Quick Note from the Head of Global Content
If you look at the stats, there are 32 million small businesses in the US as of 2022, accounting for 99 percent of all US businesses. However, almost 20 percent of all small businesses close within the first year and nearly half within five years. It’s no small feat to reach day one, never mind year five.
Looking back 5 years, MDINC has changed and adapted to the climate of digital content and content marketing. Our philosophy is if the algorithm can change every few quarters, so can we. Read on for a first-hand perspective of a content journey from several on-staff content creators.
Digital Marketing Changes
You’ve heard of the “shoemakers children” complex where the shoemaker fixed everyones’ shoes except his own. Why? Because he wasn’t paid to fix his own. However, imagine what it would do for his marketing if the children had the nicest shoes. So to apply that to digital marketing changes.
Some digital marketing changes over the past five years:
- Google will not track cookies starting in 2022
- TikTok is an ever-growing platform for short-form video content
- Marketers will have to focus on firsthand data due to Apple’s privacy changes
- Forgoing video is no longer an option
- Nostalgia and conversational marketing matter
SEM Changes
When MDINC first started, SEM was not its strong suit. We knew how to tell when a campaign was inefficient but not how to set it up. SEO was the preferred method for web traffic. However, with a few strategic conversations, SEM was still not our strong suit (we’re being honest). So, we partnered with an agency that excels from its execution to its analytics—and of course, the results spoke for themselves.
Why is it good to work with an SEM agency? For one, they do all the work. They have all the brainpower behind their analytics. Best of all, a dollar spent is a dollar spent. When Google charges you $12.00 per click, some SEM agencies will charge you $12.00 plus an administration fee of 10-30 percent. Wow.
When you work with a team that is vested in their industry and invested in yours, you have more to gain and less to lose.
Video Marketing Changes
Five years is a long time to do anything. It’s an even longer time when you ignore the power of video marketing and the influence Reels, TikToks, and YouTube can have on a brand. Gone are the days of awkward videos with an overproduced shot of a man in a wrinkly dresshirt. Now we have 5-second videos that pique the interest of a viewer so much they take action, share with friends, borrow the audio, and even engage with a brand.
Who knew five seconds could have so much impact? Someone in Silicon Valley clearly did, but it’s taken off since March 2020.
When you make yourself and your brand accessible, relatable, and consistent, you have mastered video marketing and ridden the wave of change successfully.
SEO Marketing Changes
If we look back 15 years, 10 years, and even 5 years, the SEO landscape has changed so much. The Panda update by Google nearly shut off the entirety of eBay. What changed? The rules. It’s not that eBay was breaking them. Simply put, eBay did a great job with its SEO due to the large volume of content-rich product descriptions, with the appropriate headings, minimal HTML, useful photos, and informative links.
Fast forward to May 2022 and “blackhat” SEO is almost a thing of the past (ahem, Amazon). People are using metatags, meta descriptions, and alt text in the back of all images. They’re optimizing the headings. They’re creating 500-word and 1000+ word blogs on the regular. Essentially, they are making the investments beyond the content a client reads on a page.
Graphic Design Changes
In 2022 we have Canva. Five years ago — and today — we have Adobe products. Canva has made graphic design (and social media) easier for the startup company to utilize and inexpensive for the pocketbook. However, along with that comes the time needed to create the brand voice—visually. The goal of a business is to have a successful business. There is a point where Canva is no longer the more cost-effective option because of the amount of time needed to create cohesive content.
However, if not for companies like Canva, many startups wouldn’t have the ability to create great images, graphics, videos, and more, so we are appreciative.
Recapping Five Years
Along with all of the above changes, we’ve seen changes in our staff. Priding ourselves on hiring those with talent that might not otherwise find meaningful work, we have over 400 men and women on the team. They’ve lived off Wi-Fi and electricity worldwide before it was acceptable to work from home. A 24-hour work cycle means projects are completed quickly. We can afford to have multiple eyes for quality checks and multiple ears for audio tasks.
MDINC has grown alongside its clients and within its industries. Contact us today and learn how we can help you grow in the next five years.
