How to keep up with news in your industry
How to keep up with news in your industry so you can:
- Add to the conversation
- Keep your finger on the pulse
- Know how and where you are different
[Transcribed from video]
Hi guys, it's Jo here.
I just had a brilliant call with a lovely client who brought up a question, which I know that lots of people ask, and so I thought this would be a great one to answer in #acupofjo.
One of the tools that I work through with clients is how to know where you sit in the landscape of your industry, and what's being said, of the conversation, of the Zeitgeist, if you want to call it that. What's going on?
If you can keep your finger on the pulse, then you know how to differentiate your viewpoint.
You know where you fit in that conversation.
You know how to add to it.
I'm always surprised when a lot of people aren't sure where to look for that conversation.
If you aren't keeping up with what's going on in your industry, in your sector, in the vertical, then you really run a risk of existing in an echo chamber.
An echo chamber will give you a false validation of your ideas.
It will give you a false validation of what your audience needs, and a false validation of what's going on.
So this is how we fix it:
I keep in touch with what's going on and industry news by following some key figures on social media.
On Facebook I'll be following some key people who are thought leaders in their industries; key people in the online business space; key people in content creation and creative thinking, so I'll have those on my stream.
I also have a list of people on Twitter who are key people that I need to know what's happening in their conversations, what they're writing about and what's coming up.
This is how you become aware of trends occurring.
This is how you become aware of any problem areas.
This is how you become aware of what's happening in one part of your industry, by seeing what the thought leaders are saying, by seeing what's happening in those pockets of conversation.
Conferences are other places that you can sort of keep tabs of conversations.
Journals and research papers, websites, and blogs have a handful of people who are the key people in your industry and niche that you need to know what input they're having.
The conversations happen not only in the blogs of the thought leaders and the leaders themselves, but in the comments sections.; e aware of what's happening in the comments section of those websites and blogs.
See what people are saying, because you use all that stuff as data to know what's happening.
If you don't have your finger on the pulse, it becomes really easy to not be able to articulate how you fit in with what's going on.
So we've got a Twitter list.. we've got following key people on Facebook and social media. LinkedIn, obviously, is another one.
Research journals, and articles, and podcasts; make sure you are aware of key people and their podcast.
Really look out for the conversations happening in Facebook groups and social media groups.
Keep your finger on the pulse; watch what is happening in your space.
If there's been an issue that has arisen with something, is it something that you need to be able to relate to?
Not only you relating to it, but do your customers, do your audience need to know what is happening?
So by keeping tabs on what's going on, you can really be sure that you have your finger on the pulse, that you can add to that conversation.
So for example, when you come to create your own piece, perhaps on Medium or on your blog, or some social media post, you know exactly what's happening, because you have already been immersed and absorbed in what's going on.
Now, you can shortcut some of that by automating it.
You can set up some clever triggers in IFTTT.com or Zapier, and have blog feeds sent straight to Pocket, or to your Slack, or to your inbox.
If you get yourself super organised, you can automate part of that research.
(see also: How to automate research)
Make sure that you are constantly the person that's in the know, who is subscribed to what's going on, who is aware of the conversations.
You can not only disseminate that for your clients and for your audience, but you can use it as a tool for yourself, to check-in with where you are and what's going on.
How do you stay in touch with what's going on in your industry?
What have you found useful?
Let me know in the comments!
~ Jo xox