Automate Marketing Insights: A Feedly Pro Tutorial

Staying on top of marketing trends and industry updates to help drive growth is a constant challenge. But what if you could automate a significant portion of that process, freeing up your time for strategy and execution? Can a single tool really keep you informed and ahead of the competition?

Step 1: Setting Up Your Feedly Pro Account

First, you’ll need a Feedly Pro account. While the free version is useful, the Pro features are essential for serious marketing intelligence. I strongly recommend the “Pro+” plan for its AI-powered features.

1.1: Account Creation and Subscription

1. Navigate to the Feedly website and click “Get Started.”
2. Choose the “Pro+” plan (or “Pro” if your budget is tight, but you’ll miss out on some AI features).
3. Create an account using your email or Google account.
4. Enter your billing information and complete the subscription process.

Pro Tip: Look for discount codes online. Feedly often offers promotions for new subscribers, especially around major holidays.

Step 2: Adding Relevant Sources

This is where the magic begins. You need to tell Feedly what marketing information you want to track. Think about specific industry blogs, news sites, and even competitor websites.

2.1: Identifying Key Sources

Start by brainstorming the sources you currently rely on. Think of industry publications like IAB reports, marketing blogs, and news aggregators. Don’t forget to add competitor blogs to monitor their strategies. A eMarketer subscription can provide valuable insights, too. For local Atlanta news, consider adding feeds from the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

2.2: Adding Sources to Feedly

1. Click the “+ Add Content” button in the left sidebar.
2. Use the search bar to find specific websites or publications. For example, type in “HubSpot Blog.”
3. Click the “+ Follow” button next to each source you want to add.
4. You’ll be prompted to create a feed (a folder) to organize your sources. Create feeds like “Content Marketing,” “Social Media,” and “Competitor Analysis.”
5. Assign each source to the appropriate feed.

Common Mistake: Adding too many sources at once. Start with a manageable number (10-15) and gradually add more as you refine your strategy.

Step 3: Creating AI Feeds for Summarization

This is where Feedly Pro+ shines. AI Feeds automatically summarize articles, saving you time and helping you identify the most important information quickly.

3.1: Accessing AI Feeds

1. In the left sidebar, click “AI Feeds” under the “Intelligence” section.
2. Click the “+ Create AI Feed” button.

3.2: Configuring Your AI Feed

1. Give your AI Feed a descriptive name, like “Marketing Industry News Summary.”
2. Select the feeds you want to include in the AI Feed. For example, you might select your “Content Marketing” and “Social Media” feeds.
3. Choose the type of summarization you want. Options include “Highlights” (key points) and “Brief Summary” (a concise overview). I’ve found “Highlights” works best for quickly scanning articles.
4. Click “Create.”

Expected Outcome: Your AI Feed will now display summaries of articles from the selected feeds, allowing you to quickly scan headlines and key points without reading each article in full. This is especially useful for keeping up with daily industry news.

Step 4: Using Keyword Filters for Targeted Information

To further refine your marketing intelligence, use keyword filters to focus on specific topics within your feeds. This ensures you only see information relevant to your specific goals.

4.1: Accessing Filter Settings

1. Hover over the feed you want to filter (e.g., “Content Marketing“) in the left sidebar.
2. Click the three dots (…) that appear.
3. Select “Edit Feed.”

4.2: Creating Keyword Filters

1. In the “Edit Feed” window, click the “Filters” tab.
2. In the “Must Contain” field, enter the keywords you want to focus on. For example, you might enter “AI marketing,” “SEO strategy,” or “customer journey.” Use commas to separate multiple keywords.
3. In the “Must Not Contain” field, enter keywords you want to exclude. This is useful for filtering out irrelevant content.
4. Click “Save.”

Pro Tip: Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases. For example, “account-based marketing” will only match articles containing that exact phrase.

Common Mistake: Overly broad keywords. Be specific to avoid irrelevant results. Instead of just “marketing,” use “email marketing automation.”

Step 5: Integrating Feedly Pro with Slack

Sharing marketing updates with your team is crucial for collaboration. Integrating Feedly Pro with Slack allows you to automatically post important articles and insights to specific channels. For more on team communication and strategy, consider exploring brand leadership.

5.1: Connecting Feedly to Slack

1. Click your profile icon in the top right corner of Feedly.
2. Select “Settings.”
3. Click “Integrations” in the left sidebar.
4. Find the Slack integration and click “Connect.”
5. You’ll be redirected to Slack to authorize the connection. Choose the Slack workspace you want to connect to.
6. Follow the prompts to complete the authorization process.

5.2: Setting Up Slack Notifications

1. Once connected, go back to Feedly and navigate to the feed you want to share with Slack.
2. Click the three dots (…) next to the feed name.
3. Select “Share to Slack.”
4. Choose the Slack channel you want to post to. For example, you might post marketing industry news to a “#marketing-news” channel.
5. Customize the message format. You can choose to include the article title, summary, and link.
6. Click “Save.”

Expected Outcome: Whenever a new article is added to the selected feed, it will automatically be posted to the specified Slack channel. This keeps your team informed and facilitates discussions around important marketing trends.

I had a client last year who struggled to keep their marketing team informed about industry changes. After implementing this Feedly-Slack integration, they reported a significant increase in team collaboration and a better understanding of emerging trends. They even started a weekly “Marketing Huddle” to discuss the articles shared in the Slack channel.

Step 6: Monitoring Competitor Activity

Keeping tabs on your competitors is vital for strategic decision-making. Use Feedly to monitor their website, blog, and social media activity. This can inform your customer acquisition strategies.

6.1: Adding Competitor Websites

1. Follow the steps in Section 2 to add your competitors’ websites to Feedly. Create a dedicated “Competitor Analysis” feed.
2. Pay close attention to their blog posts, new product announcements, and case studies.

6.2: Tracking Social Media Updates

While Feedly doesn’t directly integrate with all social media platforms, you can often find RSS feeds for specific social media profiles. Look for the RSS icon on their profiles or use a tool like RSS.app to generate RSS feeds from social media pages. Add these feeds to your “Competitor Analysis” feed.

Pro Tip: Analyze your competitors’ content to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Look for gaps in their strategy that you can exploit.

Step 7: Advanced Features and Customization

Feedly Pro offers several advanced features that can further enhance your marketing intelligence. Experiment with these features to find what works best for you.

7.1: Using Boards for Content Curation

Boards allow you to save and organize articles for future reference. Create boards for specific topics, projects, or clients. You can then share these boards with your team.

7.2: Training Leo, the AI Research Assistant

Leo learns from your reading habits and preferences to provide more relevant results. Train Leo by giving feedback on articles. Click the “Train Leo” button on articles you find interesting or irrelevant.

We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. One of our marketing managers was using Feedly, but wasn’t taking advantage of Leo. Once she started training Leo, the quality of the articles improved significantly, saving her even more time.

Editorial Aside: Don’t expect miracles from AI. Leo is a powerful tool, but it still requires human input and guidance. It’s not a replacement for critical thinking. Here’s what nobody tells you: AI tools are only as good as the data you feed them. Garbage in, garbage out.

Step 8: Reviewing and Refining Your Feedly Setup

Your Feedly setup is not a “set it and forget it” process. Regularly review your sources, filters, and AI Feeds to ensure they are still relevant and effective. This is an ongoing process, but it’s worth it to stay ahead of the marketing curve.

8.1: Evaluating Source Performance

Periodically review your feeds to identify sources that are no longer providing valuable information. Remove these sources to declutter your Feedly and improve the quality of your results.

8.2: Adjusting Keyword Filters

As your marketing priorities change, update your keyword filters to reflect your new focus. Add new keywords and remove irrelevant ones. Don’t forget to revisit your content strategy myths too!

By following these steps, you can transform Feedly Pro into a powerful marketing intelligence tool that helps you stay informed, make better decisions, and drive growth.

Implementing a structured approach to industry updates, like using Feedly Pro’s AI capabilities, is more than just staying informed. It’s about proactively shaping your marketing strategy. Don’t just react to trends; anticipate them and position yourself as a leader in your niche. Start small, experiment, and watch your growth accelerate.