Need to find information faster and with less disappointment?
Scanning the Net for helpful info can be exasperating. Type in a search with parameters that are too wide, and it's possible to get hundreds of thousands of results. Too narrow, and you come up with nothing.
These 5 Simple Techniques Can Help To Save You Time and Trouble
With a couple quick tricks and techniques, you're more likely to be ready to find precisely what you're on the lookout for. These are some of my favorites:
1) First, the basics: are you using addition & subtraction to your full advantage?
- Lots of you do this already, but it is worth a reminder. Type your search phrases in using quotations and then separate them with the plus sign (for words you want to add) or minus sign (for words you want to exclude).
Example: when I type in my name +"marketing" -"Nova Scotia", I get numerous results related to the real me (head of one of the best marketing consulting firms in America) in opposition to a distinguished elderly Canadian professor who is also apparently a world-class ceramics expert.
2) Dig out handy reports and presentations using "filetype:"
- There's a veritable treasure-trove of data hidden away in reports and presentations, and if you just do a basic Google search like the one above, you'll be less certain to find this valuable information. Instead , type in your search terms with filetype:pdf, filetype:doc, or filetype:ppt to dig out some real gems.
Example:if you go to www.google.com and perform a search on "toothpaste" +"trends" filetype:pdf, you'll find some interesting goodies. Try it again with filetype:doc and filetype:ppt. You will get differentâ€" but still very relevant- - results.
3) Use finance.yahoo.com as a springboard for current corporate information.
- Sites like www.Hoovers.com can sell you detailed company reports. If you are just hunting for a good overview , however , you'll find it for free at www.finance.yahoo.com.
Example: Enter "General Mills Inc" to get a sense of the handy info that Yahoo can retrieve for you. (Of course, you'll also wish to go to a corporation's actual internet site to take a look at its annual reports, press releases, & communication priorities).
4) Read highly-detailed industry info in free articles and archives.
- When was the last time you sat down and read 'Chain Drug Review ' cover to cover? How about the Cincinnati 'Business Courier '? They may or may not be particularly useful to you on a consistent basis, but when you need specific data, trade periodicals and local business newspapers can be essential; www.findarticles.com and www.bizjournals.com/search are my favourite sites for finding relevant industry info.
Build On This:If you find a periodical that's particularly useful to you, you can search its online archives super-quickly. Let's say you've discovered that 'Progressive Grocer ' is extremely helpful to you as a consumer packaged products marketeer, and you're interested in studying about the dog food market. Just go to www.google.com and then type in "dog food" site:www.progressivegrocer.com. You will get everything which has the words "dog food" on the whole www.progressivegrocer.com website- - 295 results.
5) Use www.whitepages.com to find addresses or discover who called you (reverse phone number searches).
Putting Search Data in Its Place - A Stepping Stone for Better Primary Research
There you have it, 5 useful web search techniques. Top consulting firms use first hand research to help their clients identify, evaluate, and pursue new business opportunities; this kind of secondary research helps me ask smarter questions and get more useful answers. Better information, better results. Try it today!
About the Author:
Marie Elwood is a marketing strategy consultant located in Atlanta, GA who helps her clients accomplish their marketing objectives through first-class qualitative research.
No comments:
Post a Comment