Research and mining information is one of the most important ways to grow a business, career, or personal goal. The time it takes to acquire that information is arduous. Multiple searches, and checking back for new information is hard to juggle while working on immediate tasks.
Google Alert allows you to have new information delivered straight to you as soon as it arrives on the search operator’s radar. Google alert functions as a hyper-vigilant assistant notifying you about a super important person, company, or concept, all in real-time.
You can use it to keep tabs on your image and brand, learn about new discoveries by NASA, or see what people say about you personally. The reasons are endless, from marketing to personal interest and exploration. Google Alerts is a perfect research tool for any intent.
What Can You Use Google Alert for?
Google Alerts are powerful research tools; you can use them for whatever you need. Think about what you need; there are infinite use cases.
Students can stay up to date with news that concerns their major or preferred job field. They can improve general knowledge as well as their job search. It can also be more specific, like for a thesis that’s due at the end of the term. The alerts can collect information while you work on shorter assignments.
As mentioned before, Google Alerts can help with researching prospective jobs. Related titles, companies you aspire to work for, or hiring ads, are all great searches.
Job seekers can create related alerts like virtual interview software, and the best skills to have. It’s vital you are specific to what you want, like say “web developer must-haves,” “skills developers need.” You can save time on your search with these automatic processes going on in the background.
Writers and blog writers can set alerts to grow their knowledge on specific niches. Food bloggers can make alerts for chefs they admire. Tech writers can create an alert for trending topics. Fantasy writers can create an alert for new books being released.
A blog should have alerts for guest post opportunities, and forums to engage in. Small, independent creatives can grow just by engaging more. Setting an alert has your information waiting for when you, without slowing down your current projects.
One major use of Google Alerts is for marketing strategy and brand mentions. Any company or individual has to have some alerts in place for their competition, important trends, and your brand/product.
How to Grow Your Business with Google Alerts
As long as you can create useful Google Alerts, you can gather intel for your business. You can be thorough and look at yourself and your brand through your customers’ eyes. Once you think about the keywords customers use to search you, then you can use those alerts for marketing strategies.
Then there’s information, and what you need to know to expand your business. SEO skills, competitors’ tactics, and trending tools are all vital information. You can get the answers with the right search term and filters.
Content Marketing
Google Alerts can improve your marketing content. You can make alerts related to your industry, brand, and product.
Product alerts can be from any angle. This can be what the customer is looking for, and may not be specific to your business. Project management software searches are relevant to CRMs, office software online, messaging apps, calendar apps.
You may want to know what pops up so you can make sure you pop and so you can track new competition. So related things that people need, that you can also help with are worth monitoring. Create Google Alerts for the desire, not just the item you sell.
Creative industry alerts can focus on similar companies or complementary companies. You can combine services with a complementary business so you can get referrals. Say you’re a writing freelancer, a complimentary enterprise could be a graphic design freelancer.
You can find potential partners to offer services together. That way customers, after their logo or newsletter is made, are referred to the other freelancers for more services. Going further, you can also collaborate on big projects from big pocketed companies as a team. This can work for individuals and small businesses. Think out of your box and in someone else’s.
Alerts for your brand name are a given. Customer reviews and reviews sites are important to monitor. It’s not just about knowing what people say either, you want to know who else has names like yours.
You want to see if the results are accurate and remain accurate. You want to know how positive or negative articles are. You want to see how you stand on your own, so you can be ready for comparison with competitors.
Stay Self Aware
You want to obviously have alerts concerning your brand, but you should also think about yourself and your employees. Your name should have an alert and coworkers with high-level positions as well. An alert that goes “your-brand employee” could help you stay ahead of scandals.
You want to know how human you look, and what articles or blogs say about you personally. Watching yourself will help you stay relevant.
You want to redirect negative attention and capitalize on any positives. Don’t be afraid to have any mean alerts, like “your-name bad/dysfunctional/terrible.” Bad press is important press that you will want to be made aware of ASAP.
Keep an Eye on Your Competitors
Google Alerts can help pinpoint competitors in every corner you can imagine. You should use alerts for ranking articles, and vs articles, so you know how people tell the difference between you and the competition. The pros and cons people are debating should be popping up in your inbox.
Alternatives are a great alert because it implies they don’t want you, and they want to do the next best thing. If you’re Adobe, you need to know why someone is saying Corel and Krita are better. You need to know who the up and comer is as well.
General and semi-related terms and pull up competitors you never thought of. Sometimes people use an app or software outside of it’s advertised purpose. Using Pinterest for portfolios instead Adobe’s Behance in one example.
The bigger you are the harder it may be to see the little guy. The smaller you are the more important it is to find uses your competitors haven’t filled.
