If you are an aspiring small business owner or entrepreneur, you probably are diving in head first into secondary market research. The time you spend finding quality resources is very valuable, but with all of the resources consulted and the time devoted to the research, it is easy for keeping up-to-date to fall off the radar once you have a business plan in place.
After you have done your research, don’t lose out on the value you have just created – organize the resources that are important to your new business venture to stay up to date even after your business has been launched. By continuing to stay informed with ongoing market research, you can understand what bumps may be ahead, or a new consumer trend to incorporate in your marketing strategy. There are many helpful applications available that allow you to quickly scan headlines from various sources so you can be informed and mind your busy schedule. Read specifics about RSS feeds on our website, complete with a link to a tutorial video. Here are some great tools to organize your information:
Here's our favourite tools:
This application focuses on graphics and visuals with the goal of allowing you to create a personalized magazine. You have the option of following other users who curate content relevant to you, and you can alternatively make your own magazine as public or private as desired, with functionality to sync with your social networking accounts.
»Feedly
This application is visually appealing with a balance of text. The interface allows you to deliberately move from one resource to another, or view a summary of all feeds. It also helps you to find content based on your current library, so you can continue to seamlessly develop your list of quality industry resources.
If you find yourself wanting to read something later while offline, particularly if you are in a rural area with unreliable data service, Pocket is a fantastic way to save it for later. It works with any online content that you find, so it works well if you consume lots of different media types, including podcasts, videos and articles.
»Watchup
If you prefer to consume video content, this app brings together video sources of news content and plays them seamlessly. If you are a multi-tasker (who isn’t nowadays?), it is a great way to absorb the news while still focusing on the other aspects that are necessary to running your small business.
»NewsBlur
Newsblur aggregates your selected RSS feeds and allows you to organize them however you’d like. A unique feature of NewsBlur is the ability to train it on your preferences, letting the app know what aspects of the article you like and don’t like, so you don’t get overloaded with content when you log in.
All of these providers offer a tutorial video or demo to play around with, so find one that feels right and start organizing the great resources you’ve compiled on your industry. By staying connected to industry publications, make your initial endeavor into secondary market research a source of lasting value for your new small business.
Engage with us!
Is there a particular reader application that you like best? Do you have a favorite small business resource that you’d like to share with other readers? We welcome all comments below!