The world of business has come a long way, but some aspects remain the same in unusual ways. It used to be word of mouth that would drive a company’s success. In the age of the Internet, what people are saying about a business still directly affects the company’s success. Unlike the old days, however, you can now track the buzz about your business to gain precious information about how to best operate. Learn what the best practices for monitoring what is being said about your company to improve your business practices.
Set up an RSS Feed
The first tool you should take advantage of is an RSS feed. This tool allows you to stay up to date through many different sources quickly and simply. Before you begin, however, you need to identify some strong keywords that relate to the field you are in. Figure out what embodies the essence of your industry. These may be as simple as products or services, or you may try entering the company name of your business of your competition. Use these keywords to find sources of information. News outlets and blogs are among the most useful sits. Remember that some of these sources may also make use of twitter when they update. Once you have found numerous sites that deal primarily with your field, you are ready to set up an RSS feed. An RSS feed allows you to track the buzz about your business by compiling information from all the sources you found. It is unique in that it is only concerned with changes to a site. When they update, you will be informed, making it easy to stay up to date with all the latest news and conversations about your business. Google offers one of the simplest and most convenient RSS feed tools, but there are many different options, each with their own advantages and disadvantages that you should research.
Refine Your Search
Once you get set up, do not stop. Use the information you discover to make your search more effective. What aspects of the industry are represented by the sources you chose and which are not? Are you getting a well-rounded opinion, or is your feed subject to biases? You are never going to set up an RSS feed that accurately captures your company immediately, so if you are serious about wanting to track the buzz about your business, take the time to improve your search. In addition to being able to refine your feed through newly discovered information, you can also start to explore some of the more advanced tools. You may even begin researching what sophisticated tools are available when looking into different RSS feed services.
React to Your Discoveries
Remember that the reason you want to track the buzz about your business is so you can integrate what you discover into your operation. Find out what people are saying and what they want so you can accommodate them. This process allows you to get a better idea for the direction the market is going than ever before. Do not think of this as a one-way street either. The beauty of the Internet is that it is interactive. As a member of the field that is being discussed, you are in a position to comment and help influence the drive. You should not get involved too often, but it is perfectly appropriate to respond to the things people are saying, even if they are not referring to your company specifically. Just be sure that you are promptly commenting. If you unable to present yourself as caring and dedicated, it may be better to simply remain silent.
Stay up to Date
Finally, pay special attention to shifts in conversation. Every industry goes through changes; you will be at a serious advantage if you are able to stay on top of these changes. When you are reading about your business, aspects that you never even took into consideration will eventually come up. It is the mark of a committed company to research these elements further and integrate them into its searches. Add these terms to your keywords and find some sources that are focused on these new areas specifically to grow your RSS feed. This way, you will anticipate changes and be one of the most aware companies in the business.
Learn More
Being able to track the buzz about your business is not a simple task. Take a look at the articles on Mighty Recruiter to get a better understanding of social media recruiting and many other aspects of successful business operation.