Most businesses feel a bit overwhelmed when it comes to finding or creating content to use in regular updates on social media channels or on a company blog.
“What do I say?” they ask.
“Say something that your customer (or potential customer) will find useful and valuable,” I tell them.
“I don’t have time to blog…so where do I find something useful and valuable to share?” they ask.
“Google is your friend,” I tell them.
If you’ve never used Google Alerts before, you’re in for a real treat. My clients are always amazed at this tool when I show it to them. Google is everywhere. Google sees all. Google knows all. So if you need something good to share, just ask Google. Here’s how it works:
- Go to www.google.com/alerts
- Type in a keyword you want to search [and you'll automatically see recent posts that include your keyword appear on the page]
- Determine the type of content you want to find. Maybe you only want “News” posts or you’re looking specifically for “Blogs” talking about your keyword. You might want to start out looking at “Everything” just to see what kind of alerts you get. You may find that it’s too broad, or it may be just right for what you need.
- Decide how often you want to be alerted. I’d recommend starting out with once a week [or else you might get a little overwhelmed]. Remember, there are millions of pages of content on the Internet, and Google will happily point you to them all day long if you want. But, if you’re trying to run your business, you might not have time to read Google alerts all day!
- Determine the volume you’d like to receive. I recommend selecting “Only the best results” so that you’re getting the most refined list possible.
- Give Google the email address where you’d like these alerts sent
- Click “Create Alert” and watch the magic of Google deliver happiness into your inbox!
A few things to keep in mind… You don’t want to send your customers to your competitor’s websites for great content. So make sure you pay attention to the sources of the content you find that you want to share. Ultimately, you might begin to see the value of creating your own content so you can constantly be pointing people back to your website instead of someone else’s! [Did you know VOD can help with blog or article writing?] Also, remember that Google is not necessarily all-powerful enough to determine what is fact and what is fiction…so check your facts. Make sure the content you’re sharing is credible and useful for people. You don’t want to be the one who sends them down the wrong path.
If you set up your alerts and you still don’t know how to make it all work into a social media strategy that actually engages people, give me a shout. We can help!
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