Whether it’s from a vendor, customer or your competition, you want to know about the word-of-mouth buzz going on about you. And honest feedback isn’t always easy to receive. People are not always going to head to the source by calling you, visiting your website or putting a message on your Facebook business page wall. Just because you create public forums for colleagues, customers and clients to discuss your brand doesn’t mean the conversation isn’t continuing elsewhere.
With today’s fast-paced social media growth, and countless spaces to monitor online, it’s hard for you to stay on top of every instance where your name is coming up in the world – even if you do a periodic search for your name or your business’s. The most effective way to keep up with what’s being said about you on the Internet is to create a Google Alert.
You simply set up an account through Google and type in the key words or phrases pertinent, specifically, to your company. (This is also useful to do for your own name and perhaps some of your competitors as well.) Whenever these certain codes come up anywhere on the Internet, Google sends you an e-mail “alert” telling you about it. Then you can check out what’s being said immediately.
This can help you be more active in any conversations about your business. You can network with people who are interested in your brand or seeking more information. You can also more actively engage with any and all claims and commiserations about your products and services. This can help you stay on the ball and take part in your overall brand marketing and management. Plus, showing that you’re interested in hearing what people have to say and improving or engaging based on those details always garners a great response from the public.
Ready to get started? Check back next week and we’ll walk you through how to do it!