Your competitors are probably oversharing on social media, and that’s great news for you. While they’re busy crafting the perfect brand image, they’re inadvertently giving you a front-row seat to their marketing strategy, product launches, customer service approach, and even their internal company culture.
WHERE to Look:
Instagram: Watch their Stories highlights—these often contain their most strategic content like product tutorials, behind-the-scenes footage, and customer testimonials they want to preserve. Please pay attention to their user-generated content strategy and how they feature customers.
LinkedIn: This is where B2B retailers often share industry insights, company news, and thought leadership content. Follow their executives’ accounts too. CEOs and marketing leaders often share strategic thinking here first.
TikTok: If they’re active here, you see their attempt to reach younger demographics. Note their tone, trending audio choices, and which videos get the most engagement.
Facebook: Shows more customer service interactions and community engagement than other platforms. This is great for seeing how they handle complaints and build customer relationships.
Think about it: every social media post is a data point. Every campaign is a market test. Every customer interaction is a case study in brand management. And it’s all happening in public, in real-time, entirely free for you to analyze.
WHAT to Watch For:
Posting Frequency and Timing
This reveals their social media budget and strategy sophistication. Companies posting 3x daily with perfect timing have dedicated social teams. Sporadic posting suggests they’re under-resourced in digital marketing, which is a potential competitive advantage for you.
Content Types and Performance
Track which post types get the most engagement. If their product videos consistently outperform static images, that’s market research about what your shared audience prefers. If user-generated content gets 10x more engagement than branded content, you know authentic content wins in your category.
Engagement Rates Across Post Types
Low engagement despite high follower counts often indicates fake followers or disconnected content. High engagement on specific topics tells you what genuinely resonates with your target market.
Hashtag Strategies
Their hashtag choices reveal which communities they’re trying to reach and which trends they’re betting on. When using sustainability hashtags or local community tags, they signal strategic shifts.
Customer Service in Public
Watch how quickly they respond to complaints, their tone, and whether issues get resolved publicly or moved to DMs. Poor public customer service is a competitive opportunity for you to differentiate.
Behind-the-Scenes Content
Employee features, warehouse tours, or “day in the life” content tell you about the company’s culture and operational approach. If they highlight automation or sustainability initiatives, the company likely makes significant investments in these areas.
Influencer Partnerships
Note which influencers they work with, how they structure partnerships (sponsored posts vs. gifting), and what messaging they emphasize through influencers. This reveals their target demographics and partnership budget.
Video Content Quality and Production Value
The jump from iPhone videos to professional production usually signals increased social media investment. Similarly, if quality suddenly drops, they might be cutting marketing budgets.
