Sink or Swim: Why Brands Must Act in 2025

Traditional search and social marketing are sinking. The fundamentals are rising again. It’s time to choose: sink… or swim.

There’s a major shift underway.

The tools that once drove discovery and brand growth — traditional internet search and mainstream social media marketing — no longer appear to be delivering the same return on investment or reach. Companies are reporting pouring marketing dollars into these channels and watching the returns shrink to an all-time low. What once looked like growth now feels more like bailing water on a sinking ship. It’s time to change course or get left behind.

And here’s the part no one can deny: every day we see “marketing experts” running ads on mainstream social media about how good they are at marketing — yet in many cases, even their own posts struggle to gain any real traction. When a marketing company can’t market itself, there’s a bigger problem.

Traditional internet search is now cluttered with ads and SEO-driven noise. Social feeds are overcrowded, with reach shrinking while paid results cost more, deliver less, and in reality may not even reach your true target market.

The evidence is clear: A survey reported by "The Australian" in June 2025 found businesses have lost up to 70% of their internet search traffic — a result of users shifting away from cluttered traditional search platforms in favour of AI search tools like ChatGPT, which deliver sharp, concise answers in seconds. No wading through ads. No sifting through bias and noise.

I have a plan that turns this shift into an advantage. Because here’s the twist: what’s working again looks a lot like what always worked.

✅ Websites — your credibility hub

✅ Blogs and strategic website text — provide the depth AI search seeks out 

and users alike rely on

✅ Quality Video — the trust trigger that showcases your brand, educates, 

 and delivers credibility

✅ LinkedIn posts — the professional distribution engine that amplifies your 

authority and keeps your brand visible where it matters most

Why does this work now? Because AI search tools like ChatGPT don’t rely on cluttered ad systems — they surface credible, high-quality content from websites, blogs, LinkedIn posts, and videos to deliver answers and ultimately direct prospects back to your mothership. Think of it as a yellow brick road leading straight to your brand — where trust, storytelling, and credibility live.

At Everforge Media, we’re already seeing long-term clients shift back to credible video creation and brand storytelling — housed on their own platforms, ready to ride this new wave.

The hacks are over. The fundamentals are back.

Brands that act now will win.