Why Marketing Your Business Is Harder Than Ever

Marketing has changed more in the last 20 years than most business owners expected.

When we started Indigo 20 years ago the world of marketing and advertising was so much different. Newsprint, radio, and cable television were the anchors of a local business owners advertising. But more importantly, a local business owner could see some level of success with one or two buys.

Here on Long Island that might look like Newsday only, or WALK 97.5FM only, or for some advertisers both, and that was enough.

Marketing 20 Years Ago Was Simpler and More Predictable

Today, the market is so segmented that no one medium or player within that medium has the power like you would have found 20 years ago.

Today’s Marketing Landscape Is Fragmented

Now if you want to buy social media ads, where would you like to do that? LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok? If you want to buy radio, would that be terrestrial radio, Pandora, Sirius XM, or Spotify? Television? Would that be broadcast, cable, or OTT or a specific streaming service like Hulu or Fubo?

Business Owners Now Face More Decisions Than Ever

Today’s business owner has it much more difficult than ever before.

SEO Is More Competitive Than It Used to Be

Even dominating search engines has become more and more challenging. In the early days of SEO pretty much anyone could get your business to page one with good content and strategically placed keywords and locations. Now, with every algorithm change, Google has systematically pushed local businesses off of page one forcing them to purchase Google Ads if they want to be seen outside of their town.

Confusion and Mistrust Are at an All-Time High

To add to the confusion, business owners are bombarded with phone calls and solicitations that “guarantee” results for small amounts of money.

It makes sense why business owners don’t know what to do or who to trust. Yet, they also feel the pain points of not doing anything at all.

Effective Marketing Now Requires Real Investment

It costs a lot of money nowadays to finance a good marketing campaign. First, you need a good website that is designed for SEO and conversions. You need a social media page to interact with your customers. You need to then advertise your business on a variety of mediums thanks to the segmentation of the marketplace. All of this costs money.

One Channel Is No Longer Enough

The days of a local or regional business owner spending a few thousand dollars a month is not realistic if they truly want to get leads and sales in some predictable way.

While our agency works with many types of budgets, its important for all businesses to know that a website, social media page and some Meta ads is likely not enough to move the needle in a significant way.

Consistency Across Multiple Channels Is the New Standard

More than ever, businesses need a sharp message advertised over a multitude of mediums consistently. Think Meta ads, OTT, cable TV, and SEO. Or any other mix and match of 3 to 4 mediums leading back to your website and social media page.

The Reality: Marketing Still Matters, But It’s Harder

While many things have changed in 20 years, one thing remains the same: all businesses need to advertise. It’s just a lot harder.

If you’re unsure which combination of marketing channels makes sense for your business, we’re always available to talk it through.