According to District of Columbia Attorney General, Carl Racine that is the reason 50 of the nation’s AG’s have launched an investigation of Google. The potential blowback from any action against Google will have an affect on corporate America perhaps not seen since the mandated AT&T to break up the “Baby Bell’s,” because the U.S Department of Justice ruled it was a monopoly. No one ever thought that would happen! Fast forward 37-years to last week when a group of the AG’s gathered to announce their investigation.
Texas AG, Ken Paxton gave a nod where the investigation is headed by stating, “This is a company that dominates all aspects of advertising and searching on the Internet as they dominate the buyer side, the seller side, auction side and even the video side with YouTube.”
Whatever opinion you hold of Google be prepared for government action on some level. How often does the #DOJ, #FBI, #IRS and the state’s #AG’s launch an investigation and find or rule on nothing? For those using Google ads to promote their product, or service this could be a foghorn warning of impending trouble.
While it’s not time to bail on Google it is time to take the longview of your online and web marketing platform and presence. Ask your digital media firm what they suggest, or how they are approaching the Google investigation. No one needs to panic, but you need to be prepared. A plan “B” is always good to have.
A wise company will employ a strong #content marketing effort. Think along the lines of a pending recession, or stock market dive. You don’t want to panic, but you need to have a gameplan. No need to speculate on whether we will see a neutered Google, a seriously fined Google with mandated changes, or a monopoly ruling. Many in the communications industry would argue ATT has emerged stronger and more balanced.
In 2018 Google had gross sales of $136B+. When the government split ATT in the 80’s they had $72B+ in revenue. The #ShermanAntitrustAct was applied. Google’s revenue in 2018 was $136B and over $100B was from advertising. In 2018 ATT reported $47.99B in revenue. Do the math.
So what should you do? Don’t panic. Work with your digital media firm, or advisors to develop a plan. #ContentMarketing is one of the best ways to go. Content marketing is a process that creates valuable, relevant, engaging content to engage an audience. The goal of content marketing is to drive customer action that translates into profits. Content marketing is measurable. It only seeks to cut through the noise of your competition and stay ahead of them.
Content marketing can use Google, Bing, Yahoo, or other search engines as well as a plethora of marketing options. Content marketing is the simple, clear and compelling telling of your company, product, or services story. It cuts through the noise of the competition.
Content marketing can be applied to the web, social media, targeted email, print, and everything you do. Through content marketing you can build your own brand and marketing platform without being dependent on any single provider. Instead of leasing content, or space you are leveraging your own content and positioning it to your target audience. You own it! Imagine building awareness for your brand in ways you are not currently utilizing then developing a loyal brand customer by reaching more people at lower costs.
It’s possible and it’s easy. All you need to do is contact a digital marketing firm that understands content marketing.
WebSpeak Media has been specializing in content marketing for a diverse group of satisfied clients for several years. Contact us today about your content marketing possibilities.
Charles Carter, Partner
Charlie Carter, Partner
102 Trade Street Greer, SC 29651
(Google image: Karen Bleier/Gettys Images)
