We get it – keeping up with marketing news and trends is tricky because there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. You’ve got a business to run and lots to take care of.
As you know, however, keeping up with what’s going on is crucial to your success. If you fall behind the latest trends, your business will fall behind the competition.
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So how do you keep up with the trends while still doing your work? Well, for one thing – you definitely don’t need to miss out. For another, there’s no need to stay awake for an extra hour each day so that you go to bed all bleary-eyed because you got stuck listening to a podcast at 1 am.
Instead, join us as we take a look at how to keep up with marketing news and trends even if you’re super busy – and how not to let it get you stressed.
Listen to Podcasts As You Travel
Look, traffic sucks. Horns are blaring, kids are screaming… It’s a nightmare.
The thing is, traffic happens. Why not use it to your advantage by killing time with a marketing podcast?
Marketing podcasts are great to listen to on the move. Instead of playing music, try something like the Social Media Marketing Podcast to help you stay up-to-date with all the latest movers and shakers in the social media world.
Or, perhaps you could listen to Marketing Over Coffee on your flight.
And why not try Ask Amanda About Marketing while you sit on your next train journey?
In fact, you don’t need to limit your podcast time to travel. You could listen to a podcast in the morning while you prepare breakfast, for example. Any time you’re stuck around waiting, make sure you’ve got a podcast ready to play!
Use Google Alerts
One of the real pains of trying to keep up with the latest marketing news and trends is that you have to spend so much time tracking down blogs.
This is where Google Alerts comes in. Google Alerts is a fab tool that helps you keep on top of the latest trends with ease. All you need to do is tell it which keywords you want to be notified about (such as ‘digital marketing trends 2019’) and you’ll be alerted via email when they appear in search results.
Don’t worry, you won’t then get bombarded with lots and lots of emails. Just make sure you’re super specific with your keywords and you’ll be A-okay. If, for example, you have ‘digital marketing’ as a keyword, you will be bombarded!
Alerts Preview in Google Alerts
On a similar note, you can also use a tool like DrumUp to help you find content based on specific keywords. Again, this saves you time by filtering the wheat from the chaff so that you’re only finding the content you actually need/want.
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Try Media Monitoring
On a similar note, media monitoring tools also enable you to be in the loop with the latest news and trends. With an added bonus of tracking sources such as social media, blogs, forums, and comments, you’re safe from missing out on any information.
Determ can help you track any topic of interest, keywords or hashtags. Take monitoring to the next level by using filters, custom reports, and real-time alerts. You can easily set up a daily or a weekly digest to receive all the most important information directly to your email.
Save time scrolling through profiles on Twitter and Facebook and simply track a specific profile of a marketing expert you find interesting. Or, use powerful analytics Determ provides to identify the most popular authors on the topic of marketing trends. You could maybe even discover a new star on the rise to learn from.
Read 8 Best Practices for Doing Newsjacking the Right Way
Join Marketing Groups
The beauty of joining a marketing group is that, when you need a swift answer to a specific marketing question, you can simply post it to the group. This can be SO much easier than trying to find an answer on Google.
Not just this, but marketing groups are full of marketing whizzes who are always posting fresh content that easily helps you keep on top of all the latest trends. Moreover, you get the chance to build up your network.
And because marketing groups are based on social media, you can quickly check on them while you’re browsing, say, your Facebook newsfeed. You’re essentially killing two birds with one stone.
There are groups to join on both Facebook and LinkedIn. Just make sure to find groups that are specific, relevant and which contain lots of active members. The last thing you want is to join groups where barely anyone posts, or which contain too much irrelevant information.
To find groups, use keywords in your searches, such as ‘digital marketing groups’ or ‘eCommerce groups’ and then take a good look of the group – including the number of members – before joining.
Hit Subscribe More Often
Not really a fan of subscribing to stuff? Worried about handing over your personal details, or that you’ll get flooded with spam?
The thing is that if you don’t subscribe to more newsletters, you’re missing out on a ton of actionable information delivered straight to your inbox. Instead, when you need that information you’ll have to continue searching and searching for it the old school way.
So save yourself some time by subscribing to more blogs. Each time you read a blog post that’s super useful and interesting, just subscribe. What’s the worst that can happen? The next thing, you’ll find lots of cool articles, newsletters and perhaps even eBooks delivered straight to your door (inbox)!
Have Lunch With Your Peers
Of course, you’re really busy. But who’s so busy that they never have time for lunch?
Start rethinking the way you do lunch. Instead of taking lunch by yourself all the time, use one lunch now and then to meet with your peers. Chat to them face to face about what’s going on in the marketing industry. Learn from, absorb knowledge and pass on some of your own – all while enjoying some delicious food. It’s a win-win.
Schedule One Night a Week To Go To a Conference
One of the reasons entrepreneurs fall behind with things and get stressed is that they don’t schedule enough ‘me time’ in their diaries. As long as you plan ahead, you can make time to attend a conference or event one night per week.
Conferences and events are important because they allow you to connect with the right people who you can learn lots from them. So plan ahead, get everything you need to get done and leave your office early.
Conclusion
The life of an entrepreneur can be challenging and hectic. And who would want it any other way? But it’s super important that you get to grips with your time and use it productively. Otherwise, your business will crumble. Use the tips in this article to stay on top with marketing news and trends, and then make sure you actually use all the knowledge you absorb to your advantage.