What is LinkedIn Competitor Analysis?
LinkedIn competitor analysis is the process of studying your competitors’ activities, strategies, and performance on LinkedIn to gain actionable insights for your own professional or business growth.
By diving into key metrics such as engagement, content strategies, and audience interactions, this analysis helps identify what’s working for others in your industry. It allows you to pinpoint areas where you can improve, stand out, or adopt best practices. For both individuals and brands, this is a strategic way to refine your LinkedIn presence and align it with audience expectations while staying ahead of market trends.
Why Should You Analyze Your LinkedIn Competitors?
Competitor analysis on LinkedIn is essential for understanding industry benchmarks and uncovering actionable insights. By analysing your competitors’ strategies, you can refine your LinkedIn presence, optimise content, and align your approach to achieve measurable success. This section breaks down the key aspects of why this analysis is crucial.
Establish Your Own KPIs Through Competitive Benchmarking
Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based on competitor performance allows you to establish realistic goals for your LinkedIn strategy. Metrics such as follower growth, engagement rates, and content reach serve as benchmarks to measure your progress and refine your approach. With competitive benchmarking, you can evaluate your standing in the industry and focus on areas needing improvement.
Identifying Content Gaps Through Competitor Analysis on LinkedIn
Studying competitor content reveals opportunities to address underexplored topics or formats. By spotting gaps, you can identify areas where your brand or profile can offer unique insights or value to your audience. Whether it’s creating in-depth thought leadership posts or experimenting with new content types, filling these gaps helps you stand out in a saturated market.
Creating Better Content Based on Competitor Insights
By analysing high-performing competitor posts, you can improve your own content strategy. Competitor insights provide guidance on the best formats, themes, and engagement tactics to adopt. For instance, if a competitor’s video posts outperform others, you might consider leveraging this format to boost visibility and interaction.
How to Analyze Your Competition Using Our Free LinkedIn Competitor Analysis Tool
Conducting a social media competitive analysis can be streamlined and efficient with the use of Competitors App that helps you track social media pages easily. . Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Identify Your Competitors
The first step is to identify who your direct and indirect competitors are. These are the businesses that are vying for the same audience as you.
Step 2: Add Your Competitors
Once you have a list of your competitors, add them to Competitors App. This is a straightforward process that allows you to begin tracking their activities.
Step 3: Visit the Social Activity Timeline
In the app, navigate to the activity timeline. This feature provides a chronological view of your competitors’ social media posts along with their engagement, follower growth for each post.
Step 4: Analyze Competitors’ Posts
Examine the content of these posts. Competitors App provides detailed metrics like engagement, likes, shares, and comments, which are crucial for understanding what types of posts are successful or not.
Step 5: Use the Dashboard for Advanced Social Insights
The dashboard in Competitors App offers a comprehensive view of when your competitors are receiving high levels of engagement. You can see which weeks or months they are most active and successful, giving you insights into their posting strategy.
Step 6: Identify their best social media posts per channel
Through this analysis, you'll gain an understanding of which posts resonate with the audience and which don’t. This helps in shaping your content strategy.
Step 7: Identify the best time and dates for posting
By observing the times when your competitors receive the most engagement, you can better plan when to release your own posts for maximum impact.
By following these steps with Competitors App, you will conduct a thorough analysis of your competitors’ social media strategies. This process not only provides insights into what works for them but also helps you refine your own approach to achieve better engagement and results.
Top LinkedIn Competitor Analysis Tools
Competitors App
Key Features:
- Monitors competitors’ LinkedIn updates in real time.
- Provides insights into content performance, follower trends, and engagement metrics.
- Tracks changes in competitor strategies and alerts you to new trends.
Advantages:
- Easy-to-use interface for tracking multiple competitors.
- Detailed reports on engagement and content strategy.
- Alerts for significant updates or changes in competitor activity.
Disadvantages:
- Limited integrations with other analytics platforms.
- Customisation options for reports are somewhat restricted.
Pricing: Starts at $19/month.
Tracks competitor social media updates across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more.
Monitors changes on competitors’ websites, such as product updates, pricing adjustments, and new messaging, providing instant alerts to help sales teams respond promptly.
Tracks digital ad campaigns across platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. It provides details on ad creatives, spending, and performance metrics, helping teams analyze successful ad strategies.
Analyzes competitors’ keyword strategies, organic rankings, and backlinks, allowing teams to refine their own SEO tactics and boost search visibility.
Tracks competitors’ email campaigns, including content, frequency, and engagement metrics, helping sales teams understand email tactics that drive engagement and conversions.
Analyzes customer reviews and ratings for competitors, providing insights into customer feedback, pain points, and product strengths, helping teams craft better sales pitches.
Shield
Key Features:
- Tracks personal and business LinkedIn analytics.
- Provides data on post performance, follower growth, and engagement rates.
- Offers historical insights for long-term strategy improvement.
Advantages:
- Excellent for personal LinkedIn profiles.
- Intuitive dashboard with easy-to-read data visualisation.
- Historical data analysis for long-term insights.
Disadvantages:
- Not as focused on competitor tracking.
- Limited support for company pages.
Pricing: Starts at $25/month for personal plans.
LinkedIn Analytics (Native)
Key Features:
- Provides insights into your company page’s performance, including follower demographics, engagement rates, and content reach.
- Offers a basic competitor benchmarking feature that compares follower growth and engagement rates with selected competitors.
Advantages:
- Accurate and reliable data directly from LinkedIn.
- Free to use for all LinkedIn users.
- Benchmarking features help compare your page against industry competitors.
Disadvantages:
- Limited competitor analysis capabilities; does not offer in-depth insights into competitor strategies or content performance.
- Lacks advanced features for comprehensive competitor tracking.
Pricing: Free.
SocialInsider
Key Features:
- Tracks LinkedIn engagement and competitor performance.
- Provides benchmarking tools to compare your performance with competitors.
- Advanced reporting with audience insights.
Advantages:
- Comprehensive competitor analysis features.
- Customisable reports for easy sharing.
- Multi-platform support for holistic analytics.
Disadvantages:
- Higher price point compared to other tools.
- Requires some learning to use effectively.
Pricing: Starts at $99/month.
Octopus CRM
Key Features:
- Automates LinkedIn lead generation and outreach.
- Tracks campaign performance and connection growth.
- Provides analytics for engagement and messaging strategies.
Advantages:
- Excellent for sales professionals and lead generation.
- Integrates well with LinkedIn.
- Simplifies LinkedIn outreach campaigns.
Disadvantages:
- Primarily focused on outreach, not comprehensive competitor analysis.
- Limited data on audience engagement.
Pricing: Starts at $9.99/month.
Key Metrics to Track in Your LinkedIn Competitor Analysis
Tracking the right metrics is critical to gaining meaningful insights from your LinkedIn competitor analysis. These metrics not only help you evaluate competitors’ performance but also provide benchmarks for improving your own strategy.
Below are the most important metrics to monitor:
Follower Growth Trends
Understanding the rate at which your competitors gain followers can reveal how well their LinkedIn strategy is working. Rapid follower growth might indicate successful campaigns or content strategies worth studying.
Engagement Rate (Likes, Comments, Shares, Reactions)
Evaluate how much engagement your competitors’ posts receive relative to their follower count. High engagement rates suggest their content resonates with their audience, which could provide ideas for your own posts.
Posting Frequency and Timing
Track how often competitors post and the time of day they do so. This can help you identify optimal posting schedules for maximum visibility and interaction.
Post Performance (Top Posts by Reach and Engagement)
Identify which posts generate the most reach and engagement for competitors. This helps you understand the type of content and topics that perform best in your industry.
Content Types and Themes Used
Analyse the formats competitors use—whether it’s articles, videos, polls, or infographics—and the recurring themes in their posts. This insight helps you diversify your content effectively.
Audience Demographics and Industry Focus
Understand who engages with your competitors by studying their audience demographics and industry focus. This can help you identify gaps in your own target audience.
Employee Advocacy and Company Culture Posts
Monitor how competitors leverage employee advocacy and share company culture. These posts often build trust and strengthen employer branding on LinkedIn.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in LinkedIn Competition Analysis
Even with the best tools and strategies, certain mistakes can hinder the effectiveness of your LinkedIn competitor analysis.
Avoid these common pitfalls to ensure your analysis yields actionable insights:
Focusing Solely on Follower Counts
While follower counts provide a snapshot of a competitor’s popularity, they don’t reflect engagement or content quality. Prioritising metrics like engagement rate and post performance offers a more accurate picture of their LinkedIn success.
Neglecting Content Quality
Some competitors may post frequently but lack valuable or engaging content. Analysing the quality of their posts—such as relevance, originality, and audience interaction—is essential for meaningful insights.
Overlooking Employee Advocacy
Employee advocacy can be a powerful tool for boosting a brand’s LinkedIn presence. Failing to monitor how competitors leverage their employees to share company updates or promote culture might lead to missed opportunities for your strategy.
Relying Only on Native Analytics
While LinkedIn’s native analytics provide basic competitor benchmarking, they lack depth. Relying solely on these features without using third-party tools might result in incomplete data, limiting your ability to gain a competitive edge.
Not Tracking Consistently
Competitor analysis is not a one-time activity. Irregular tracking of competitors’ performance can lead to outdated strategies. Consistency is key to staying updated on trends and shifts in their approach.
Failing to Act on Insights
Gathering data without implementing changes is a wasted effort. Use the insights from your analysis to refine your content strategy, posting frequency, or engagement tactics effectively.
By recognising and avoiding these mistakes, you can make your LinkedIn competitor analysis more impactful and actionable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best LinkedIn competitor analysis tool?
The best tool depends on your specific needs. For comprehensive competitor tracking, tools like Competitors App and Socialinsider offer in-depth analysis of engagement, content performance, and audience insights. If you’re looking for a cost-effective option, Shield provides excellent analytics for personal profiles, while LinkedIn’s native analytics are free for basic benchmarking.
How can I perform a competitor analysis on LinkedIn?
To perform a competitor analysis:
- Identify your competitors based on industry and target audience.
- Monitor their follower growth, content strategy, and engagement metrics.
- Use tools like Competitors App or Socialinsider to gather detailed data.
- Benchmark your performance against theirs and refine your strategy accordingly.
How often should I conduct LinkedIn competitor analysis?
Competitor analysis should be an ongoing process. Regular monitoring—at least monthly—ensures you stay updated on shifts in competitor strategies and industry trends, allowing you to adjust your approach proactively.
Can I manually analyse LinkedIn competitors without tools?
Yes, manual competitor analysis is possible. You can review competitors’ LinkedIn pages to monitor follower count, engagement on posts, content types, and posting frequency. While this method is time-intensive, it’s effective for small-scale analysis and doesn’t require any budget.
