Unless you are brand new here then you KNOW I am all about doing some good, old fashioned research.

Now, back in 2007 when I was in college we did have internet (despite what my oldest daughter says…) but I still remember going to the library and pulling books out of the stacks for my papers.

I am a research enthusiast. Specifically when it comes to consumer research.  Why? Because figuring out what your customer wants by listening is like getting handed the cheat codes to succeed in business.

In marketing we call this, “social listening” – the idea that you indirectly observe, read, research and yes, listen to what your ideal audience says and thinks. 

There are a bunch of ways you can apply social listening to your marketing strategy and there are also MANY tools you can use. But one of my favorites is Google Trends.

WHAT IS GOOGLE TRENDS?

Google Trends gives you real-time, keyword-search related data. Translation: Google shares what people in your region are searching for, how popular the search is and specifically what they are searching the terms with.

This data is insanely useful and filled with a ton of insight if you know what to do with it. 

HOW DO I USE GOOGLE TRENDS?

The first thing I would say is get familiar with the site and just play around. You don’t have to know exactly what you are doing yet. Add in keywords that are relevant to your personal interests first and see where that takes you. 

Next, I would visit the trending page to see real-time search trends within the last few days. This is helpful if pop culture trends are part of your strategy. Leveraging what people are talking about (before they stop talking about it) can be a great way to start conversations. 

Now let’s use it to get those cheat codes for your marketing plan! I am going to use my business as an example so you can see how this works…

Things I use Google Trends for…

• Content ideas for social media, blogs and emails
• Market research for product/offer development
• Research for my clients as I build strategies
• To be nosey 👀 (What? Aren’t you also curious to know what people are searching?)

• To be nosey 👀 (What? Aren’t you also curious to know what people are searching?)

Here is an actual example of how I used it to uncover content ideas today…

1- I typed “instagram post” in the search bar

2- Scrolled down to where it says, “related queries” – this is where the content ideas are hiding. 👏

3- Took note of what questions people were searching. The number one thing I noticed? People want to know the best time to post. 

4- I brainstormed ways I could turn that search phrase into a value-driven piece of content (or 4). Here is what I came up with:

• Create a TikTok that explains my thoughts on obsessing over the “best” time to post on social media, which would position me as a thought leader in my industry.
• Write a blog post that explains what to consider when it comes to the timing of your social posts and break it down by platform.
• Turn that blog post into an email and design a visual for it (like an infographic)
• Take the copy from that email and create a carousel post for Instagram.

Four pieces of content. From one idea. That I know, for sure, people want to read about. 🤯

I bet the very next thing you do after you finish reading this blog  is head over to the Trends page and dive on in… Go on, get those cheat codes. ⚡️

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