Pay attention: your competitors can teach you a lot! In this age of social media, studying your competition has never been easier. By keeping an eye on their posts and tweets, you can learn what works in your industry and what doesn't. Watch what people are saying about them on their social media pages. If their customers are upset about something, offer a solution. If their customers are happy, take note of what they're doing and find ways to apply it to your own social media strategy.

The key is to not just copy what they're doing, but to do it better!

Here are 5 important things your competition can teach you about social media:

1. How to gain more followers
You know that competitor of yours with over 20,000 fans on Facebook? Keeping an eye on their posts will teach you what garners the most engagement and followers and what doesn't.

2. How to drive traffic to your website
One of the main purposes of a social media presence is to drive traffic to your website. Pay attention to how your competitors go about achieving this.

3. How to provide customer service on social media
Are other businesses in your industry quick about responding to customer comments and complaints or do they ignore them? Take note of the way they deal with negative feedback. This may just as easily teach you what not to do, as it will teach you what you should do.

4. How to maintain effective branding
Maintaining a consistent brand across all online platforms is so important. Observe how your competitors present their brands on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

5. How often to post
There's a new article coming out every day, telling businesses when they should post on social media and how often to post. The truth is, it varies by industry and audience. It's something you have to figure out for your own page. It can't hurt, though, to check out how often your competitors are posting. Do you notice an increase in engagement as a result? If so, it may be time to adjust your posting strategy.