A 2022 Year-End Introspective of the Shifting Digital Landscape

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Recent affairs have made it clear that digital marketing services are crucial to maintaining an online presence, but businesses should do it with cautious steps and a watchful eye.

With the recent months’ almost chaotic slate for social media, especially Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, it is becoming increasingly clear that maintaining an online presence is squarely on the shoulders of the business. Simply relying on the continuing stability of a social media platform to redirect traffic and take advantage of virality has become a gamble, at least in the foreseeable future.

This trend means the rising value of digital marketing services in helping businesses reach a wider audience without handicapping traffic by diversifying audience outreach and not getting bogged down on focusing on specific social media platforms.

Let’s look at the past months’ major social media news. 

Twitter’s Blue Verification Disaster

The most prominent social media news to come out in recent weeks is Elon Musk’s purchase of the social media giant Twitter. 

The vaunted blue checkmark was a significant feature the social media platform had for fighting against impersonation. Although it had issues, the Twitter blue checkmark was relatively robust and stringent, especially for companies and businesses who used the app to obtain a wider audience and release news and updates on products and services.

But, wanting to increase revenue generation, Elon Musk wanted to charge a $7.99 monthly subscription fee for anyone to acquire a blue checkmark. Despite several warnings, Mr. Musk pushed through with the monetization, and, to say the very least, it didn’t go well. 

The low barrier of entry for verification resulted in plenty of troll accounts being created, impersonating major companies, like aerospace and defense company Raytheon Technologies and pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. Their mischief led to billions of dollars lost for both companies due to a severe tumble in the stock market.

Meta’s Nonstop Plunge

Another major sticking point would be Meta’s (formerly Facebook) financial free-fall. Simply contrasting its current market value with the year it formally announced its rebranding, you can see that the company has been devalued by a mind-boggling $650 billion! Meta’s stock value has been declining since October 28, 2021, falling out of the top 20 companies and pulling CEO Mark Zuckerberg from being the 25th richest person on the planet to the 29th.

Since it began investing heavily in a virtual reality world, Meta has lost 70 percent of its value, and there seems to be no sign of it stopping.

TikTok’s Trojan Allegations

The emerging social media app looks to replace Facebook. Still, because of allegations that it works for the Communist Party of China, there have been talks about banning the app in the United States. While such legislation has come to fruition yet, there is a deep concern for its future, making it a precarious place for businesses. It may be perfect for individual influencers but whether or not firms can succeed is still very much on the table.

What Does This Mean for Businesses?

Of course, despite the seeming instability happening all over social media, businesses should still use their services and proceed with utmost caution and informed confidence. As has been seen and discussed, the overall situation might flip, so it’s always good to plan out contingencies. 

The way to move forward is for businesses to keep only some of their eggs in one basket and instead spread their online presence wider.

What Digital Marketing Services Offer

Digital marketing services are profoundly important in the digital age because they aid businesses in connecting with their customers. For companies thinking of how to shake up their online presence, it is good to know what advantages digital marketing services have:

• There is access to better information about their customers to engage with them better, especially with niche products or services.
• There is broader outreach without worrying about geographical limitations, especially for delivery-based businesses.
• There is swifter personalization and execution of advertising, especially with a targeted audience.
• There is closer communication with customers, especially in the purchasing process.
• There is a better opportunity for engagement and enhancing audience retention, especially in creating customized advertising.
• There is a tool for tracking and monitoring a business’s marketing efforts, especially in measuring analytics.

Moving Forward into the New Year

Despite the odd news here and there, there’s never been a better time to be on the internet. Five billion people use the internet daily–that’s more than half the total population! 

So, be ready, have a plan of action and learn more about Orange Digital Marketing’s services.