Digital Marketing Is On Fire (And Not In A Good Way): How to Thrive In the Crisis

Digital marketing is in crisis. 

Big time. 

Everywhere I look, I see warning signs for companies trying to stretch every single marketing dollar:

  • Google is at risk of being torn apart, which could devastate website search performance and ad traffic for companies throughout the US. 
  • The decline of cookies means digital advertising has grown even harder. 
  • AI has fundamentally shifted SEO strategies—and company websites are seeing traffic tank.
  • Social media ads continue to get more and more expensive.

It’s bad news on top of bad news.  

At times, it feels like the entire marketing world is on fire, and most of us are simply pushing forward, saying, “This is fine.”

"This Is Fine" Comic Strip
The response of marketers everywhere.

But it’s not fine. Companies that refuse to evolve will be left behind, and the ones that jump into the forefront will be those who leverage the latest tech developments and marketing best practices to their own advantage. 

How to Tech- And News-Proof Your Marketing Efforts

Don’t let the latest digital marketing developments completely derail your current strategy. Here are some adjustments you can make: 

How to Build Your Marketing Strategy Infographic

1. Build Your Own Audience

Your email list is worth its weight in Bitcoin. 

With the decline of third-party cookies and the rising costs of digital ads, owning your audience gives you a direct line to customers and potential customers—without being subject to the whims of shifting algorithms or legal cases. 

Building a strong email list is so important, we dedicated time to discussing it during our recent Email Marketing webinar: 

Some of the strategies you can use to grow your email list:

  1. Add a sign-up form on your website. 
  2. Promote sign-ups through social media. 
  3. Create email referral opportunities. 
  4. Collect email addresses through your ad campaigns.
  5. Encourage new sign-ups while networking. 
  6. Add a pop-up offer on your website. 
  7. Use a lead generation magnet on your website. 
  8. Add a newsletter sign-up at checkout. 
  9. Add a newsletter sign-up in your contact form. 

By the way: Social media audiences are great, too, but they risk the same problem we’re currently seeing with Google. If Facebook or Instagram or TikTok suddenly disappears, the audiences you’ve worked so hard to build vanish as well. 

Establish meaningful connections with your audience. Build your community. Generate results. 

2. Optimize For Conversions

If you have any sort of digital footprint, work for conversions. Acquiring new traffic is about to become more challenging and expensive, so you’ll need to maximize the value of every site visit. 

Consider this: The average website bounce rate is 37%, according to HubSpot’s 2023 traffic report. In plain English: 37% of site visitors are leaving without taking a single action. 

That means only 67% of visitors are doing something, but it’s doubtful they’re all taking high-value actions. 

Pay close attention to those money-generating actions, such as:

  • Contact form completions
  • Phone calls from the website
  • Cart completions

Those are the actions that matter most to your bottom line. 

3. Explore New Opportunities For Real-World Activations

Digital spaces are more crowded and competitive than ever before, but real-world activations—like hosting live events or creating in-person marketing beats—offer a way to cut through the noise and create memorable, tangible experiences for customers. 

And remember when we talked about building community and creating genuine connections? 

Real-world activations are a powerful way to make that happen. A few examples:

  1. Pop-Up Shops – Don’t limit your brand to a single office or storefront. Pop-ups get your brand into untapped spaces to make genuine one-on-one connections with your target audience. 
  2. Unique Experiences – Think of Red Bull’s extreme sports events and publicized stunts. These earn millions of impressions and better align the Red Bull brand with its sense of danger and adrenaline. 
  3. Interactive Installations – Create immersive experiences that invite customers to engage with your brand in a unique way. Whether it’s an art installation that ties into your brand story or a digital experience that interacts with passersby, these installations create buzz and draw people in.
  4. Live Product Demos – Bring your products directly to your audience by hosting live demonstrations in high-traffic areas. Whether it’s a cooking demo in a shopping mall or a tech showcase at a trade fair, live demos let potential customers experience your products firsthand, ask questions, and see their benefits in real time. 
  5. Community Engagement – Host or participate in events that bring your community together, such as charity runs, local fairs, or workshops. By aligning your brand with positive community action, you not only build goodwill but also establish deeper, more personal connections with your audience. Patagonia’s environmental clean-up events, for example, reinforce its commitment to sustainability and resonate with the company’s eco-conscious customer base.
  6. Sponsoring Local Events – Partner with local events, festivals, or sports teams to increase brand visibility and establish a local presence. Sponsoring an event shows your brand’s commitment to the community and allows you to reach a targeted audience in a setting they already trust and enjoy. Starbucks often sponsors music festivals and provides comfortable spaces for festival-goers, strengthening its image as a go-to brand for relaxation and community.
  7. Holiday Parties – Host a holiday-themed event that aligns with your brand’s values and offers your audience a festive, enjoyable experience. Whether it’s a Halloween haunted house, a Christmas charity event, or a New Year’s Eve celebration, holiday parties offer a fun way to engage with your audience, generate positive associations with your brand, and create shareable moments.

Oh, and these don’t have to be intimidating. Check out our eBook on how to launch an event on a budget (and even turn a profit before it starts): 

The Events eBook

Find Support Navigating Major Digital Marketing Shifts

If you’d like consistent, measured guidance through the constant barrage of marketing updates, contact us. We can help you navigate the storm for superior business outcomes.