“So maybe we're leaving or maybe we're staying, but we're staying as a person versus as a business owner. But then everyone is scattering. As a business, how are we marketing to people when it's diffuse? And then as a person, it's like, well, where's everyone going now? And how can I be there with my friends?” - Jessica
Every year, it feels like January is just the longest month ever.
But this year has felt like a whiplash between the beginning of the year until recording on January 24, 2025.
So we’ve broken from our schedule to cover a special “January 2025” state of play in the world of AI, algorithms, and automations.
Within the last week of us recording this…
Meta ended their fact-checking programs (and started hiding posts related to women’s reproductive rights)
TikTok - Ban, unban, back, re-ban?
The inauguration, with the “broligarchs” who control the attention front and center, in front of his cabinet picks
Gemini AI being shoved without notice or consent into Google Workspaces
And we didn’t even cover the flood of misinformation after the natural disasters over the last six months.
It’s enough to make a small business owner want to just curl up under a blanket and read romance novels. (And if you do, check out Meg’s other podcast, First Dates and Soulmates, for some good reads.)
But not marketing your business isn’t an option. And while being discovered by new leads was never truly free, it’s now more expensive than ever.
So how do you market your business when you’re tired of the platforms — both as a marketer and a consumer?
Should you leave the platforms, knowing what might fill the vacuum?
How do you navigate the morally gray areas of commerce, capitalism, and community?
We don’t have answers, because nobody does. We just simply have questions, and thoughts about how we might navigate this season. But hopefully this conversation can give you some food for thought about the questions we’re asking, and how these changes might have long-term ramifications on your overall marketing strategy — and mental health.
In today’s episode we discuss:
The shifting currency of power: why attention is the world’s most valuable resource
The cost of building your business on rented land, and what happens when the platform changes overnight
The thorny questions around staying or leaving social media platforms
What costs we might pay to leave the “free” platforms
How your potential client behavior factors into where you can connect with them, and how to operate when that’s not necessarily where you want to spend time
Why discernment is the word of the year when it comes to choosing where to put your time and attention
Mentioned Articles:
Illana Burk: I don’t really love social media but I’m not leaving
Amanda Natividad: The Digital Watercooler is Gone
Ezra Klein: Democrats are Losing the War for Attention. Badly.
“We have to work with the behavior of the people that we are trying to reach. And sometimes that means we have to step out of our comfort zone and go back into places that maybe we don't want to be spending our time for a short period… none of this is a perfect scenario. All of this feels very morally gray.” - Meg
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