As marketing professionals, we often dedicate hours of our lives to scrolling, sifting, searching, and scrolling again. To what end? Sadly, we’re probably trying to find correct information online about the things we care about. But with Google Alerts, it doesn’t need to be this way.

Stephanie Craft has been using Google Alerts for years and admires its work as an effective tool for staying on top of trends and subjects she enjoys.

“I use Google Alerts to track industry information, as well as names of firms to see what is being said about them in the media,” says Stephanie. “I have searches under topics such as construction or healthcare trends and the US economy.”

She loves that it pulls information from sources she might never find through traditional online searches, aiding her in market research and strategic planning. And it’s all in one place, helping her stay on top of the A/E/C industry.

“But be selective,” she warns. “A lot of information comes back with these alerts. Don’t be afraid to delete or rework them if they aren’t pulling what you’re looking for.” And for those of us that don’t want alerts about city ordinances months after a completed project, you can put the alerts on a timer as well.

“I love Google Alerts,” she smiles. “It’s a great tool to use to sweep the internet for information while you’re busy doing other things.”