How the Future of Web Marketing Changes the Startup Game - Rand Fishkin | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Startups face challenges in finding affordable customers due to changes in social platforms, declining traffic from Google, influencer marketing issues, and flooded ad platforms.

Key Insights

• 👨‍💼 Changes in social platforms have made it harder for startups to find affordable customers and scale their businesses.
• 👨‍🔬 Google's dominance in search results has transitioned to solving queries without clicks, reducing organic traffic opportunities.
• 🤨 Influencer marketing is growing rapidly, but the lack of metrics and a narrow focus on specific platforms raise concerns for marketers.
• 🫠 Flooded ad platforms driven by venture and private equity dollars result in higher bids and ad costs that affect ROI.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: Why do startups struggle to find customers?

Startups face challenges in finding customers due to changes in social platforms that decrease organic reach and referral traffic. This makes it difficult for startups to build their audiences and grow their businesses.

Q: How has Google's search landscape changed for marketers?

Google is sending less traffic to websites as it solves more queries without any clicks. This means that organic search results are decreasing, and marketers are experiencing a rise in zero-click searches, impacting their ability to drive traffic and achieve desired results.

Q: What issues exist with influencer marketing?

Many marketers are skeptical about influencer marketing due to a lack of metrics and ROI measurement. They often make unsophisticated media buys without asking for measurable results. There is also a narrow focus on YouTube and Instagram influencers, neglecting other potential sources of influence.

Q: How does the flooded ad platform impact marketers?

Ad platforms flooded with venture and private equity dollars prioritize growth over profitability. This leads to higher bids and ad costs that may not be feasible for startups and marketers to afford. Additionally, some brands and marketers are not held accountable to metrics, further exacerbating the issues faced by marketers.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Startups face difficulties in finding customers and scaling their businesses due to changes in social platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which hinder organic reach and referral traffic.

• Google is sending less traffic to websites as it solves more queries without any clicks, leading to a decrease in organic search results and an increase in zero-click searches.

• Influencer marketing is growing rapidly, but many marketers are skeptical due to a lack of metrics and ROI measurement, as well as a narrow focus on YouTube and Instagram influencers.

• Ad platforms, flooded with venture and private equity dollars, are driving up ad costs, leading to lower ROI for marketers.