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 (hint: You’ll see a lot of Alerts from Craigslist)
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.
- Hook your Gmail up to Outlook (if you use it) so you only have one place to check. In order for Google Alerts to work to your advantage, you need to see them daily.
- 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.
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