| If you are not familiar with, or have not used Google | | | | would receive an alert. Why have they done this? |
| Alerts to monitor your art niche, this article can be a | | | | Find out, do some research, as they may have clients |
| very important new tool for you to use on a regular | | | | customers that you would also like to have too. It |
| basis. Google Alerts will help you monitor very specific | | | | is time to find out what everyone is doing out there, |
| sections and segments in your area of expertise or it | | | | don't you think? |
| can be a great research tool for areas and subjects | | | | 4. Keyword for Research in your |
| that you would like to be involved with in the | | | | Niche With Google Alerts the artist can monitor |
| future. Google Alerts will monitor all, or separately | | | | several keywords that are used for and about their |
| the following areas of the internet; news, blogs, | | | | art or for their art business. The key word alerts |
| video and discussion groups and/or there is an | | | | will provide to the artist interesting links to what |
| "everything" tab which includes all of them. The | | | | other artists and related professionals are doing. In |
| alert is based on your query, term or subject and the | | | | addition, the alerts will also provide the artist with |
| results can be provided to you as it happens, once a | | | | ideas and hints for other keywords, subjects and |
| day or once a week. The alerts can be received in | | | | related topics that could enhance the marketing and |
| an email or in an RSS Feed. To benefit from this, | | | | selling of their art too as well. |
| you need to have a Google account, it is free. Here | | | | 5. Monitor Art News and Opportunities in |
| are a few things that you can do with Google Alerts | | | | your NicheAs an artist who specializes in a specific art |
| to help push your art career to the next level: | | | | form and who is looking for opportunities, Google |
| 1. Content Monitoring Google Alerts | | | | Alerts is a great tool to use. Assume you are a |
| provides an artist with a way in which they can | | | | photographer and you are looking for art galleries and |
| monitor their article content once it has been | | | | photography competitions where your photography |
| published on the internet. This monitoring can be | | | | may fit. For example, the artist could set up Google |
| employed in order to see if anyone is using their | | | | Alerts for "photography art galleries", "photography |
| article content elsewhere. Possibly it is being used | | | | competitions", "photography exhibitions", or |
| somewhere else on the internet and the artist is not | | | | "photography gallery opportunities". These search |
| being given the proper credit for the article or the | | | | terms and phrases can all be further refined to |
| links back to the artist have been disabled in this | | | | geographic areas if required. An artist, depending |
| content. The way in which this is done is to put into | | | | on what they are after, will need to try different |
| the alert section a sentence of the article and Google | | | | terms and experiment with different phrases and |
| will match that sentence or parts of that sentence | | | | queries in order to make this process effective. |
| and provide the link to you. Google Alerts provides an | | | | This process is no different than an artist refining |
| excellent way in which to oversee and monitor the | | | | keywords for a website or for a PPC campaign. |
| artist's written works. | | | | See what works or does not work and further refine |
| 2. Reputation Management | | | | as you go along. |
| By placing your name or company name, and even | | | | 6. Target Keywords to Find Customers |
| with misspellings, the artist is able to monitor what is | | | | I have a friend who has always been interested in |
| known as "reputation management". This would | | | | art for hospitals, art therapy, healing art and evidence |
| provide to the artist alerts whenever that name | | | | based art. She set up several Google Alerts for art |
| showed up or was used on the internet (good and | | | | in hospitals and for art therapy programs. Every |
| bad). If something was being said about the artist in | | | | day she receives alerts that provides to her ideas, |
| any group or forum, then the artist could take the | | | | information, news and opportunities in her specialty |
| appropriate steps to combat this because of this | | | | of hospital art. What is your area of interest in |
| alert. Google Alerts are almost "real time", | | | | art? Where are your opportunities to sell your |
| depending on how this feature is set in terms of | | | | art? Where are your prospects and potential |
| notifications. | | | | customers? Try Google Alerts to beat your |
| 3. Find out Who Is Linking to Your | | | | competition, discover new opportunities and to find |
| Website & Blog By placing your domain name in | | | | trends in your art niche. |
| Google Alerts query (example: http:/ / anytime | | | | Stay ahead of the curve in your art niche by using |
| someone were to link their site to your wesbite you | | | | Google Alerts. |