Rewind back to 2001, The top 3 websites in the UK were MSN, Yahoo, and eBay. Google was just popping its head in 12th position, as for Facebook and Twitter? The domains weren’t even registered, and the concepts hadn’t even popped into the heads of their creators yet. Needless to say, times change so don’t put all your eggs in the same basket when it comes to your business.
Some things haven’t changed
You could argue in the last ten years the top ten most popular websites have largely stayed the same; Amazon, Google, Facebook, and so on. The exact order might have changed around a bit year on year, but these prestige spots have remained relatively consistent for a decade now. That doesn’t mean to say this will remain for the next ten years.
Since 2017 there has been a wave of ‘Privacy Concern’ building. As such sites such as ‘Duck Duck Go’ have been clawing prime search real estate. Browsers such as Brave, which focuses heavily on Privacy are becoming ever more popular. Social Media big boys have been taking the brunt of user privacy concerns, and all the signs are, there is a Privacy Evolution on its way.
Just see what the Compensation Companies are chasing these days…”Victim of a data breach? No win no Fee”
What would your Online strategy have been ten years ago?
MySpace? Bebo? Facebook? Twitter? Two remain and still going strong, the other two… well let’s not go there. Needless to say if the majority of your business leads came from MySpace or MSN Search, you may have been in trouble. Review sites like Yelp and Yell.com ruled the roost. “Heard of Trustpilot or Trip Advisor?” Never heard of them in 2011.
Although some things have stayed consistent, the sites still at the tip of your tongue have had to move and fight to keep their dominance. Would Facebook be where it is now if it hadn’t bought Instagram, What’s App, and over 90 others around the world? What about Microsoft having to make Windows free, buying up Skype, Linked In, GitHub, Nokia, plus the literally hundreds of others. Even the big players can not afford to stand still. Sometimes it pays off, like with Linked In, others like Nokia, not so much.
Keep one eye on Trends and the other on the Horizon
It today’s fast moving world, time is the commodity we need the most. We can’t give ourselves more time, but we can make our time work better. Keep one eye on today’s trends, and business lead funnels, but keep the other looking into the distance at what’s coming next.
Ten or so years ago, the chances are at nearly every meeting, someone got out a Blackberry? Now, when was the last time that happened?
Today’s lead generation tunnels might be working, which is awesome! But what would happen if you lost your primary lead channel overnight? Keep a close eye on trends, your competitors, and big shifts in consumer actions and you will keep your lead generation in good shape.
Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket when it comes to your business
Thank you for reading, James x