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✨ the SPARK 199 ~ A Few Marketing Predictions (Observations?)

Change Is In The Air

Author

Kim Doyal
September 05, 2024

Welcome to the 199th issue of the SPARK, a weekly newsletter that helps you transform daily experiences into compelling content that
captivates and sells.

Part of my process for this newsletter is curating content, which means reading a lot and paying attention to trends (I know, duh).

I’m sure I could set up some sort of automation that did this for me, but I enjoy the process. In some ways, it feels a bit like a treasure hunt.

I’ve had my fair share of spot-on predictions in the past, but take this with a grain of salt. This is based on observations and gut feelings.

This might be a pretty good example of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon 👇:

It’s like getting a new car; suddenly, you see that car everywhere. It’s not like everyone went out and bought the same car at the same time… it’s just that your awareness of the car has increased.

So, I don’t doubt that some of these predictions are because of where my focus is and what I’m paying attention to (and how I feel, which is probably the most significant contributing factor).

I’m getting the general feeling that there is a lot of burnout in the creator and digital marketing space. 

Because I’ve been in this space for so long (and am feeling a bit of that burnout myself), my perspective may be skewed, but I have many friends I’ve known for a long time, and they feel that, too.

Here are my predictions/observations, followed by a little commentary:

  1. Websites: Fewer entrepreneurs are starting their online journey with a traditional website. Instead of creating a business website immediately, they pick a platform where their audience is and start publishing.

  2. Social Media: More and more entrepreneurs are consciously choosing to limit the platforms they use and focus on only one or two, not just because it’s a marketing strategy but because they’re tired of social media (and not getting results).

  3. High Ticket: There will always be a place for high ticket offers, but there’s a general distrust of the space. People seem less inclined to spend a couple thousand on a course, especially a self-paced course (as opposed to a cohort).

  4. AI Bubble: Is it me, or does this feel a bit like the dot-com bubble? AI isn’t going anywhere (thankfully, I love it), but the quick products that keep getting pumped out will go by the wayside. They’ll either be purchased by someone else, or people will realize it’s not worth it/necessary.

So, let’s address websites first.

Obviously, websites aren’t going anywhere; it’s just that the point at which someone needs one (again, think the creator/personal brand space - not small+ businesses) has changed.

The multitude of platforms people can begin publishing on (Medium, Substack, or YouTube, to name a few) is enough for anyone to get started. Sign up for an email marketing service that provides landing pages, and they can hit the ground running (some email service providers and Substack essentially give the creator a website as well).

If you want to sell a product or service, you can go with Gumroad and voila. No website is needed. I’d go so far as to say that some creators with websites may shift towards this model. It’s simpler and one less thing to maintain.

We all know social media isn’t going anywhere, but really, who needs to be on every platform? Engagement and traffic from social will be better with a more focused effort anyway.

Just typing ‘high ticket offers’ feels cheesy… but since I don’t have another name for it, we’ll stick with it.

It’s been a while since I’ve encountered anything high-ticket that even interested me (for what it’s worth, it’s the Growth.design guys ‘Product Psychology Masterclass course - I don’t have the bandwidth right now).

Too many things feel like they’re sold as high-ticket offers because of the revenue they generate rather than the value they provide.

I still read many AI newsletters (The Neuron is my favorite), all of which discuss funding (the amount of money being raised and valuations are mind-boggling), chips, and various models. Much of that is over my head, but I find it fascinating.

Because there’s so much invested in AI, I think we’ll see more prominent companies buy smaller companies (to add functionality to an existing product or product suite). We’ll be able to use the tools we already have (ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini do a lot already), or it will be easier to create what we need ourselves (without trying to create a SaaS or sellable product).

Whether or not these things happen or are happening, change is definitely in the air.

What do you think?

SPARK Spotlight 🔥

Another favorite newsletter… Visual Growth Letter.

I’ve exchanged a few emails with Ash Lamb (the creator), and he's a great guy who also creates a high-quality newsletter.

Side note: I connected with Ash simply in response to one of his newsletters. Never underestimate how such a simple act is so appreciated.

A Little Brainpower 🧠

If you haven’t read The Psychology of Influence, here’s a great cheat sheet. “The Best Summary of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.”

Tool Time 🛠

Completely dating myself here… 😅

We’re a week into Costa Rica, and while we’ve had a few beach walks (‘we’ being me & my dog 🐶), it’s rained just about every day (still in the low 80s).

There have been a few thunderstorms (which the dog really doesn’t like), but the sound of the rain has been lovely.

In this article on Medium, I shared in more detail our bumpy re-entry to Costa Rica and the shocker I had at the grocery store.

The cost of food has gone way up (I was given a heads-up, but I still wasn’t prepared). I’m going to Pricesmart on my way to pick a friend up from the airport (it’s like a mini Costco), so I’ll pick up some more there… hopefully at a better price.

Regardless, it’s been nice to take the time to get settled, and I’m looking forward to seeing more friends soon.

Have a wonderful day,
Kim