7 Search Tools that Don't Start with the Letter G

Here are some tools to supplement your daily intake of of Googling:

1. Buzzsumo their tagline is "Analyze what content performs best for any topic or competitor". A paid service with a free trial offer. Lots of interesting filters and you can export search results.

publisher image from Alexander Hislop & Company

2. BoardReader is a search engine for forums and boards. Includes results from LinkedIn Groups, Reddit, Morningstar and other more niche groups like Bitcointalk.org.

3. Quora is more consumer-focused and requires registration but could be a good place to gather ideas if you are in a creative mindset, here is a recent article based on results "What Are the Major Differences Between the Disneyland and Disney World Experience?"

4. Use Bing advanced search options, check out this article "How to Use Bing’s Advanced Search Operators: 8 Tips for Better Searches" from How-To Geek. For example, use "Feed:" to find RSS or Feeds for topics of interest.

5.A new favorite of mine is Social Searcher which organizes the results by platform in a really clean top-level display. Offers Premium Paid features.

6. Topsy is still great for finding for Twitter shares

7. Social Mention has some interesting data on the sidebar (not sure of its relevance).

Bonus: Alerts from Google for yourself, your brand, your competitors and the topics that matter to you. Ok, it starts with the letter G but it is proactive search tool.

Search is a cycle of being being found and finding what matters to you. It is more important than ever to have best tools so that you can precisely identify your audience, their interests, their chosen platforms, etc. Happy hunting.

Snapchat ripe for B2B applications? You decide in 4 Quick Steps

Snapchat is barely three years old and geared toward a consumer market, definitely not ready for most business purposes. Why not imagine a future recruiting or event-centric application now while the investment is still minimal?

Here are 4 easy steps to allow this emerging tool to find its' place (if any) in your digital strategy:

Must do:
Read The ultimate Snapchat primer (with a B2B twist) by Sarah Dawley B2B News Network and Why is no one using Snapchat for B2B marketing (yet)? by B2B PR Blog. Great context.


Consider doing:
-Download Snapchat and play with it. The platform is exclusive to mobile so, unlike Twitter and LinkedIn, you can't simply observe from your laptop.

-Use as a Competitive Intelligence tool. Most likely, large events (like SXSW) that intersect with your target industries are already in the Snapchat mix. Get a feel for the energy of an event without leaving your office.

Strongest contenders for B2B application: Events and recruiting.