There’s no question that keeping up with the latest changes in your industry is a good thing (in fact, we’d go so far as to say it’s crucial). But when you’re in the middle of running a business, it can often feel like your plate is totally full already, and the last thing you want to do is have to go looking for industry information.
It’s actually easier to keep up with things than you think though. The two classic ways are to read industry publications and attend continuing professional development courses, but there are other ways you might not have considered to keep up with changes in your industry, including:
Google news alerts
While not as in depth as a CPD course, creating a Google news alert for words or phrases that are important to your industry can help you keep an eye on any newsworthy changes as they develop. If you want to get really clever with it, you can even set up an IFTTT recipe to get them texted to you. Click here to see how.
Social Media
Spending time in places where your industry peers hang out on social media can be a great way of keeping up with changes. Look for Facebook groups that are specifically focused on your industry, or Tweetchats that are centred around what you do. Besides getting the latest news, you’ll also be able to network with people — win/win.
Mastermind Groups
Most people think of mastermind groups as places for coaching and networking, but when you’re surrounded by a group of your peers, all talking about your industry, information about changes will inevitably come up. In some cases, these can be even better than Facebook groups because people tend to be more motivated and focused in them, since you have to pay to get in.
Networking Events and Conferences
Similarly, you typically focus on networking at networking events (naturally), but they’re also good places to ask around, or even just listen in on what other people are saying about upcoming industry changes. The same thing goes for conferences. If there’s a conference about your industry, then you can definitely benefit from going, but don’t forget about related or subsidiary industries too. For instance, if you’re a personal trainer, see if there are any emerging technology conferences coming up with a health panel on them — you can learn all kinds of useful information by stepping a little bit out of your regular arena.
How do you stay up to date in your industry? Give us your best tips below in the comments!
