Give one way you challenge yourself to stay aware of trends in your industry or sector of business?
To help you keep up with the trends in your industry, we asked entrepreneurs and business leaders this question for their best ideas. From watching YouTube videos to observing job postings, there are several ways you can challenge yourself to best stay aware and follow new developments in your sector of business.
Here are nine ways to keep up with business trends:
- Watch YouTube Videos
- Set Up Google Alerts
- Attend Industry Events
- Ask Your Customers What They Want
- Join Facebook Groups
- Listen To Podcasts
- Follow Trusted Newsletters and Industry Experts
- Order Products and Services From Competitors
- Observe Tech Trends and Skills From Job Postings
Watch YouTube Videos
I’ve found that the easiest way to stay up to date on trends in our niche is by incorporating these updates right into my daily life. In other words, you’re more likely to actually follow through on staying current if you remove friction. And for me, that means watching more YouTube videos. I’m already on YouTube every day watching a few videos here and there anyway, so by subscribing to a couple of influencer-type YouTubers in our space, I can stay current on news and breakthroughs.
It’s simple: I just subscribe to their channel, sign up for alerts, and every time they have a new video drop (usually once or twice per week), I give it a quick watch. For me, this has worked well since these updates are easily weaved right into my daily habits and the video content is super engaging. In my eyes, the hardest part is simply finding industry-relevant YouTubers you can trust and know will deliver you good info. But once you have your channels, you’re golden.
John Ross, Test Prep Insight
Set Up Google Alerts
If you want to stay on top of trends in your industry, you should create Google Alerts using keywords and phrases that are relevant to your field. Once you have set up your Google Alerts, you will be able to receive emails that include news stories and other information. These emails will help provide you with a steady stream of important information about what’s happening within your industry. Take time to read through these emails daily or every other day to easily stay on top of what is trending.
Brett Sohns, LifeGoal Investments
Attend Industry Events
The best way for you to stay on top of business trends in your sector is to attend industry events. There you can attend seminars and courses on various new approaches and tools on the cutting edge of your industry. You can also build out professional relationships that can become connections for your career path later down the line. Challenge yourself to attend these events, utilize the approaches you learn at seminars during your everyday tasks, and put yourself out there and make new professional relationships.
Riley Adams, CPA, Young and the Invested
Ask Your Customers What They Want
In the fashion industry, trends come and go, but loyal customers are forever. Rather than keeping up with the latest trends, we focus on meeting our consumer’s desires. For example, we pay attention to what products are selling most, survey feedback, and what our Instagram followers are saying. The customer is at the center of our business strategies.
Cesar Cruz, Sebastian Cruz Couture
Join Facebook Groups
A great way to keep up with industry trends is to join Facebook groups. Try researching well-established groups related to your industry, as well as smaller niche groups. You can find them by searching terms related to your sector. Make sure the content and tone of the conversation are right for you and that the group is currently active, and join in! Some Facebook groups are closed, so you may have to request an invitation to be added. Once you’re in, make the best of it. Introduce yourself, and don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation about current trends in your business! Networking can bring a lot of value to your professional ventures.
Maja Kowalska, Zety
Listen To Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to keep up with industry trends. Listen to experts discuss new launches or a hot topic of discussion. The best part is you can multitask by either going on a walk, driving, or completing daily work tasks. This is an effective way to keep your mind sharp while developing opinions and knowledge to grow your business.
Natália Sadowski, Nourishing Biologicals
Follow Trusted Newsletters and Industry Experts
Digital marketing is fast-paced, and there’s always something new on the horizon. So I keep sharp by following industry experts and thought leaders on Twitter to get a good read of what’s happening lately. If I come across a new, exciting topic, I’ll do a quick search and dive into blogs and video explainers. I also subscribe to a few newsletters with actionable insights and examples for inspiration.
Stephanie Bernardo, Spiralytics
Order Products and Services Competitors
We frequently order our competitor’s products and analyze them thoroughly. Sure it can feel a bit strange ordering your competitor’s products, but I believe it helps keep us objective and we also learn a great deal from this commitment. More or less after every purchase we learn and implement changes to our own products.
Ross Kernez, Health Plan One
Observe Tech Trends and Skills From Job Postings
Keeping alerts on for job postings in my field, even though I’m not looking for a new position, has been great for determining which tech and skills are being prioritized. Tech stacks vary depending on different companies, and job postings are a great way to determine which software is working best for competitors. It’s allowed me to keep up trends as well as give me an idea which software I should look into to both upgrade my own skills and assess whether my company could benefit from the switch.
John Jacob, Hoist
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