Marketing brings new customers through the door, helps retain existing customers, increases sales of particular items, and makes you a recognized name in the community. But marketing, by definition, is competitive. To stay on top, track sales and marketing trends so that you can take advantage of new advertising and marketing approaches. By keeping up with sales and marketing news, you can:

1. Learn how to position your business in the marketplace to generate excitement.
2. Keep an eye on competing products and the activities of your competitors.
3. Discover business opportunities, such as trends upon which you can capitalize.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Go to the experts

If you want focused news on marketing, turn to publications that are devoted to nothing else.

I recommend: Specialty publications, whether online only or with a special online component, include BtoB (which specializes in business-to-business marketing news), Direct (which not surprisingly focuses on search engine, e-mail, and other forms of direct marketing -- you can also subscribe to Direct or its specialty newsletters), and the American Marketing Association's twice-monthly Marketing News. (You must be an AMA member to read the current issue, but recent issues are free.) Also check out the AMA's savvy Marketing News Blog. Brand Republic offers eleven specialized email bulletins (focused on branding, sports marketing, creative efforts, market research, and more). Marketing Sherpa is a great source for timely case studies.

Don't forget sales strategies

Sales strategies and techniques may not change as quickly as marketing trends do, but it's always worth getting advice on closing that sale or motivating your salespeople.

I recommend: For news on sales techniques, training, and trends, visit Sales Magazine. In her blog, reporter Paula Parisot does a nice job pulling together news on "how to sell more" from many different publications, from Business Week to SalesVantage.com (a comprehensive sales and marketing site, complete with directory of professionals).

Filter the news to your tastes

Newspapers have been moving onto the Internet, and many of them have specialized services to which you can subscribe, sometimes for free and sometimes for a fee.

I recommend: The Wall Street Journal has a Media & Marketing edition online with special sections on news in advertising and marketing strategy. Once you subscribe, you can customize the front page of WSJ.com to include marketing news, or sign up for an RSS feed of marketing headlines.

Turn Google into your watchdog

The search engine king can be programmed to do the searches for you and send results to your in-box when it finds something that you want to read.

I recommend: Google Alerts lets you enter a search term and e-mail address and then automatically notifies you when that term appears on news sites, forums, or Web sites. If the alerts don't initially meet your needs, change the search terms or add additional ones.

Listen while you work

AdAge's Advertising Show is a weekly radio program that covers marketing, sales, advertising, and customer relations.

I recommend: In addition to subscribing to podcast feeds for upcoming shows, you can download MP3s or RSS feeds of dozens of previous Advertising Show programs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Marketing news doesn't have to be specific to your industry to be useful. Pick out trends and tactics that you can customize.
• •  Don't jump to imitate sales campaigns that are just being announced. You want to use ideas that work, not ideas that are merely new.
• •  Note which writers cover your industry and send them news of your own marketing efforts.