Facebook has achieved global saturation and doesn’t have anyone else to sell its media product. That is the news.
For the first time, Facebook lost customers. And advertisers spent a little less with the company. That news caused their stock price to drop 20%, erasing $180 billion in value. Further, the company reports they cannot give solid estimates on future sales — all they can say is it will be down.
The digital industry — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google, and even emailing services — are being impacted by Apple customers refusing to share their address, age, location and personal interest with digital companies. That is the information Facebook and others require to give you cheap ads.
As a marketer, you depend on Facebook and Instagram to share your business message with the public or generate qualified sales leads from advertising. The picture is becoming clear — the harder it gets to reach customers digitally, you will need to invest more time and money. Facebook now flags media buyers with a message: past results may not indicate future performance. And present a more alarming message at the time of placement: To reach the same customer, it may cost double the price.
Tik Tok is now the market leader. They received the most internet traffic in the world during 2021; Google Search previously held that crown. Internet media is changing, and you may have to reevaluate your social media use because it has matured. Newspaper, radio and TV have a defined audience and price; social media is now the same boat — it's not the new kid on the block.
The next generation of media - namely the Metaverse - shows promise. However, Bermuda companies are at a disadvantage because the island's business community is not tech-centric.