Google Alerts is a great agency new business tool for daily marketing leads.
If you aren’t familiar with Google Alerts they are emails automatically sent to you when there are new Google results for your search terms. You can also choose to have your alerts delivered via feed to the feedreader of your choice (e.g., Google Reader or add the feed to youriGoogle page). You can choose to have these alerts sent as-they-happen, once-day or once-aweek. Of the different type of alerts I choose the ‘comprehensive’ alerts from news, web and blogs.
Some ways you can use Google Alerts for your agency’s new business leads and info:
- Monitor for RFP opportunities
- Instant updates for ad agency reviews
- Your niche industry’s upper management personnel changes
- Mergers and acquisitions within your agency’s niche industry
- Set up an alert for each of your agency’s competitors to see what they are up to online
- Manage your agency’s reputation
- Create an alert for your agency’s URL
- Test the keywords your target audience might be using, increase SEO
- Keep updated on your industry and stay ahead of the curve
Google Alerts allows you to take a keyword phrase (for example, your name or company name) and receive a notification each time Google finds a new page using that phrase. My Google Alerts has my name “Michael Gass” and my clients, amongst other words and phrases.
Whenever someone mentions my name or one of my clients online, I know about it IMMEDIATELY thanks to Google Alerts – it sends me an email letting me know where the mention is.
Getting started with Google Alerts takes just minutes:
- Go to www.google.com/alerts.
- In the “Create a Google Alert” box on the right, insert your keyword in quotes, i.e. “Michael Gass”. Using quotes will help ensure relevant results.
- Select the Type of alert (news, web, blog, video, groups or comprehensive (all)).
- Select your desired e-mail frequency.
- Enter your e-mail address and you are done.
- Enter your next keyword phrase, i.e. your company name, your name, a competitive company name, etc.
One of the best tools to help stay in touch with those commenting on the net about a client. When I have brought a blog post or comment to the attention of a client they better understand the importance of online reputation management and the power of viral marketing.
It’s also a good idea to include a client’s comepetitors in Google alerts.
Great post Michael.
Michael, thanks for taking the time to comment.
Nice information on increasing your niche video website vision.