your industry. Filter by location, size, and other factors.
2. Similar pages
When on a competitor’s page, scroll to "Similar pages" for more potential rivals.
3. Competitor analytics
Access this through your company page’s Analytics tab. You can benchmark against up to nine other pages.
"If you’re new to using the competitor analytics dashboard, start by adding relevant businesses to the dashboard." – Social Media Examiner
This tool shows follower growth, engagement rates, and content performance.
Make a Tracking Sheet
Create a spreadsheet to organize your analysis. Include:
- Company name and LinkedIn URL
- Key metrics (followers, engagement, posting frequency)
- Content themes
- Unique selling propositions
- Recent updates
Update quarterly to stay current with industry trends and competitor moves.
2. Study Content Patterns
You’ve identified your competitors. Now it’s time to dig into their content strategies. Let’s see how they connect with their audience and what you can learn from it.
Check Posting Schedule
Most successful companies on LinkedIn post 1-2 times daily or 3-5 times per week. Tech startups often aim for 4-5 posts weekly, while healthcare companies might stick to 2-3.
To track your competitors:
- Note when they post
- Look for patterns
- See if certain times get more engagement
But remember: quality beats quantity. A competitor posting less but getting tons of engagement? That’s who you want to watch.
Look at Content Types
LinkedIn’s got a bunch of content formats. Which ones do your competitors use most?
- Text posts (lists, how-tos)
- Images and infographics
- Videos
- LinkedIn documents (often for carousel posts)
- Polls and questions
- LinkedIn newsletters
Fun fact: A Q1 2023 Sprout survey found that 53% of marketers struggle with changing content formats. So, mixing it up is key.
Track Post Performance
On LinkedIn, it’s all about engagement. Here’s how to measure it:
- Reactions: Count ’em up
- Comments: How many? What kind?
- Shares: Who’s spreading the word?
- Click-throughs: If you can see ’em, track ’em
Pro tip: Keep an eye on posts that get people talking. Comments often mean more than likes.
SuperTurtle.AI Content Tools
Manual analysis is great, but tools can speed things up. SuperTurtle.AI offers:
- AI-driven post creation: Whip up posts similar to your competitors’ hits
- Topic search: Spot trends in your industry
- Engagement tracking: See how you stack up
These tools can help you focus on strategy instead of getting bogged down in data.
Remember, you’re not here to copy. You’re here to learn and do better. As Therese Nguyen, a freelance content writer, puts it:
"By studying top-performing content, as well as the reactions they get from other users, you can uncover the topics, formats, or strategies that strike a chord with their audience."
Take what you learn and make it your own. Create content that stands out and gives your audience what they need.
3. Track Follower Numbers
After identifying competitors and analyzing their content, it’s time to crunch some numbers. Tracking follower growth shows how your rivals are building their LinkedIn presence. Here’s how to do it:
Measure Growth Speed
Watch how fast competitors gain new followers. This shows their popularity and LinkedIn strategy effectiveness.
Here’s a quick way to check:
- Open LinkedIn’s Analytics dashboard
- Go to the "Followers" tab
- Compare follower counts month-to-month
Let’s say Company A jumped from 10,000 followers in January to 11,000 in February. That’s a 10% monthly growth rate. Not too shabby!
"A consistent follower growth rate of 6 to 8% or more month after month indicates effective community growth." – Socialinsider
Study Follower Types
Numbers aren’t everything – who’s following matters too. LinkedIn gives you the scoop on follower demographics:
- Job functions
- Seniority levels
- Industries
- Company sizes
This info shows who your competitors are attracting. Are they pulling in big decision-makers? Industry hotshots? Fresh grads? Use these insights to fine-tune your own targeting.
Check Follower Activity
Followers are great, but engaged followers are the real deal. Look at how competitors’ followers interact:
- Check engagement rates on posts
- Read comments (thoughtful discussions or just emoji spam?)
- See if followers are sharing content
High engagement means a competitor has built a loyal community, not just a big follower count.
Compare to Industry Numbers
Put your data in context by benchmarking against industry standards:
- Pick 3-5 top industry players
- Calculate their average follower growth rate
- See how you (and your direct competitors) stack up
If the industry average growth is 5% monthly and you’re hitting 7%, you’re killing it. But if you’re stuck at 3%, it might be time to shake things up.
Remember, context is key. A B2B software company might grow slower than a flashy consumer brand. What matters is how you compare to similar businesses.
"By regularly monitoring these metrics, you can gain insights into the effectiveness of your LinkedIn strategy, identify areas for improvement, and adjust your approach to achieve your goals on the platform." – Imran Haroon, Author
Tracking follower numbers isn’t just about bragging rights. It’s about understanding your competition and finding ways to stand out. Use these insights to polish your LinkedIn strategy and grow your own engaged community.
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4. Check Engagement Stats
Time to dig into the juicy part of LinkedIn competitor analysis: engagement stats. This is where you’ll see if your rivals are actually connecting with their audience or just shouting into the void.
Count Interactions
First up: likes, comments, and shares. These are the bread and butter of LinkedIn engagement.
Let’s say you’re eyeing HubSpot. You might notice:
- Their email marketing how-tos? 500+ likes, easy.
- Customer success story videos? About 50 comments each.
- Marketing trend infographics? Shared 100+ times.
This isn’t just about big numbers. It’s about figuring out what makes their audience tick.
Measure Post Reach
LinkedIn doesn’t show exact view counts, but you can guesstimate reach through engagement rates. High engagement usually means good reach.
Here’s a quick formula:
Engagement Rate = (Total Engagements / Total Followers) x 100
Say a competitor with 10,000 followers gets 500 engagements on a post. That’s a 5% engagement rate. Not too shabby for LinkedIn.
Staff Activity Impact
Employee advocacy can be a game-changer. Look at how active employees are in sharing and engaging with company content.
Take Salesforce, for example:
- Their posts often get hundreds of employee shares.
- Employee comments frequently top post discussions.
- Staff regularly create their own content mentioning the company.
This kind of employee engagement can skyrocket a company’s reach and street cred on LinkedIn.
Calculate Engagement Rates
Time to crunch some numbers. Here’s how:
- Pick a timeframe (let’s say 30 days)
- Count total engagements (likes + comments + shares)
- Divide by number of posts
- Divide by total followers
- Multiply by 100 for a percentage
Let’s look at a made-up example:
| Metric | Company A | Company B |
|---|---|---|
| Total Engagements | 10,000 | 8,000 |
| Number of Posts | 20 | 15 |
| Total Followers | 50,000 | 30,000 |
| Engagement Rate | 1% | 1.78% |
Company A has more total engagements, but Company B is punching above its weight relative to its audience size.
As Therese Nguyen, a freelance content writer, puts it:
"Examining total engagement helps gauge the relative popularity and resonance of your brand within the industry."
5. Record and Plan
You’ve dug deep into your LinkedIn competitors. Now, let’s turn those insights into action. Here’s how to organize your findings and map out your path to LinkedIn success.
Write Analysis Reports
Get those insights out of your head and onto paper. Here’s how to craft a solid analysis report:
- Executive Summary: Condense key findings into a punchy one-pager.
- Competitor Profiles: Create a snapshot for each rival. Include follower count, engagement rates, and content focus.
- SWOT Analysis: Break down each competitor’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Be honest – sugarcoating won’t help you improve.
- Content Calendar: Map out when competitors post and what content performs best.
- Engagement Metrics: Compare engagement rates across competitors. For example:
| Competitor | Avg. Likes | Avg. Comments | Avg. Shares | Engagement Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company A | 500 | 50 | 25 | 2.3% |
| Company B | 300 | 30 | 15 | 1.8% |
| Your Company | 400 | 40 | 20 | 2.0% |
Find Ways to Improve
Now that you’ve got the lay of the land, spot opportunities to outdo the competition:
- Content Gaps: Notice topics your rivals aren’t covering? That’s your chance to shine.
- Engagement Tactics: If a competitor’s polls are getting massive engagement, how can you put your own spin on interactive content?
- Posting Frequency: Found that your top competitor posts daily at 9 AM? Try scheduling your posts for 8:45 AM to catch the early birds.
- Visual Branding: If your competitors’ visuals are all stock photos, stand out with custom graphics or team photos.
Set Goals
Get SMART with your goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Based on your competitor analysis, you might set goals like:
- "Boost our LinkedIn follower count by 20% (from 10,000 to 12,000) in the next 3 months."
- "Increase our average post engagement rate from 1.5% to 2.5% by the end of Q2."
- "Launch a weekly LinkedIn newsletter and hit a 30% open rate within 6 months."
These goals should push you, but not be impossible. If the top player in your industry has a 3% engagement rate, aiming for 10% might be a stretch.
Make Action Plans
Goals without plans are just wishes. Here’s how to turn your competitor insights into concrete actions:
- Content Strategy: If video content performs well for competitors, plan to create one video per week. Assign team members to scripting, filming, and editing.
- Engagement Boost: If competitors get lots of comments, respond to every comment within 24 hours. Set up notifications and create a response schedule.
- Employee Advocacy: If rival companies have active employees on LinkedIn, launch an employee advocacy program. Set a goal for 50% of employees to share company content monthly.
- Unique Value Proposition: If competitors all sound the same, brainstorm ways to differentiate. Maybe it’s through thought leadership, customer stories, or a unique content series.
- Tracking and Iteration: Set up a monthly review of your LinkedIn performance against competitors. Use tools like SuperTurtle.AI to streamline this process and keep your finger on the pulse.
The goal isn’t to copy your competitors – it’s to learn from them and do better. As Therese Nguyen, a freelance content writer, puts it:
"Performing a LinkedIn competitor analysis empowers you with valuable insights that can inform and transform your own strategies."
Wrap-up
Let’s recap what we’ve covered about LinkedIn competitor analysis. We looked at five key steps:
- Finding competitors
- Studying content patterns
- Tracking follower numbers
- Checking engagement stats
- Recording and planning
But here’s the thing: this isn’t about copying others. It’s about getting smart and making your own strategy better.
Therese Nguyen, a freelance content writer, says:
"Performing a LinkedIn competitor analysis empowers you with valuable insights that can inform and transform your own strategies."
And guess what? This isn’t a one-time deal. LinkedIn’s always changing, and so are your competitors. Make this analysis a regular habit.
Why bother? Here’s why:
- You’ll spot new trends in your industry
- You might find gaps you can fill
- You can tweak your content based on what works
- You can set realistic goals by comparing yourself to others
Here’s an example: If you see a competitor’s videos doing way better than their text posts, maybe it’s time to make more videos yourself. Or if you notice a hot topic that no one’s really dug into, jump on it and become the go-to expert.
Quick tip: Tools like SuperTurtle.AI can make this whole process easier. They can track stats, spot trends, and even come up with post ideas based on what’s working for your competitors.
So, what’s the game plan? Analyze, adapt, and innovate. Use what you learn to shape your strategy, but always bring your own flavor to the table.
Remember: Don’t be a copycat. Understand the game, then play it better than anyone else. Keep at it, and you’ll see real results on LinkedIn.
Ready to put all this into action? Your LinkedIn success story starts now!
FAQs
What is the competitor tool on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn’s competitor tool is a feature built into the platform’s Analytics dashboard. It’s designed to help businesses compare their performance against other companies on LinkedIn.
Here’s the lowdown on this tool:
It’s tucked away in the "Competitors" tab of your LinkedIn Analytics dashboard. You can add up to 9 competitors to compare your company against. The tool tracks key metrics like follower growth, engagement rates, and how well your content performs.
HubSpot’s social media team uses this tool to see how they stack up against big names like Salesforce and Adobe. They’ve seen a 15% bump in engagement after tweaking their content based on what they learned from the tool.
As Therese Nguyen, a freelance content writer, puts it:
"A competitor analysis on LinkedIn is the process through which you compare your LinkedIn performance with the one of your competitors."
But here’s the thing: the competitor tool is just one piece of the puzzle. To get the full picture, you’ll need to look beyond the numbers. Pay attention to the type of content your competitors post, who their followers are, and how they position their brand on LinkedIn.
Pro tip: Don’t just check this once and forget about it. Make it a habit to do a competitor check-up every few months. It’ll help you stay on top of what’s happening in your industry and spot new ways to stand out.
