What’s one quick tip or tool you use to stay on top of industry news, and why is it so effective?
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1. Get Involved With Podcasts
Podcasts are a good way to stay current on the latest industry trends. Regardless of whether you listen to them, run them or are a guest on them, the conversations and information exchange are invaluable. The information in the interviews is always real time since they are published regularly. Also, guests and hosts benefit from forming relationships with others in the industry around the globe.
2. Use a News Aggregator
Depending on which niche market or industry you are in, a great way to find the latest news and trending topics is through the use of blogs and news aggregator websites. A few examples of these can be seen at Feedly, Google News and AllTop. Each of these are great because they can be set to display only the news and content you are looking for.
3. Set Up Notifications and Alerts
It’s fairly easy to set up notifications or alerts for headlines in your industry. You can do this with a number of browsers. I recommend focusing on tech evolutions you’re keeping an eye on or consumer trends. The fact that automated programs can gather headlines for you means you save the time you might have spent searching around.
– Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
4. Subscribe to a Premium Newsletter
I recommend subscribing to a premium industry newsletter. Although it’s not appealing to pay for content when you can get so much for free, the truth is that the quality of information is far better in paid newsletters. Also, you can take up a free trial and get to know if a certain news blog is right for you. You’ll come across insightful content and new trends faster.
5. Follow the Right Hashtags
If you use Twitter or LinkedIn, make sure you’re briefly checking the most commonly used hashtags in your industry for at least a couple of minutes each day. This way, you can stay abreast of whatever’s happening as it happens. Just don’t get carried away by scrolling through your newsfeed afterward.
– Tyler Gallagher, Regal Assets
6. Make Twitter Lists
I use Twitter Lists to keep tabs on industry news. You can make public or private Lists featuring whatever accounts you want, and you don’t need to follow them to add them to the List. You then get a personalized feed on a singular topic separate from your main feed that likely features a lot of different stuff. You can also follow Twitter Topics and see tweets related to them on your feed.
– Emily Stallings, Casely, Inc.
7. Follow Industry Leaders
Leaders are educating themselves and can summarize what they’re learning to you so that you aren’t spending too much time in all the noise. This helps narrow down the important things you need to know about your industry. Limit it to two to three people in your industry whom you follow very closely and count on to know their stuff.
– Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors
8. Browse Reddit
One creative way I stay on top of industry news is by browsing Reddit. There are countless industry-specific groups where the members and moderators take discussions seriously. I like checking out what people have to say and reading resources published by experienced people who work in the field.
– John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC
9. Join Active LinkedIn Groups
Join active LinkedIn Groups that are relevant to your industry where people share news articles as well as educational information. If you have a question, ask the group. It’s a great way to keep up on industry news and network at the same time. There are groups for most industries, but if you can’t find one, start your own group and invite people to join!