If you want to know where your brand stands against your competition on Instagram, you should perform an Instagram competitor analysis. Keeping an eye on your competition on the platform will provide you with valuable insights on what’s working and what’s not and improve the quality of your Instagram marketing strategy.
In this blog, you’ll learn how to analyze your competitors on Instagram in order to stay on top of the game and achieve success.
1) Identify Your Competitors
The first thing to do is identify who you want to analyze. The competitors you choose for analysis will determine what insights you get, so be sure to choose wisely. Ideally, you should analyze three to five competitors, including small and big ones, who are actively using the platform. It also helps to keep an eye on at least one industry leader account in order to stay on top of new trends.
Some of the ways to find competitors on Instagram include using the Instagram search, searching for hashtags, and checking the “Suggested for you” tab on your profile.
2) See How Your Competitors Present Themselves
Once you identify your competitors, the next step is to see what topics they cover on the platform, how often they post, and at what times. Check whether they only post photos or if they combine photos with videos and infographics. The visual part is very important on Instagram, so you should pay special attention to who makes content for your competitors, how they edit their posts, etc.
Finally, try to understand your competitors’ style of communication. Do they opt for short captions or longer ones? What CTAs do they use? What emotions do their posts convey? Finding the answers to these questions will help you define your own style, tone, and voice and distinguish yourself from others.
3) Who Is Among Their Followers?
The number of followers is not the most significant factor. It’s the quality of the followers that you need to pay attention to. Be sure to check whether real people are prevalent among your competitors’ followers. If you notice many accounts with dubious names and without avatars, they’re most likely bots.
Bear in mind that many brands who have a large and engaged following on Instagram have achieved it by using an Instagram growth service. If you’d like to include such a tool in your IG strategy, be sure to choose carefully as not all Instagram growth services are created equal.
For example, the people who have used the growth service Trusy got a large number of fake followers which they eventually lose. Do some research to find a tool that will help you grow your Instagram 100% safely and organically.
4) Who Do Your Competitors Collaborate With?
If you’re following social marketing trends, you must be aware of how popular influencer marketing is at the moment. So, the next item on your list is to see which influencers your competitors are using and what formats of advertising do these influencers use.
Studying your competitors’ influencer collaborations will help you understand what has and hasn’t worked in their influencer marketing campaigns, but it will also help you figure out what influencers to collaborate with.
5) Consider the Right Metrics
In order to perform an accurate and effective Instagram competitor analysis, you need to select the right metrics to analyze. Here’s what you need to take into consideration besides posts and followers:
- Engagement. Engagement is one of the metrics that the platform uses to determine where your content shows up in your followers’ feeds. When people constantly engage with your posts, Instagram sees it as a sign that they want to see more of your content.
- Likes. Instagram likes matter because they are the first interaction between your brand and your target audience. Gaining a big number of likes helps spread the word about your brand and build more connections.
- Comments. Instagram comments are the direct feedback you get for your posts. They show whether things are working and are also an indication that your brand has enough clients.
- Top hashtags. This metric represents the hashtags that your competitors are using most commonly. If used properly, they can help with visibility and branding.
Final Thoughts
Instagram competitive analysis can be a daunting and time-consuming task, but if you have a solid plan, it can be successfully completed. Regardless of whether you perform your analysis manually or by using third-party tools, the most important thing is to do it thoroughly and apply the gained data in practice to help your account grow.
