Last Updated on 4 January 2024

An excellent way to solve problems is by not letting them happen in the first place through prevention.

Prevention is why we bring our cars in for maintenance, visit our doctor for an annual exam, and have a mid-year check-in with our boss.

We want to avoid surprises and discover potential issues while they’re forming to prevent bigger problems in the future. We examine something. We monitor it and compare now to the past, looking for changes.

How would you like to be ahead of your colleagues in knowing what’s happening in your industry with your products and among your competition? Oh… and for free without the investment of a research marketing firm?

Your Secret Tool: Google Alerts

A great free tool to let you monitor your business is Google Alerts.

Just enter your search terms, your email, and frequency of delivery, and Google searches the internet for this information. When it finds a match, it will send you an email with links to relevant content. It is free and only takes a moment to set up.

A great way to track your company, your competition, and your industry.

Sample searches include:

  • your company name,
  • your product(s) name,
  • your industry, or
  • your competition.

Combine those words with other keywords such as:

  • your company name + “trends,”
  • your product category + “developments,”
  • your industry name + “legislation,” or
  • your product category + “innovation.”

Before you read another email or visit another website, right now, create a few Google alerts for yourself. Here’s the link: Google Alerts.

These alerts are an effective and efficient way to stay informed and get the latest information and trends. I promise you very few of your co-workers have these set up. Get ready to impress your co-workers!