If you’re in a fast-moving business sector, which, let’s face it, almost everyone is at one point or another, the success of your business and ultimately your career can depend on your ability to stay up-to-date with current trends and best practices. However, when you’re in the daily grind, it can be hard to peek your head up over the crowd to see that big shifts are taking place. Because of this, you’ve got to make researching your field a priority if you ever want to see your business rise above the fray. To help you on this endeavor, here are three tips for staying current with your business sector’s trends and best practices.
Check Out the Statistics
Although statistics can be shaped in a way that can put a lens on the truth, numbers in general don’t lie. Knowing this, one way you can keep abreast of what direction your market is moving is to keep an eye on the stats. The U.S. Small Business Administration shared with SmallBizTrends.com that governmental agencies like the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Census, and the National Bureau of Economic Research find out a lot of information about business trends in small and large areas. They frequently will publish their findings and the statistics supporting those findings. These fact-based trends can go a long way toward helping you stay on track with what’s happening in your industry.
Follow The Right People On Social Media
In every industry, there are a small number of people who could be considered “thought leaders”. While this phrase is often overused, you can’t deny that there are individuals who always seem to be on the cutting edge of their field. SeekLearning.com.au recommends pinpointing who those people are for your area of expertise and then following them on various social media platforms. By doing this, you’ll be able to see what their personal thoughts are regarding your specific business type.
Broaden Your Own Network
One of the best and easiest ways for you to stay informed about your industry is to surround yourself with people who you can talk to about your particular market. For some, this may mean having to put some effort into networking in order to find the right people to speak to. To best do this, Darnelle O’Brien, a contributor to Business2Community.com, recommends becoming a part of trade or industry organizations and using those as platforms to network. Even if someone is industry-adjacent to you, they can still be a great resource for keeping up with general trends.
If you’re concerned about how to best keep up with what’s going on in your industry, use the tips mentioned above to help you always be aware of the market’s happenings.
Originally posted on July 15, 2017 @ 11:23 am
