You may not be heavily involved in the internet, but odds are that your customers and competitors are. If your business is all about referrals, then you need to know what is being said so you can counter any false claims or pro-actively participate where it matters the most.

The easiest way to keep in touch with the web world is to use Google Alerts. http://www.google.com/alerts A Google alert is an ongoing report of the sites/blogs/links that mention your keywords. The way it works is rather easy, enter your search terms, pick from a list what to search and how often, then give it your email. That’s it. You can setup an individual alert in about 30 seconds. The art comes in creating keywords that mean something to you. We suggest you create alerts on the following:

• Company name – know what is said about you
• Main competitors – know what they are doing
• Industry leaders – keep a pulse on what’s going on
• Your name – keep tabs on references to you

Another internet phenomenon right now is Twitter. Twitter is a social media application that allows people to discuss anything 140 characters at a time. What most businesses don’t know is that Twitter is a rather interesting source of feedback, referrals and customer service opportunities. You should be watching what is said about you and your business on Twitter.

To do it, simply visit http://search.twitter.com and enter in your company name. To setup on ongoing alert via email visit http://www.twilert.com

If you would like to share this information, download a free booklet from MioWorks that provides individual site links and 4 more tips on how to take advantage of the Internet for your small business. Here is the direct download for the PDF.