LinkedIn can be an outlet for an incredible amount of competitive intelligence if used correctly. Thanks to the recent introduction of the ability to update a company status on the business social network, pieces of intelligence can stream in without anyone noticing which could be costly when it comes to planning strategic moves. Fortunately, LinkedIn provides users with power of filtering what is being tracked in terms of the activities of companies.
Here’s how?
Select a company that you wish to follow. (For the purposes of this post, Microsoft was selected). Once on the company page on LinkedIn, scroll to the end of the page and locate the “See all activity” hyperlink, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1: "See all activity" Hyperlink on Microsoft's LinkedIn Page
Once the link is clicked on, you are provided with a complete list of activities as seen in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Listing of Microsoft's Activity On LinkedIn
Located on the right hand side of the page is a “Filter by” drop-menu giving users the ability to filter the activity intelligence by:
- Profile Changes
- New Hires
- Recent Departures
- Promotions & Changes
- Status Updates
- Job Postings
- Products & Services
Figure 3 provides a look at “New Hires” once the filter has been applied.
Figure 3: Filtered Results For "New Hires" Activity
It should be noted that the filter function will only appear for companies that have a critical mass of activities on their company profile on LinkedIn.
Want To Know More?
Read our past posts:
- The Dilemma With LinkedIn Company Status Updates
- 3 Things To Learn From The Hewlett-Packard’s LinkedIn Gaffe
- Using LinkedIn People Search To Profile A Company
About Intelegia
Intelegia is a boutique consulting firm in Montreal, Canada that understands the need to be innovative and strategic in a business landscape that’s evolving at an incredible pace. The firm delivers social media strategies to efficiently engage with stakeholders in economic development, business to business and business to consumer segments. It assists clients by defining and executing sustainable social web strategies that will allow their brand message to stand out in a competitive environment where target audience engagement is a must.
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Great article!
Many of our clients learn a lot about their competitors by aggregating exactly this sort of intelligence. Occasionally one change my itself can provide value, but more often than not it is the trends that emerge from continuous monitoring that can provide real strategic insight.