Free small business marketing tool - Google alerts
Google Alerts is one of my favourite free business tools. You just have to sign up to be alerted via email whenever there is a mention on the internet of your selected keywords. And it doesn’t cost you a thing!
Alerts for your small business’ name (+ competitors)
Something that all small businesses should have set up is an alert for their name. It’s an easy way to monitor online content about your company, without having to do any leg work. If you are mentioned in a forum or a blog, you now have the chance to engage and participate in the conversation. This is also an important way to monitor any negative comments and gives you the opportunity to respond and hopefully clarify/undo any misconceptions. Plunk in some of your competitor’s names, and you have a great tool to monitor them as well.
Keyword alerts
Setting up alerts for keywords is another great way to stay on top of particular industries or product types. Doing so can identify potential channels and opportunities for your marketing communications planning, keep you up to date with trends in your industry, and in some cases may give you the chance to join in the conversation with potential customers. Be careful with your selections, though. Too broad a key word can inundate you with information. The marketing tools you choose should always be realistic for you and your schedule.
How to set up alerts for your small business
Check out this short little video for easy instructions on how to set up your alerts.
Video on how to set up Google alerts for your small business
Zip on over to Google Alerts and you’ll be ready to go in no time. And check out their handy FAQ if you’re having any troubles.
Your reputation is crucial to your business’ success. So is being on top of what’s going on in your industry, what your competitors are doing and what conversations regular folks are having about your particular product or service. I promise that taking the few minutes to set up Google alerts will bring your small business all kinds of awesome insights and opportunities to get engaging!
My name is Martina and I’m a 
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Hi Martina that’s a handy video. Google Alerts are great (not that many people talk about me). Another thing you can do is subscribe to them via RSS. If you are in the habit of not getting too many emails and subscribing to most of your content (blogs etc) using an RSS reader like Google Reader then you can do the same with Google Alerts.
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That’s a great tip Dan! Thanks for sharing. I’m not much of an RSS person myself, but I know that it’s a great way to organize yourself and avoid that jam packed inbox 🙂
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