I launched this website in 2020, and since then, I can’t recall a period more challenging or unpredictable for marketers and online business owners. Consider the following…
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Platform Instability
We’ve never seen anything like this before. In the past few years, and especially right now, a lot is happening:
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Elon Musk challenges users and advertisers to leave Twitter/X
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Meta launches Threads
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Mark Zuckerberg acts like Musk with Meta
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TikTok is close to being banned in the US
This is wild. Just in the past year, many users have moved around. Some left Twitter/X for Threads and BlueSky. Others left Meta for different platforms. People are switching from TikTok too. For me, leaving Twitter wasn’t hard, but now there aren’t many good alternatives. Most platforms feel unreliable, possibly corrupt, or like they might become that way soon. Over the next few months, people will jump between platforms, and it will be interesting to see which ones become popular and safe.
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Distribution Instability
This started about 10 years ago when Facebook changed its news feed algorithm, affecting traffic. Facebook used to bring lots of organic traffic but now only a small amount.
Long blogs gave way to short social media posts. Facebook liked links until it stopped. YouTube was the top for long videos before TikTok and Shorts appeared. Then Meta copied TikTok with Reels.
Sharing content has been tough on all platforms. Algorithms change. Creators can’t always reach their followers or new people. Platforms keep changing, causing uncertainty.
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AI-Related Instability
This adds even more chaos. Now human creators compete with AI content creators. They also deal with AI spam in comments. Search engines like Google are turning into AI answer machines, which changes how people find websites. Some sites are created overnight using AI content.
It’s a confusing time, and I’ve experienced it firsthand. While I don’t have all the answers, here’s what I’m doing about it…
Paid Efforts
Don’t forget this important part. No matter how strong your organic efforts are, you need some kind of paid strategy.
For me, that has always been Meta ads. Not much has changed, but I do feel worried about some of Meta’s recent choices.
I use ads mainly to build my email list. I’ve also used them for sales, quality traffic, and video views, but building my list has been the best long-term investment.
Whether it’s Meta, Google, podcast ads, or another platform, find a paid method to speed up your growth.
Your Turn
How have you changed your approach to handle these uncertain times?
