Find Your Blog Audience with Google Alerts
Google Alerts allows you to consistently monitor the web for specific topics. If you have a Google account, you can go to Google Alerts and list terms and phrases you would like to search. It’s easy to use. You enter a word or phrase, and Google then alerts you when it finds new mentions on the web.
Here are some examples of how you could use Google Alerts to find your audience.
Working in a niche
Are you creating work that speaks to a particular niche? When growing the Bluegrass Painter Blog audience, I had Google Alerts set for keywords and phrases such as bluegrass music, bluegrass art, bluegrass festivals, and more.
Find An Audience for Your Workshop
If you are a teaching artist, you could set up an alert for different types of workshops. This helps you to find groups and organizations that might be a place you can teach. You will also discover forums and publications where you can connect with potential students.
Find an Audience in Your Region
If you are looking to grow your following within a specific region, never miss another opportunity to show your work. Set up google alerts for art-related events in that region. For example, if you are an artist looking to grow in the Pittsburgh area, set up Google Alerts for phrases such as Pittsburgh Artist, Western Pennsylvania Art or Pittsburgh Art. Search related terms to alert you to an event or opportunity in the region you are interested in growing and meeting interested collectors.
This is what the Google Alert will look like:
What are People Saying about Your Work?
You can also monitor the web for mentions of your name. You might be surprised where your name pops us. Don’t miss out on positive press!
Alternative to Google Alerts
If you don’t have and don’t want a Google Account, try Social Searcher, as an alternative.
One Step in Finding Your Audience
Finding and growing your audience is an ongoing process. Web-monitoring is one way to start getting ideas about where you can find your audience. Once you identify this audience, you will want to work on connecting with and nurturing it.
We will talk more later about how you connect with and nurture this audience, but for now, start getting some google alerts and see if you come across anything interesting.
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