Public Relations Guide To Utilizing Google Alerts

Reach a Wider Audience with Targeted Public Relations

It’s vital to know if consumers are talking about your brand online and what they’re saying about it. This lets you monitor customers’ sentiments about your brand, identify potential issues, and engage with customers.

To keep track of customer sentiments, rankings, and keywords PR professionals use several tools at a go, which can be tasking. Imagine having a tool that monitors the web and delivers free business news and information to you.

This is exactly what Google Alerts does. With this tool, media monitoring and reputation management become more accessible for businesses of all sizes. Thinking about adopting Google Alerts as part of your PR strategy? Here is a guide on how to utilize it effectively.

Exclusive Insight into Industry Strategies and Trends

What Is Google Alerts?

Google Alerts is a free online service provided by Google. It allows you to monitor the web for specific keywords or phrases. Whenever new content containing your chosen keywords is published, Google will send you an email notification with a link to the content. This can include news articles, blogs, and videos.

It is a valuable tool that allows you to stay updated on industry news, competitors, and brand mentions. However, it does not track social media posts.

What Can You Use Google Alerts For?

Media Monitoring

Media monitoring helps you analyze how your brand is perceived in the media so that you can better manage your reputation. By setting up alerts for your brand name, products, or services, you can track what people are saying about your business on the internet.

Essentially, Google Alerts will send you instant notifications whenever you are mentioned in the media. This enables you to quickly respond to any negative comments, reviews, or press. And as a result, you can turn potential PR crises into opportunities to showcase your responsiveness and excellent customer service.

You can also respond to positive media mentions and share them to boost their visibility.

Industry News

Staying updated on industry news and trends is essential for businesses to stay competitive. With Google Alerts, you can set up alerts for relevant keywords and phrases related to your industry. This will help you stay informed on the latest developments and changes in your field. It can also provide valuable information on PR trends you can utilize in your strategy.

Competitor Analysis

Google Alerts is a great way to monitor your competitors’ activities. You can set up alerts for their brand names and monitor any mentions or news about them. This can give you valuable insights into their strategies, product launches, and media coverage. You can then tweak your PR strategy accordingly to stay ahead of the game.

Content Ideas

Google Alerts can also be a source of inspiration for content creation. By setting up alerts for industry keywords, you can see what content is being shared and discussed in your field. This can help generate new ideas for blog posts, social media posts, or press releases.

You can also use Google Alerts to monitor your own content and see how it is being shared and received by the public. This can help you gauge the effectiveness of your PR efforts and make necessary adjustments.

Monitor Business Customers

If you work with other businesses, keeping track of their news and developments is crucial. By setting up alerts for your business clients, you can stay informed about any changes or updates in their company that may impact your relationship with them. It can also help you create customized services to meet their needs and challenges.

How To Set Up Google Alerts

Setting up Google Alerts is a simple process. Here’s what you need to do to set up your Google Alerts:

Visit https://google.com/alerts
Enter the term you’d like to set up an alert for into the search bar.
Click “Show Options” and select the region, language, and sources.
Customize the results you’d like to receive.
Enter the email address on which you’d like to receive alerts.
Click “Create Alert,” and you’re done!

Check the results you receive the first few times, and if they’re not satisfactory, tweak the search terms or settings until you’re happy with them.

Final Thoughts

Google Alerts is a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes looking for an easy and efficient way to monitor their online presence. Setting up alerts for your brand, product, customers, competitors, and industry keywords lets you stay on top of any mentions or news related to your business.

This allows you to respond quickly to negative comments or reviews and stay informed about changes in your industry and with your clients.

Looking for strategic insight and help incorporating Google Alerts in your PR strategy? The Hoyt Organization can help. We are a public relations agency that specializes in creating customized strategies for businesses to manage their online reputation effectively. Get started today.

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Leeza Hoyt

Founder and President at The Hoyt Organization

With over 25 years of experience, Leeza’s campaigns have garnered over 150 awards from top public relations organizations nationwide. Additionally, THO serves as the Los Angeles area partner of the Public Relations Global Network, granting clients access to over 50 global markets. The agency was also named to one of the top 200 firms in the country by Forbes magazine in 2021, and she has been named by Globest.com as a Woman of Influence and a Woman to Watch, among other designations.