In business, knowledge is power — and in the digital age, data is the new edge. Whether you’re building a product, positioning your startup, or refining your marketing strategy, understanding what your competitors are doing is essential.
LinkedIn, often seen as just a platform for networking, is actually one of the most powerful (and underrated) tools for competitive research.
If used strategically, it can help you uncover insights about your competitors’ team structure, hiring trends, content strategy, partnerships, and overall brand positioning — all of which can help you make smarter business decisions.
In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to use LinkedIn for competitive research and how platforms like Charisol help small businesses and startups turn those insights into actionable strategies that drive growth.
Why LinkedIn Is a Goldmine for Competitive Insights
LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world — with over 1 billion users and millions of companies represented. Every day, organizations update their company pages, employees share achievements, and recruiters post openings. Behind all this activity is valuable, publicly available data that can reveal what’s happening inside a company.
For small businesses and startups, this information can help you:
- Understand your competitors’ positioning and branding.
- Spot hiring patterns that hint at new projects or growth.
- Learn what kind of content your audience engages with.
- Discover potential collaboration or partnership opportunities.
At Charisol, we’ve seen firsthand how startups leverage these insights to refine their products, improve their customer engagement, and make data-driven design and development decisions.
How do I Use LinkedIn for Competitive Research?
1. Start with Company Pages
Search for your competitor’s official LinkedIn company page. Here’s what to look out for:
- About Section: How do they describe themselves? What keywords do they use? This gives clues about their target market and positioning.
- Posts: What topics do they focus on? Are they sharing customer success stories, product updates, or thought leadership?
- Engagement: How much traction do their posts get? This can tell you what resonates with your shared audience.
- Employees: Who’s on their team? What roles are they hiring for?
Use this information to benchmark your brand’s tone, content, and growth strategy.
Pro Tip: Pay attention to how their messaging evolves. If they’re suddenly emphasizing “AI integration” or “sustainability,” it might signal a new business direction or customer demand shift.
2. Monitor Hiring Patterns and Job Posts
Job listings can reveal a company’s strategic priorities before they even make public announcements.
For example:
- A competitor hiring multiple “Mobile Developers” may be expanding into app development.
- A new “Head of Growth” role could mean they’re preparing for aggressive scaling.
- Repeated postings for customer success roles may indicate a growing user base or focus on retention.
By tracking these hiring trends, you can anticipate market movements early and position your business to stay competitive.
At Charisol, when we work with startups, we often help them interpret this type of data to guide product and team-building decisions — especially during the early growth phase.
3. Analyze Employee Profiles
The people behind your competitors can tell you a lot. Explore profiles of their team members, especially in product, marketing, and engineering roles. Look for:
- Skills and backgrounds: What expertise do they value most?
- Career paths: Are they attracting talent from specific industries or companies?
- Tenure and turnover: High employee movement can indicate internal shifts or challenges.
You can also follow key employees to see what they’re posting and engaging with — sometimes, team members share insights long before the company makes official announcements.
4. Track Competitor Content Performance
LinkedIn’s algorithm favors content that encourages engagement. Studying your competitors’ top-performing posts helps you learn what works in your niche.
Take note of:
- Post formats (videos, carousels, polls, or articles).
- Posting frequency and timing.
- Tone of voice — formal, educational, or storytelling.
- Topics that generate the most comments or shares.
Then, apply those learnings to refine your own content approach.
Example: If your competitor’s posts about “remote work culture” consistently get high engagement, you could share your own authentic perspective or design a visual campaign around how your brand supports flexible collaboration.
At Charisol, we often help businesses transform insights like these into thoughtful digital experiences and brand strategies that attract and retain customers.
5. Use LinkedIn Search Filters to Discover Market Trends
LinkedIn’s search filters are more powerful than most realize. You can filter companies by industry, location, size, or keywords to explore your competitive landscape.
Here’s how to use it effectively:
- Search by Industry: Identify new or emerging competitors in your niche.
- Search by Hashtags: Find trending discussions around topics like #UXDesign, #SaaS, or #DigitalTransformation.
- Search by People: Locate thought leaders your competitors engage with — these are potential influencers or partners for your own brand.
6. Join Industry Groups and Follow Conversations
LinkedIn groups and discussion threads often reveal what professionals are currently struggling with, what tools they use, and what trends they’re following.
Participating in these groups helps you:
- Monitor competitor activity indirectly.
- Hear authentic feedback from your target audience.
- Spot gaps in the market that you can fill.
7. Observe Brand Partnerships and Announcements
Company pages often share collaborations, certifications, or event participation. These updates provide insight into:
- Who your competitors are working with.
- What events they’re investing in.
- Which platforms or technologies they’re adopting.
Use these clues to identify potential partners for your own growth or to predict industry movements.
8. Leverage LinkedIn’s “People Also Viewed” Feature
When you visit a company’s LinkedIn page, look at the “People also viewed” section on the right-hand side. It often lists related companies — your hidden competitors.
Exploring these profiles can expand your understanding of the competitive landscape and help you spot up-and-coming players that aren’t yet on your radar.
Turning Research Into Action
Gathering data is one thing — using it strategically is another. Once you’ve collected insights from LinkedIn, analyze how they align with your own goals:
- What can you learn from your competitors’ content and engagement style?
- Are there product or service gaps they’re not addressing?
- What kind of talent are they investing in, and does it signal a shift in customer expectations?
At Charisol, we help startups and small businesses turn insights like these into action. Our team combines design, strategy, and technology to help businesses respond to market changes with digital products that stand out and scale effectively.
If your goal is to strengthen your online presence, optimize user experience, or build digital products that meet real customer needs, our experts can help you turn your competitive research into a tangible growth strategy.
Explore what we do at https://charisol.io/.
FAQs
Is it ethical to do competitive research on LinkedIn?
Yes — all the information you gather should come from publicly available data. The goal isn’t to spy, but to understand market trends and learn from others’ strategies.
Can small businesses really benefit from LinkedIn research?
Absolutely. LinkedIn levels the playing field by giving smaller companies access to the same public information larger brands use. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to stay informed and strategic.
How often should I do competitor research on LinkedIn?
A monthly review is ideal for most small businesses. This allows you to track changes in content, hiring, or positioning before they become major trends.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers — it’s a powerful strategic tool for understanding your industry and outsmarting your competition.
By studying your competitors’ movements, content, and growth signals, you can make smarter decisions about your own digital strategy, team, and product development.
At Charisol, we believe that the right insight — paired with the right technology — can transform a business. So, what could you discover about your competitors today that could change how you grow tomorrow?
Explore how we can help you build smarter digital products at charisol.io.