Google Trends is a useful marketing tool that is offered to users for free, and you can easily find it online. Once you pull up the tool, you gain the ability to see the popularity of Google search terms based upon an analysis of real-time data. The tool also offers insights regarding what people are searching for based upon dates, seasons and locations.
Once you’ve discovered how much information you can glean from typing a search word into Google Trends, you’ll never go back to not using it again. Now that you understand why Google Trends is such a favorite tool among business owners and marketers, you’ll want to know a few key tips for adding it to your marketing plan development strategies.
Know How to Get Started
There are two main ways to start using Google Trends. The first method is to dive right in by visiting the tool to check out which searches are currently trending. The home page provides a list of recently trending searches that can give you instant insight into what the general public is interested in at the given moment. You can also find information about what’s been searched on Google during different years. You can use these search terms as a springboard for further exploration, or you can opt to type in a term that is related to your business or current marketing strategy.
How to Search a Specific Term
If you opt for using the search bar, you can also choose to run a comparison search by clicking on the plus sign next to your chosen term. Then, enter a second term to see how they compare regarding the current search trends. You might choose this option if you are wondering which keyword might be better to use in your marketing campaign. Once you have your data pulled up, you can then explore related topics and queries along with seeing the interest in the search term according to various subregions. After you get familiar with the tool, you’ll then want to explore a few ways to incorporate the information into your marketing campaigns.
Use Currently Trending Topics for Inspiration
Meeting your target audience where they are at is the best way to garner more interest in your business. Depending upon your marketing needs, you might be able to use a popular search term as inspiration for building a content plan. For instance, your sporting goods company might take note that people are searching for information about the PGA tour. Throwing some golf tips into your blog or emails is a great way to attract more interest in your business.
Determine Seasonal Trends
Checking out the interest in a specific search term over time can help you figure out when to launch a seasonal marketing campaign. For example, a catering company already knows to expect an uptick in orders right before major holidays, but they might not know when people start actively searching for local businesses near them. Doing a search using the date range option gives you more insight into when you’ll want to launch a campaign.
There are so many ways to use Google Trends that this is only the beginning. Make sure to carve out some extra time in your week to play around with the various search options to see what you can find. Over time, you’ll find ways to do local keyword searches that help to boost your SEO strategies and even identify the right time to send out targeted ads. Considering that the tool is free, it just makes sense to add it into your toolbox for developing strategic marketing campaigns.
