NOTE: If you noticed that I’ve been slightly lax on writing for the blog, don’t worry – I noticed too. But with photo shoots, the 2010 NFL season coming up and actually taking some time off, it’s been a busy schedule. And right now I’m in Las Vegas for the Photoshop convention. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of everything. Speaking of keeping track, here’s a post on that topic…
Using Google Alerts for you and your business
It doesn’t matter how famous you are (or aren’t) – it’s always good to see your name mentioned online. And when you’re in business, it’s not just good, it’s important – no matter what people are saying about you.
But with all the newspapers, websites, blogs, forums, tweets and more out here, how do you effectively monitor the web for your name or
your business name during the course of your Internet marketing?
One of the best ways is to use Google Alerts.
As usual, Google offers an easy way to monitor your brand and your name online. Google gives you plenty of options by letting you select:
The type of results you’re looking for in your Google Alerts:
- News
- Blogs
- Updates
- Video
- Discussion
How often you receive Google Alerts for the terms you select:
- As-it-happens
- Daily
- Once a week
How many results you’d like at a time:
- Up to 20 results per email
- Up to 50 results per email
Where you want to receive your Google Alerts:
- Email
- Feed
Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways Google Alerts can help you monitor mentions of your name, your business name and more online:
Your Name
You need to know when and where people are talking about you online. Google Alerts make it easy to know who these people are and the places these conversations are taking place.
Example: Someone mentions your name on a forum and, even though they were well intentioned, the person said something that was inaccurate about you. If you hadn’t received a Google Alert with a link to the page, you might not otherwise have a chance to address the inaccuracy and give more information to the forum.
Brand Monitoring
It’s impossible to have a brand that everyone loves. It’s also impossible to keep people from saying bad things about you – regardless of whether or not they’re true. Google Alerts makes it easy to see what people are saying about you, and address any negativity with a measured response.
Example: Someone write a negative blog about your company and the poor service they received. Google Alerts lets you know when and where the content was placed so you can respond accordingly.
Content Ideas
Set up Google Alerts with keywords for your business and see what kind of content is being created to match. Get creative content ideas from the alerts you get.
Example: An industry blog writes a post with an opinion that you don’t exactly agree with. Write content of your own (blog post, article, press release) with your opinion and leave a comment on the industry blog with a link to your opinion and see what kind of traction you get. It’s ok to respectfully disagree or disagree on certain points.
Conversation Starters
Google Alerts for your keywords are also a great way to start conversations with customers, potential customers and even the media who cover your industry.
Example: An industry publication writes an article about something relevant to your industry. You receive the alert with a link to the article and take the opportunity to introduce yourself to the publication and offer your personal point of view through your subject matter expertise. If the publication sees you as a subject-matter expert, you may be called upon for informed comment on upcoming stories.
Competitive Data
Create Google Alerts for your competitors – business names and names of executives – and see what they’re up to. Maybe they’ve found a media outlet that you haven’t yet or are marketing their product in a way that’s taking away from your customer base.
Example: A competitor begins marketing heavily on their product’s specifications, while you’re concentrating on price. You realize that specifications AND price are both important in your customers’ buying decision so you work with your marketing team to create a strategy that incorporates price and specs to gain more customers.
Need more ideas about how using Google Alerts for your business can help you compete more effectively for customers, media attention and more? You know where to find me.
