Social Media Competitor Analysis: How to Get It Right

TL;DR: Social Media Competitor Analysis 

• Find and track competitors using Google, social media searches, and hashtag research.
• Analyze their content—which posts, formats, and strategies get the most engagement?
• Check engagement metrics like likes, shares, comments, and audience interactions.
• Identify their best posting times and test those time slots for your brand.
• Drop platforms that don’t work and focus on high-performing ones.
• Study their campaigns to see what resonates with their audience.
• Use competitor analysis tools like Sprout Social, SEMrush, and Brandwatch for insights.
• Apply what works, tweak your strategy, and refine your approach based on real data.
• Stay ahead with Synup to analyze your social engagements, manage your brand visibility, and optimize effortlessly.

Competitor Analysis Checklist

Here’s your quick-reference guide to analyzing your social media competitors for better strategy and results:

• Analyse your social engagement: Before spying on others, analyse your social media engagement to see where you lag and how you compare. You can do that with Synup Social.  
• Identify your top competitors: Who’s leading in your industry? Who’s getting your audience’s attention?
• Analyze their content: What type of posts get the most engagement? Any patterns?
• Check their posting frequency: Daily? Weekly? When are they most active?
• Look at their engagement: Are people commenting, sharing, or just scrolling past?
• Study their audience: Who follows them? Any overlap with your target market?
• Track their hashtags and keywords: What phrases are driving their reach?
• See which platforms they dominate: Are they crushing it on Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok?
• Check their ad strategy: Are they running paid campaigns? What’s their messaging?
• Use a social media competitor analysis tool: It can save you time and give deeper insights.
• Take notes and tweak your strategy: Apply what works, avoid what doesn’t.

Go through this checklist, then go out there and analyze them like a pro.

Finding Competitors on Social Media

Before you can beat the competition, you need to know who they are. But finding them isn’t always obvious. Some brands are loud and everywhere, while others fly under the radar.

So, how do you track down your social media competitors without spending hours scrolling? Here’s where to start:

1. Google It (Yes, Really!)

Sometimes, the simplest answer is the best. A quick Google search can reveal brands that dominate your space. Try searching:

• "[your industry] + social media" (e.g., "fitness brands on social media")
• "[your industry] + best Instagram accounts"
• "[your industry] + top LinkedIn pages"

This works because blogs and industry sites often feature top-performing brands.

2. Hashtag Detective Work

Hashtags aren’t just for fun—they’re great for finding competitors. Search industry-specific hashtags on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

For example:

• A graphic designer might check #GraphicDesignTips or #FreelanceDesigner to see who’s getting engagement.
• A digital marketer could explore #SocialMediaMarketing or #SEOExperts for big names.

3. Let Platforms Do the Work

Most social platforms have built-in recommendation features. Use them!

• Facebook & Instagram: Check the “Suggested Pages” or “Similar Accounts” section.
• LinkedIn: Look at “People Also Viewed” on competitor profiles.
• Twitter: Click on a competitor’s profile and see “Who to Follow.”

4. Spy on Your Audience’s Follows

Who your audience follows can tell you a lot. Head to Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn and check:

• Who your ideal customers follow.
• Which brands show up in their engagement?
• What pages do they interact with most?

Selecting Key Metrics to Analyze

Finding your social media competitors is just the first step. Now, it’s time to break down what they’re doing right (or wrong). But analyzing everything can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on key metrics that actually matter.

Here’s what to track:

1. Engagement Metrics: Are They Really Connecting?

Look at:

• Likes, comments, and shares: More interaction = stronger audience connection.
• Average engagement rate: Compare their engagement vs. follower count.
• Response time: Are they replying to comments and DMs quickly?

If people talk to them (not just about them), they do something right.

2. Hashtag Strategy: Are They Using Smart Tags?

Check:

• Which hashtags they use consistently.
• If they mix popular and niche hashtags (e.g., #MarketingTips vs. #FreelanceMarketingGuru).
• Whether they create branded hashtags (like Nike’s #JustDoIt).

Copy (ethically) what works and skip the ones attracting bots.

3. Follower Growth: Are They Gaining or Stalling?

Look at:

• Follower trends over time: Are they gaining or losing people?
• Where the growth happens: A sudden spike? Maybe they ran a campaign.
• Quality of followers: Are they attracting engaged users or just vanity numbers?

Tools like a social media competitor analysis tool can track these trends easily.

4. Posting Frequency: How Often Do They Show Up?

Study their:

• Posting schedule: Daily? Weekly? At random?
• Best-performing time slots: Do they get more engagement at a specific hour?
• Balance of content types: Stories, reels, videos, text posts?

5. Type of Content: What Works Best?

Check:

• If they post more videos, carousels, or static images?
• Are they sharing educational, entertaining, or promotional content?
• What gets the most reactions? (A behind-the-scenes clip or a sales pitch?)

6. Most Successful Campaigns: What Blew Up?

Every brand has that one post that went viral. Find out:

• What the campaign was about.
• Why it resonated with their audience.
• If it was organic or boosted with ads.

Take notes. Learn from their wins (and their flops).

7. Brand Voice: How Do They Sound?

A brand’s tone sets the vibe. Analyze:

• Formal or casual? Do they sound like a corporation or a friend?
• Funny, educational, or inspiring? What’s their go-to approach?
• How do people respond? Do comments match the energy?

Conducting a Deep Dive Analysis on Major Social Platforms

A surface-level glance at your social media competitors won’t cut it. To truly understand their strategy, you must dig deeper, platform by platform. Different networks have different rules, and what works on Facebook might not on TikTok.

1. Facebook Competitor Analysis

Here’s what to analyze:

• Ad Library Check: Head to Facebook’s Ad Library to see what kind of paid campaigns your competitors are running. Are they running lead generation ads, retargeting, or promoting events? If they’re spending money on it, it’s probably working.
• Top-Performing Post Type: Do they get more engagement on videos, live streams, or long-form posts? Facebook’s algorithm loves video. If they’re using it effectively, take notes.
• Facebook Groups & Communities: Are they running active groups? Brands that leverage Facebook Groups often build loyal audiences without relying on ads. If your competitor has a buzzing community, they’re doing something right.

2. Instagram Competitor Analysis

Here’s what to track:

• Reels vs. Feed Posts vs. Stories: Which format gets them the most traction? Instagram pushes Reels hard, but if a brand’s carousels or Stories perform better, it’s worth noting.
• Influencer Collaborations: Are they teaming up with influencers? If yes, what type? Micro-influencers (smaller, niche audiences) or big names? Influencer marketing is a growth hack that many brands use effectively.
• User-Generated Content (UGC): Do they repost customer content? Brands that share UGC build trust and authenticity. If your competitor does this often, their audience is engaged.

3. LinkedIn Competitor Analysis (for B2B Brands)

LinkedIn is perfect for B2B brands, but strategies vary. Here’s what to examine:

• Article vs. Posts Engagement: Are they writing long-form articles or sticking to short posts? Some brands dominate LinkedIn with thought leadership. Others keep it snappy. Which works better for your industry?
• Company Page vs. Personal Branding: Are their company posts getting traction, or is their CEO driving engagement with personal content? Often, personal branding wins on LinkedIn.
• Engagement on LinkedIn Polls & Documents: Polls and documents can boost visibility. Are they using them to get more reach and interaction?

4. X (Twitter) Competitor Analysis

Here’s what to track to stay ahead:

• Tweet Frequency: Are they tweeting daily, hourly, or just when they feel like it? Consistency matters.
• Retweets vs. Replies: Are they engaging in conversations or just pushing content? A strong Twitter strategy involves real interactions.
• Hashtag Trends: Which industry-specific hashtags are they using? Do they start trends, or just follow them?

5. TikTok & YouTube Competitor Analysis

Video is the future, and these two platforms prove it. Let’s analyze what works here:

• Video Length & Style: Short-form (TikTok, YouTube Shorts) vs. long-form (YouTube tutorials). Which format performs better for them?
• Trending Challenges & Sounds: Are they hopping on TikTok trends or creating their own? Some brands go viral just by using the right sound.
• YouTube Descriptions & SEO: What keywords appear in their video titles and descriptions? A solid social media competitor analysis tool can reveal which keywords drive traffic.

Identifying Competitor Strengths & Weaknesses

Understanding what makes your social media competitors tick isn’t just about scrolling through their feeds. You need a structured way to analyze what they’re doing well—and where they’re slipping.

That’s where the best social media competitive analysis template— the Four Ps—comes in. Originally developed at Harvard in the 1950s, this classic marketing framework—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion—still holds strong today. 

1. Product: What Are They Selling?

Ask yourself:

• What makes their product stand out? (Features, quality, innovation?)
• Do they highlight pain points and solutions effectively?
• How do customers perceive their product? (Check reviews and testimonials.)

Example: If you’re in the skincare business and your competitor’s moisturizer gets raving reviews for being “lightweight but hydrating,” that’s a strength. If people complain about a greasy texture, that’s a weakness you can capitalize on.

2. Price: Are They Overcharging or Underpricing?

Compare their pricing with yours and analyze:

• Are they premium, budget-friendly, or somewhere in between?
• Do they offer discounts, bundles, or loyalty programs?
• How does their pricing impact their brand image?

A competitor selling premium coffee at $20 per bag might attract a niche audience. However, if it loses customers to a brand selling the same quality at $12, that’s a pricing weakness you can exploit.

3. Place: Where Are They Selling & Showing Up?

"Place" isn’t just about physical locations—it’s about how companies appear online and distribute their products.

Are they on every social media platform or focused on a few? Do they sell through their website, marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy), or both? Do they use influencers or brand partnerships to expand reach?

4. Promotion: How Are They Marketing Themselves?

Promotion is where the magic (or disaster) happens. Study how they create buzz:

• What type of content gets them the most engagement? (Videos, memes, tutorials?)
• Are they using paid ads? If so, what’s the messaging?
• Are they leveraging trends, collaborations, or UGC (user-generated content)?

Example: If a competitor’s social media competitor analysis example shows they rely heavily on TikTok challenges but their YouTube presence is weak, you could go all-in on YouTube and own that space before they wake up.

Tools for Social Media Competitor Analysis

Let’s be real: manually tracking social media competitors is exhausting. Scrolling through their feeds, checking hashtags, and guessing their strategy? That’s a full-time job.

Luckily, the right social media competitor analysis tool can automate the process, giving you clear insights without the guesswork. In fact, using social listening tools can help you outsmart your competitors. Here are the best tools to track, analyze, and gain an edge:

1. Sprout Social: The All-in-One Powerhouse

Need a full breakdown of your competitor’s engagement, content, and audience growth? Sprout Social does it all. 

• Engagement trends over time
• Post performance comparisons
• Detailed audience insights

2. SEMrush: More Than Just SEO

Most people know SEMrush for SEO, but it’s also a killer tool for social media competitor analysis. It tracks:

• Competitor ad strategies
• Social media traffic sources
• Engagement metrics across multiple platforms

3. Similarweb: Spy on Their Website Traffic

Your competitors’ social media efforts don’t stop at their posts. Similarweb shows how much traffic they drive to their website from social platforms. It helps you:

• See their top referral sources
• Compare audience demographics
• Spot traffic spikes linked to campaigns

4. Brandwatch: The Social Listening Pro

Want to know what people are saying about your competitors? Brandwatch tracks brand mentions, sentiment, and trending conversations.

• Real-time social listening
• Competitor brand sentiment analysis
• Audience conversation trends

5. Social Mention: Free and Straight to the Point

No budget, no problem. Social Mention is a free tool that scans blogs, news sites, and social media for brand mentions. You can use it to:

• Track competitor mentions
• Measure sentiment (positive, neutral, negative)
• Identify top influencers engaging with their content

6. Google Alerts: The Set-It-and-Forget-It Option

Want a simple, automated way to track competitor mentions? Google Alerts emails you whenever your competitor’s name appears online.

• Track brand mentions in news, blogs, and forums
• Stay updated on new content
• Get notified of press releases or announcements

7. TweetDeck: The Ultimate Twitter Spy

If Twitter (X) is a big part of your competitor’s strategy, TweetDeck is a must-have. It helps you:

• Monitor competitor tweets in real time
• Track their engagement and hashtag usage
• Set up alerts for key industry topics

Overall, a great social media competitor analysis tool isn’t just for looking at what your competitors post. It’s about understanding why it works. The right tools make this easier, giving you data-driven insights to fine-tune your own strategy.

Also Read: Best Social Media Management Tools (Paid & Free) 

Implementing Insights into Your Social Media Strategy

Here’s how you can apply what you’ve learned to boost your own strategy.

1. Double Down on High-Engagement Post Types

If you notice that your competitor’s Reels or LinkedIn carousels receive a lot of engagement, that’s a clue. People love that content format.

• If videos work for them, test behind-the-scenes clips or quick tips videos.
• If long-form posts perform well, try educational carousels or in-depth LinkedIn articles.
• If memes get all the love, don’t be afraid to add humor to your brand’s voice.

Example: A competitor’s audience eats up polls on Twitter (X)? Start running your own. People love voting—it makes them feel involved.

2. Post at Peak Engagement Times

Timing matters. If your competitor’s best posts always go up at 8 PM on weekdays, it’s worth testing.

• Employ a social media competitor analysis tool to track when their audience is most active.
• Schedule your content around those peak hours.
• Test different time slots to find your own sweet spot.

For instance: If your competitor’s Instagram Stories get the most replies during lunch hours, that’s a great window to engage your audience.

3. Ditch Platforms That Don’t Work

Are you experiencing low engagement on certain platforms? That’s a sign. If your competitor’s TikTok account is a ghost town, maybe your audience isn’t there, either.

• Look at which platforms drive the most engagement for your competitors.
• Stop wasting time on platforms that aren’t converting.
• Focus on where your ideal audience hangs out.

4. Replicate What’s Driving Positive Sentiment

If a competitor’s audience loves a specific campaign, there’s a lesson in it. Maybe it’s a relatable ad, a bold social stance, or a user-generated content (UGC) push.

• Identify what made their campaign a hit—was it emotional, funny, or ultra-relatable?
• Apply the same concept to your brand but with your own unique spin.
• Watch how your audience reacts and tweak it accordingly.

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Summing Up

At this point, you know that social media competitor analysis isn’t about copying others—it’s about learning what works and using that knowledge to improve your own strategy. The goal isn’t to chase trends blindly but to understand what makes people engage, share, and take action. A great social media competitor analysis isn’t just about collecting data but also about using it. 

So, what’s the takeaway? Find and track your competitors, study what they’re doing right (and wrong), compare their results with yours, and use that data to fine-tune your strategy until your engagement starts moving the needle. The best part is… you don’t have to do it all manually. 

Synup helps businesses monitor competitors, track brand performance, and optimize online visibility—all in one place. Start with a demo. 

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How to Do Social Media Competitor Analysis: FAQs