How to track your competitors on social media

What does it mean to track a competitor on social media?

It means reading what customers say about them in public. Their follower count and their likes only tell you how loud they are.

The posts tell you why people stay with a competitor, and what would make them leave.

Is it okay to “stalk” competitors on social media?

Yes, as long as you only read what's public. Reading posts that anyone can see is ordinary market research.

Don't make a fake account or join a private group to read along. Don't message their staff for inside details either. If it would feel strange in their shop, it's strange online too.

Which keywords should you track for each competitor?

Start with the name customers use. Often that's a nickname, or a shorter version of the name on the sign.

Then add their best-known product and the misspelling you see most. If some of their customers write in another language, add the name the way they write it.

In Herd, a keyword can be up to 40 characters, and capital letters don't matter. A post that writes a two-word name as one word counts too, so “Yunxiu Tea” finds #YunxiuTea. Each misspelling is a keyword of its own.

What should you look for in posts about competitors?

Complaints first. A customer who's unhappy with a competitor already wants what you sell. They just haven't found you yet.

Then look for praise you never get. If people keep thanking a competitor for fast delivery, delivery matters to their customers, and probably to yours.

Questions like “X or Y?” are worth reading, and so is any talk about prices. When a competitor launches something, read the posts from the first week. They show you how it landed.

How do you reply to a competitor's unhappy customer?

Carefully, and not every time. If someone asks for a recommendation, answer the question they asked. Name your business only when it's the honest answer.

Never attack the competitor. Readers side with whoever stays calm, and screenshots last a long time. A short, helpful reply does more for you than a clever one.

How many competitors should you track?

Two or three. Pick the ones your customers mention alongside you, not the biggest names in your field.

Read their posts for two weeks before you add more. If a competitor never comes up, swap it for one that does.

The Free Plan has 1 keyword, so you can try Herd on one competitor. The Small plan has 3 keywords, Medium has 7 and Large has 14. I'd keep one for your own name and use the rest for competitors.

How do you track competitors with Herd?

Herd finds posts on Threads, Reddit and Instagram today. X, TikTok, YouTube, RedNote and podcasts are coming soon.

Every post gets a positive, neutral or negative label, and you can fix any label. The Weekly report counts each week's mentions by label.

1. 01

   Open Keywords and add your competitor's name, the way their customers write it.

2. 02

   If your plan has room, add their best-known product or the usual misspelling.

3. 03

   In the Feed, choose that keyword, then choose Negative.

4. 04

   Press Translate on any post in a language you don't read.

5. 05

   Every Monday, open the Weekly report for last week and read its negative posts.

What do you do with what you learn?

Keep a short list. Each week, write down the complaint about a competitor that came up most, then ask whether your business has the same problem.

Then read the praise again. If customers love something a competitor does and you could do it too, try it for a month.