Learn how to monitor competitors effectively. Track strategies, public perception, and social media trends to stay ahead!
Monitoring your competitors' activity is an essential part of staying ahead in today’s digital scene. Leveraging Influencity’s monitoring, our social listening tool, you'll be able to gain valuable insights into competitor strategies, public perception, and social media engagement.
Follow this step-by-step guide to configure your monitoring queries and make informed, data-driven decisions.
1. Define Your Objectives
Before setting up your monitoring process, it’s essential to outline your goals. Here are some common objectives:
- Understand Public Perception: Track what people are saying about your competitors’ brands and their overall sentiment.
- Analyze Competitor Strategies: Review their marketing and communication tactics on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube,Facebook, etc.
- Identify Trends: Monitor the success and engagement of your competitors' campaigns over time.
Example Objectives
Track public perception of Competitor1 and Competitor2 on Instagram and TikTok over the past month.
Monitor marketing strategies used by Competitor3 across Facebook and YouTube.
2. Select Dates
To ensure relevance, set your date range strategically for:
- Historical Mentions: Use the 'is before' option.
- Upcoming Mentions: Select 'is after'.
- A Time Range: Use 'is between' and define start and end dates.
Pro Tip: Choose dates close together to avoid irrelevant mentions. Keep in mind historical data is limited to the past two years.
3. Configure Monitoring Rules
3.1 Competitors’ Brands
To track a competitor's content, use the 'Username' rule:
- Add their handles (without the @ symbol) for each platform.
- Include all variations across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.
Example
Competitor1 on Instagram: Competitor1
Competitor1 on TikTok: Competitor1_TikTok
Pro Tip: Ensure you include all relevant handles and accounts for multi-platform coverage.
3.2 Public Perception of Competitors’ Brands
To track mentions about your competitors, use the 'Body' rule:
- Add brand names, hashtags, keywords, and product names.
- Include common misspellings or variations to capture all mentions.
Example
Keywords: Competitor1, #Competitor1, Competitor1’s Product
Note: This helps you monitor user discussions that don’t directly tag competitor accounts.
4. Select Social Networks
Focus your monitoring efforts on specific platforms or widen your search:
- Use the 'Social Networks' rule to include platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook.
- Use the 'Domain' rule to expand to websites, forums, or news feeds.
Pro Tip: Use 'OR' between networks to collect mentions from all selected platforms. Exclude networks by using the 'is none of' setting.
5. Apply Logical Operators
Combine multiple rules using 'AND' and 'OR' operators:
- AND: All conditions must be met for a mention to be collected.
- OR: At least one condition must be met.
To track mentions of Competitor1 on Instagram OR TikTok:
- Add separate logic groups for each platform.
- Connect them with the 'OR' operator.
6. Review and Refine
Before launching your monitoring process:
- Double-check your rules for accuracy.
- Test your query to ensure it captures relevant mentions.
Pro Tip: Continuously refine your setup based on results to optimize data collection and insights.
Recap
- Targeted Monitoring: Focus on specific platforms, dates, and competitor accounts for precision.
- Comprehensive Insights: Use public perception and direct competitor content to shape your strategies.
- Flexible Rules: Leverage operators to adapt your search for complex queries.