Public Google Alerts Accounts

Everywhere you look there are people recommending that you use Google Alerts for online marketing, lead generation, and reputation management, but how do you actually do it? These public Google Alerts accounts show you the real world details you need to know for any profession.  They are built using AlertRank, a great tool for managing, prioritizing, and reporting on your Google Alerts.

Bed and Breakfast: Willard Street Inn

Bed and Breakfasts have an interesting marketing challenge, they are a local business, but their customers are almost all from someplace else. They don’t even have the name brand advantages of a hotel chain. These conditions make the Internet a vital part of their marketing efforts. They need to monitor their reputation online, and make sure their website is getting good coverage. They should also take advantage of local news about special events, like fairs and seasonal attractions that they can share with their mailing list of past guests. More…

Book Publicist: Michael Pollan

Book publicists have to manage the reputation of their authors and books. They need to organize events for their authors, and coordinate press briefings. This public Google Alerts account gives you an idea of how this can be done for food writer Michael Pollan, whose most recent book is “In Defense of Food.”
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Brand Manager: Viagra

Controlling the message and perception for the product that has launched untold trillions of spam emails must be an interesting job. This public Google Alerts account gives you an idea of how this brand management can be done for Viagra. These search terms would be used to monitor the brand’s reputation, and produce early warning about changing consumer attitudes. More…

Independent Bookstore: Harvard Book Store

Independent book stores have a tremendous challenge in a market dominated by Amazon. The best of them compete by sticking to a few well defined niches, and running events with authors and members of the local community. They also keep their staff and regular customers well informed about the books appearing in their areas of interest. These search terms would be used to monitor the store’s reputation, learn about new books, and provide news stories that can be distributed to customers as part of their marketing. More…

Investor Relations: AIG

Investor relations for AIG has got to be pretty stressful. Right after I created this account, Edward Libby, AIG’s CEO and Chairman, announced his resignation, so this public Google Alerts account captured the reaction to that event. This account demonstrates the type of alerts you should be creating if you manage investor relations for a public company. More…

Law Firm: Ropes & Gray

This public Google Alerts account is based on Ropes & Gray. Their Wikipedia page can give you more background. This public account is not meant to be exhaustive, but it does demonstrate the type of alerts you should be creating for a law firm. If you aren’t familiar with the search syntax used in these alerts, you can review our Google Alerts Tutorial. These search terms are being used to monitor the firm’s reputation, and produce leads for client support and marketing.  More…

Manufacturer: Maytag

A large manufacturer with multiple products has a wide ranging Internet presence that needs to be monitored. Beyond tracking basic consumer attitudes, there are issues of repairs, parts, warranties, recalls, dealers and potential knockoff competitors around the world. This public Google Alerts account gives you an idea of how this can be done for Maytag. More…

Political Action: Sierra Club

Political activists need to collect news items for use in fundraising. They need to find academics who can act as advocates, especially if they are involved in a field where scientific evidence can be persuasive. They also need to know where public events are being held, so they can direct their supporters to attend. This public Google Alerts account gives you an idea of how this can be done for the Sierra Club. It demonstrates the type of alerts you should be creating if you manage the communications activities of a political advocacy group. More…

Political Campaign: U.S. Senator for Connecticut

It might seem that professional political campaigners would use more sophisticated tools than Google Alerts, but they often need to make points about opponents without leaving their own “fingerprints” on the story. That is where Google Alerts can be useful. You may not be able to say negative things about your opponent, but you can forward a blog post or news story to a reporter without getting quoted yourself. This game is played by both sides, so political campaigns had better be prepared to respond to any negative mentions about their candidate. More…

Professional Blogger: Robert Scoble

Tech bloggers need to be on top of all the latest news, and even when their personal network delivers news before it breaks, they still need to keep track of how the rest of the Web is covering them and their areas of interest. This public Google Alerts account is an example of how a professional blogger like Robert Scoble can use Google Alerts to track mentions of themselves, and collect news for blog posts. More…

Real Estate Firm: First Boston Realty

This public Google Alerts account is based on First Boston Realty, a real estate company specializing in luxury apartments and condos in Boston. These search terms would be used to monitor the firm’s reputation, and produce leads for client support and marketing. More…

Restaurant: Border Cafe

Restaurants need to stay on top of what’s being said about them and their competition online. This public Google Alerts account gives you an idea of how this can be done for my favorite restaurant, Border Cafe in Harvard Square . These search terms would be used to monitor the restaurant’s reputation, and produce early warning about changing consumer attitudes. More…