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Aug 14, 2024

How To Scrape Your Competitors' Audience From LinkedIn: A Tutorial

Uncover the value of scraping competitors' LinkedIn audience for increased brand awareness, market insights, and reduced acquisition

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LinkedIn has transformed into a goldmine for B2B marketers, offering unparalleled opportunities for lead generation. But what if you could amplify your success by tapping into your competitors' audience and scrape LinkedIn followers and audience? 

This article will guide you through the process of strategically scraping your competitors' LinkedIn audience, transforming them into potential customers and accelerating your business growth.

Utilizing Competitor LinkedIn Audience

Utilizing Competitor LinkedIn Audience
Source: business.linkedin.com 

Value of Scraping Competitors' LinkedIn Audience

  1. Identify your target audience
  • Gain insights into the demographics, interests, and job titles of your ideal customer.
  • Analyze engagement patterns to understand what content resonates with your audience.
  • Discover the geographical distribution of your competitors' followers to target specific regions effectively.
  1. Benchmark your performance
  • Compare your audience size and growth to your competitors to gauge your market position.
  • Identify which strategies are yielding better engagement for your competitors, allowing you to adapt and improve your own approach.
  • Assess follower demographics and engagement rates to refine your marketing strategies.
  1. Discover untapped opportunities
  • Identify potential customers who are not currently engaging with your brand but are active in your industry.
  • Analyze competitors’ followers to find gaps in their offerings that you can exploit.
  • Use insights from competitors' audience interactions to develop targeted campaigns that address unmet needs.

Benefits of This Strategy

  1. Increased brand awareness
  • Reach a wider audience by targeting potential customers who are already interested in your industry.
  • Leverage your competitors' content to engage their audience through strategic partnerships or content sharing.
  • Utilize LinkedIn ads to specifically target the followers of your competitors, maximizing visibility.
  1. Market insights
  • Understand your competitors' strengths and weaknesses, and identify opportunities for differentiation.
  • Analyze the types of content that generate the most engagement for competitors to inform your content strategy.
  • Monitor trends in your competitors' audience demographics to anticipate shifts in market needs.
  1. Reduced customer acquisition costs
  • Efficiently target high-quality leads and convert them into customers more quickly by focusing on engaged audiences.
  • Use data-driven insights to create more effective marketing campaigns that resonate with your target audience.
  • Streamline your outreach efforts by targeting individuals who have already shown interest in similar products or services, reducing the time spent on cold leads.

To scrape LinkedIn followers you need to understand your target market better. Through this, you can refine your marketing strategy, enhance brand visibility, and ultimately drive more conversions.

Let's delve into the practical steps involved in this process. You will learn how to effectively utilize LinkedIn Search and Sales Navigator to identify and extract your competitors' audience data.

Using LinkedIn Search and Sales Navigator

Using LinkedIn Search and Sales Navigator
Source: linkedin.com

LinkedIn offers a robust platform for discovering potential customers. Before you scrape LinkedIn followers you need to use it to get the maximum out of the functionalities available on the platform.  You can effectively identify and target your competitors' audiences by using its search functionalities and advanced tools like Sales Navigator.

LinkedIn Search Features

LinkedIn Search Features
Source: linkedin.com

LinkedIn's basic search bar is a powerful tool for initial exploration. You can filter results by keywords, location, industry, job title, and more. This is a great starting point to understand your competitors' audience demographics.

Capitalizing on "People You May Know" Feature

Capitalizing on "People You May Know" Feature
Source: linkedin.com 

A less-known but effective tactic is to utilize the "People You May Know" section. This feature often suggests connections based on shared connections and groups. By analyzing these suggestions, you can identify potential overlaps between your network and your competitors.

Targeting Influencers and Their Followers

Targeting Influencers and Their Followers
Source: linkedin.com 

Identifying influencers in your industry can be a goldmine. LinkedIn allows you to view a profile's followers. Although you can't directly extract this data, you can manually analyze their followers to gain valuable insights into your target audience.

Unleashing Advanced Search with Sales Navigator

Unleashing Advanced Search with Sales Navigator
Source: linkedin.com 

For a more in-depth analysis, Sales Navigator is indispensable. It offers advanced search filters, allowing you to refine your search based on criteria like company size, job function, seniority, and more. You can also create saved searches to track changes in your competitors' audience over time.

Steps to Use Sales Navigator for Advanced Searches

Sales Navigator is a powerful tool that allows for highly targeted searches. Here’s a breakdown of key steps:

  1. Access Sales Navigator: Log in to your LinkedIn account and access the Sales Navigator platform.
  2. Advanced Search: Click on the "Lead Filters" button to initiate an advanced search.
  3. Apply Filters: Utilize the various filters available to refine your search. These include:some text
    • Personas: Predefined buyer personas to streamline your search.
    • Function: Target specific job roles or departments.
    • Seniority: Filter by job level (e.g., director, manager).
    • Company: Specify company size, industry, and location.
    • Keywords: Include relevant keywords in job titles, descriptions, or company names.
  4. Refine Your Search: Experiment with different filter combinations to achieve the desired results.
  5. Save Search: Save your search criteria for future use or to track changes in the target audience.
  6. Export Data: Download search results in a CSV format for further analysis. (using mirrorprofiles)

By effectively using Sales Navigator's advanced search capabilities, you can create highly accurate and actionable audience profiles.

Note: LinkedIn's terms of service and data privacy policies are constantly evolving. Always ensure that your data scraping activities comply with their guidelines to avoid legal issues.

In the next section, You will learn how to extract data from these search results efficiently and ethically.

Extracting Followers From LinkedIn Company Pages

Extracting Followers From LinkedIn Company Pages
Source: wix.com 

Understanding the followers of your competitors' LinkedIn company pages is crucial for identifying potential customers and to scrape LinkedIn followers. You can gain valuable insights into your target audience and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly by analyzing this data.

Importance of Identifying Company Page Followers

Company page followers represent a pool of individuals interested in your competitor's industry or products. By analyzing these followers, you can:

  • Identify potential customers for your business
  • Understand your target audience's demographics and interests
  • Benchmark your company's follower growth against competitors

Step-by-Step Guide to Using MirrorProfiles

Step-by-Step Guide to Using MirrorProfiles
Source: mirrorprofiles.com

While LinkedIn doesn't directly provide a feature to export company page followers, third-party tools can assist. One such tool is MirrorProfiles.

  1. Create an Account: You can sign up for a MirrorProfiles account to access their services, which include renting LinkedIn accounts.
  2. Search for Company Page: You can find the desired company page on LinkedIn using your rented accounts.
  3. Extract Followers: MirrorProfiles allows you to extract the list of followers from the company page through its tools.
  4. Export Data: The extracted data can be downloaded in CSV format for further analysis, facilitating easy data management and utilization for your prospecting efforts.

Check out our Step-by-Step Guide on How to Scrape Data From LinkedIn to master the process with ease.

Note: The accuracy and completeness of data extracted using third-party tools may vary. It's essential to verify the information and consider using multiple methods for data collection.

Using Sales Navigator for Precise Filtering

Using Sales Navigator for Precise Filtering
Source: linkedin.com 

While Sales Navigator primarily focuses on individual profiles, it can be used in conjunction with other methods to refine your target audience. You can identify high-quality leads based on specific criteria such as job title, company size, and location by combining Sales Navigator's advanced search filters with the extracted follower list.

Extracting and Exporting Followers Data

Once you've gathered the follower data, it's crucial to organize and analyze it effectively.

  • Data Cleaning: Remove duplicates and invalid entries from the dataset. Identify and eliminate profiles that are inactive or do not align with your target audience.
  • Data Enrichment: Add additional information such as job titles, company names, and location using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or other data enrichment platforms.
  • Data Segmentation: Divide the data into segments based on specific criteria (e.g., industry, company size) for targeted marketing campaigns.

You can transform raw follower data into actionable insights that drive business growth by following these steps.

In the next section, you will learn how to scrape post engagement data to gain deeper insights into audience behavior and preferences.

Learn more about how LinkedIn Sales Navigator compares with Recruiter here.

Scraping Post-Engagement Data

Scraping Post-Engagement Data
Source: agencyanalytics.com 

By analyzing post engagement data from your competitors, you can gain valuable insights into audience preferences, interests, and behavior. Let's explore how to extract and use this data to your advantage.

Why Post Engagement Data is Valuable

Understanding how your target audience interacts with your competitors' content provides invaluable insights. When you analyze post engagement data, you can:

  • Identify content that resonates with your target audience
  • Determine which topics and formats generate the most engagement
  • Discover influencers and opinion leaders in your industry
  • Build targeted lead lists based on audience behavior

Using Phantombuster to Extract Post Likers and Commenters

Using Phantombuster to Extract Post Likers and Commenters
Source: phantombuster.com 

Phantombuster is a popular automation tool that can be used to extract post engagement data from LinkedIn. Here's a general overview of the process:

  1. Install Phantombuster: Download and install the Phantombuster extension for your browser.
  2. Create a New Phantom: Set up a new Phantom to extract post engagement data.
  3. Configure Settings: Specify the LinkedIn profile or company page you want to analyze, the number of posts to scrape, and the desired data (likes, comments, shares).
  4. Run the Phantom: Start the Phantom to collect the required data.
  5. Export Data: Export the extracted data in a CSV or Excel format for further analysis.

Note: Always respect LinkedIn's terms of service and avoid excessive scraping to prevent account restrictions.

Steps to Collect and Organize Data from Posts

Once you've extracted the data, follow these steps to organize and analyze it effectively:

  1. Data Cleaning: Remove duplicates and irrelevant information from the dataset.
  2. Data Enrichment: Add additional information such as job titles, company names, and location to the extracted data.
  3. Engagement Analysis: Analyze the collected data to identify trends, patterns, and insights.
  4. Create Segments: Divide the audience into segments based on engagement behavior (e.g., high engagers, commenters, likers).

Creating Personalized Outreach Messages Based on Engagement

Craft highly personalized outreach messages by using the extracted data. For example:

  1. Commenters
  • Thank them for their insights and engage in further conversation. 
  • Encourage further dialogue by asking questions related to their comment. 
  • Provide additional value by sharing relevant articles, studies, or resources.
  1. Likers
  • Begin your outreach by thanking them for liking your post.
  • Share content that aligns with their interests or industry.
  • Extend an invitation to connect more personally.
  1. Shareers
  • Start your message with a heartfelt thank you. 
  • Mention the positive impact of their sharing. 
  • Provide them with exclusive insights or additional resources related to the content they shared.

You can increase response rates and build stronger relationships with potential customers by tailoring your outreach messages based on specific engagement behaviors.

In the next section, we'll discuss details of scraping event attendees.

To learn how to find and create viral content on Linkedin, read our blog here.

Scraping Event Attendees

Scraping Event Attendees
Source: linkedin.com 

Events bring together individuals with shared interests, making them a prime target for lead generation. By scraping event attendee data, you can identify potential customers and build valuable relationships. Let's explore how to effectively utilize this strategy.

Identifying Relevant LinkedIn Events

The first step to scrape LinkedIn followers of the events is to pinpoint events that align with your target audience.

  • Industry-specific events: Focus on conferences, webinars, and workshops relevant to your niche.
  • Competitor events: Analyze events hosted by your competitors to understand their audience.
  • Geographic targeting: Identify events in specific locations to reach your desired market.
  • Event size: Consider the event's popularity to estimate the potential lead pool.

Using LinkedIn Features to Access and Extract Attendees

While LinkedIn doesn't offer direct data export, there are ways to access attendee information:

  • Public event pages: Review the attendee list to identify potential leads.
  • Manual scraping: Copy and paste attendee profiles into a spreadsheet for analysis.
  • Browser extensions: Utilize tools to automate data extraction (with caution and within LinkedIn's guidelines).

Data Extraction with Phantombuster

Phantombuster can assist in extracting attendee data.

  • Create a new phantom: Set up a script to navigate to the event page and extract attendee profiles.
  • Configure settings: Specify the event URL, data points to extract (name, job title, company), and export format.
  • Run the phantom: Automate the data extraction process.
  • Clean and organize data: Refine the extracted information for further analysis.

Outreach Strategies for Event Participants

Utilize the extracted data to build relationships and generate leads:

  • Personalized outreach: Craft tailored messages based on attendee profiles and interests.
  • Follow-up emails: Send informative content related to the event or your offerings.
  • Invitation to connect: Build your network by inviting attendees to connect on LinkedIn.
  • Lead nurturing campaigns: Develop a nurturing sequence to guide potential customers through the sales funnel.

By effectively scraping event attendee data and implementing targeted outreach, you can significantly enhance your lead generation efforts and foster long-term customer relationships.

In the next section, you will explore another valuable source of leads: LinkedIn Groups.

Extracting Group Members

Extracting Group Members
Source: linkedin.com 

LinkedIn groups offer a concentrated pool of potential customers sharing common interests. After you scrape LinkedIn followers from group member data, you can build targeted outreach campaigns and nurture valuable relationships.

Finding and Joining Relevant LinkedIn Groups

Identifying the right groups is crucial for successful lead generation.

  • Keyword research: Use relevant keywords to discover groups aligned with your target audience.
  • Competitor analysis: Identify groups where your competitors are active.
  • Group size and engagement: Consider the group's size and member activity levels.
  • Join and participate: Become an active member to establish credibility and build relationships.

Using Tools like Expandi and Phantombuster for Group Member Data

While LinkedIn has limitations on data extraction, tools can assist in this process:

  • Expandi: This tool allows you to extract group members, send connection requests, and automate messages.
  • Phantombuster: Provides options for scraping group member data and performing various LinkedIn actions.
  • Data cleaning: Ensure the extracted data is accurate and free from duplicates.

Building a Targeted Outreach Campaign for Group Members

Utilize the extracted data to create effective outreach campaigns:

  • Personalized messaging: Tailor your messages to individual members' interests and needs.
  • Content sharing: Offer valuable content relevant to the group's topic.
  • Lead nurturing: Build relationships through consistent engagement and follow-ups.
  • A/B testing: Experiment with different messaging and outreach strategies to optimize results.

By effectively extracting group member data and implementing targeted outreach, you can significantly expand your reach and convert leads into customers.

LinkedIn groups present a valuable opportunity to connect with potential customers. By combining strategic group selection, efficient data extraction, and personalized outreach, you can maximize your lead generation efforts and achieve long-term business growth.

Conclusion

By now, you've unleashed a powerful toolkit to scrape LinkedIn followers. From analyzing company page followers to extracting post engagement data and even scraping event attendees and group members, you have a wealth of techniques to build a targeted audience.

Remember, responsible data scraping is key. Always prioritize ethical practices, respect LinkedIn's terms of service, and ensure data accuracy. 

The competitive scenario constantly evolves, and staying ahead is critical. At Blaze, we offer innovative solutions to empower your B2B marketing strategies. Book a Demo with us today and discover how WithBlaze can help you use the power of LinkedIn for even greater success.

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