Google Alerts is one of the marketing gems out there that not enough people utilize, and the best part about it is that it’s free. Simple to set-up and use, Google Alerts can and should become part of your daily routine. All you need is a Google/Gmail account, and you can have valuable information flowing into your Inbox in minutes.
Use Google Alerts to:
- Keep your finger on the pulse of competitors
- Closely monitor any mention of your company name or products anywhere online
- Listen to what people are talking about, writing about, asking about
- Compile blog and social media topic ideas
- Find articles and other content to share on social media
- Test out the use of specific key words or phrases you think your target market is using
- Figure out the sites that Google has well-indexed
Tips for Better Use of Google Alerts
- Use “Parenthesis” around a series of words to tell Google you only want Alerts when the words appear online exactly in that order and form. This reduces irrelevant results and saves you time later.
- Consider getting a daily digest of Google Alerts for each thing you’re watching so your email Inbox isn’t flooded and you aren’t continually interrupted with results.
- Set your daily digest of Google Alerts to arrive at a time most convenient to you and at time you’re most likely to look through them.
