With Instagram still a titan in social media, your competitors are all up in your space, vying for the same eyeballs. But while they’re posting yet another cliché “Morning vibes” story, you could be stealing their followers — and their thunder.
It’s time to learn how to dissect, analyze, and outmaneuver them.
What Is an Instagram Competitor?
Forget your generic rivals — your Instagram competitors fall into three buckets:
- Direct competitors: Same stuff, same turf.
- Indirect competitors: Different offer, but the same audience.
- Influencers: The wildcard — these peeps are indirectly grabbing your followers’ attention and your market share.
Competitor benchmarking here is key. We’re not talking copy-pasting their playbook — we’re talking about a full-on, zero-mercy takeover of their Insta tactics.
Why You Should Bother Caring About Competitors
If you’re ignoring your competition, you’re giving them free real estate in your followers’ feeds. That’s just sloppy. Competitor analysis lets you spy on their content, hashtags, and engagement levels. Instagram analytics and social media analytics tools make it way too easy to benchmark your progress.
Get competitive, or get lost:
Inspiration factory: Competitors churn out content — good and bad. Learn from both.
Hashtag hacks: Analyze their hashtags. They’ve done the homework, now steal the answer sheet.
Content showdown: Maybe their Reels crush it, but your Stories could blow them away.
Six Ways to Outwit Your Instagram Competitors
- Keyword search like a ninja
You’re not just typing in “social media platform” and calling it a day. Get down into the trenches — use Instagram competitor analysis tools to dig deep into Instagram analytics and social media marketing trends.
- Survey your loyal fans
Your audience has dirt. Use Instagram Automation or even a good ol’ DM to ask them which brands they’re ogling at. Pro tip: Target those direct competitors.
- Monitor hashtags like a hawk
Hashtags aren’t just a pretty accessory. They’re the breadcrumbs your competitors leave behind. Follow industry tags and study who’s trending. Use the Explore feature to search for applicable keywords, and navigate to the tags tab for a list of related hashtags to browse and follow. Popular posts — such as those tagged by influencers — appear first.
- Find influencers and hijack their collabs
Competitors are likely using influencers to push their products into the feeds of your potential customers. Instead of sitting back and watching, take note of these influencers, then one-up your competition by working with either those same influencers or finding ones that better align with your brand.
Don’t just stop at looking for generic influencers; you need micro-influencers that fly under the radar but command fierce loyalty from niche audiences. These micro-warriors often have a more engaged follower base, and while their numbers might be smaller, their impact is colossal.
Turn competitor collaborations into your opportunities. A well-timed influencer collab can snatch their spotlight.
- Create unbeatable content (don’t just copy)
Competitor analysis is about beating them at their own game. Use the data you’ve gathered and ask yourself: How can I top this? Let them provide the skeleton, but you add the muscle.
Experiment ruthlessly: Reels, Stories, carousel posts — throw them all at the wall and see what sticks. Instagram insights will show you what’s gaining traction.
Video: If you’re not doing video content, you’re becoming less relevant by the day. Your competitors are probably focusing on the basics, so level up with interactive Stories, detailed how-tos, and live Q&As.
Own your tone: If everyone is vanilla, be spicy. The more your content has a voice, the more it cuts through the noise.
Your goal isn’t to follow trends — it’s to be the one starting them.
- Run paid ads to steal followers
Here’s where it gets cutthroat. Competitors are hoarding the audience you want, and running Meta Ads or Instagram Story ads is the fastest way to pilfer their hard-earned followers.
As of 2024, Meta Ads are converting at higher rates thanks to the advanced targeting features within Instagram’s ecosystem. Paid ads targeting competitor audiences can yield conversion rates up to 2X higher than general audience ads.
Use social media analytics tools to set up Lookalike Audiences. These ads will target users similar to your existing followers and — this is the sweet part — your competitors’ audiences, too. Now, when someone scrolls through their feed and sees your competitors’ content followed by your targeted ad, guess what? You’ve just inserted yourself into their decision-making process.
Their audience could be yours — don’t be afraid to elbow in.
Tools for Instagram Competitor Analysis
You’re not going to eyeball all this yourself. Use these digital bad boys to handle your Instagram competitor analysis like a pro:
- Hootsuite Analytics: To track how your competitors are performing.
- Brandwatch: Spy on direct competitor strategies and audience sentiment.
- Sprout Social: Monitor and analyze hashtags and mentions to stay ahead of trends.
- Phlanx: Check influencer engagement rates and ensure you’re collaborating with the right ones.
The better equipped you are with tools, the faster you can pounce on your competitor’s weaknesses.
Competitor Benchmarking in 2024: What You Really Need
Let’s get real. Competitor analysis isn’t a one-and-done deal. Today, you need to constantly evolve with changing trends. What worked six months ago could be irrelevant tomorrow.
Here’s a checklist for the ultimate competitive edge:
- Consistency is king: Regularly analyze your competitors. Monthly reviews should be non-negotiable.
- Adapt to new features: Instagram is always dropping new tools, from AR filters to AI-based tools. If your competitors are slow to adopt, that’s your opening.
- Audience engagement: Metrics are more than vanity numbers. See how your competition’s followers engage. If they’re complaining about poor customer support or slow responses, you’ve found your in. Crush them with engagement tools, like Instagram Automation by Manychat, that let you reply in real time.
Stay on top of your competitor’s content, and pivot fast when the industry shifts.
Stop Playing Nice
It’s not enough to “be aware” of your competition on Instagram. You need to ruthlessly analyze, strategize, and act. Your competitors are coming for your followers, but with a smart competitor analysis, relentless content creation, and a savvy use of tools, you can beat them at every turn.
Let them bask in their temporary success while you quietly gear up to dethrone them.
Get Started with Instagram Automation
Don’t just compete — dominate. Engage new followers on autopilot and respond to comments in real time with Instagram Automation by Manychat.
