The marketing world is always evolving, and with new tools like data-driven platforms, generative AI, and social media, it’s moving faster than ever. For marketers, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year with fresh opportunities and challenges in digital marketing, public relations, and paid advertising.
So, what’s the best move? Stay ahead of the curve and roll with the changes as they happen. To stay in the loop, check out these ten marketing trends as you map out your 2025 strategy.
What Can We Expect for 2025?
As we head into 2025, it’s a great time to look back at the trends that truly took off in 2024. This past year felt like a turning point for marketing. Generative AI tools became more mainstream, transforming the way we work. At the same time, social media has evolved at a rapid pace, with the rise of short video formats and the boom of social commerce, both of which have significantly changed how brands engage with their audiences.
Many of these trends will continue to grow in 2025. With that in mind, here’s my list of marketing trends to keep an eye on in the year ahead.
10 Marketing Trends to Watch for in 2025
Here are my top ten trends in 2025 to look out for the upcoming year:
- Generative AI
- User-Generated Content
- Chatbot Apps
- Strategic Social Media Channels
- Data-Driven Marketing
- Zero-Click Marketing
- Multi-Channel Marketing
- Nano and Micro Influencers
- Strategic Prospecting & Outreach
- Digital PR
Let’s dive into each trend!
1. Tap Into Generative AI
Generative AI has really taken off in recent years and is definitely a marketing trend to monitor and experiment with even more in 2025.
What’s great about generative AI is how it allows for deep personalization in marketing, making it easier than ever to connect with your target audience in a meaningful way. With AI-driven content creation, you can let the AI handle most of the heavy lifting, like brainstorming, writing copy, and designing visuals, so you can spend more time focusing on the big picture—strategy and creativity.
2. Leverage User-Generated Content
Unlike traditional marketing content, user-generated content is created by customers or loyal brand advocates. This kind of content boosts engagement on social media because it feels more authentic and relatable. When people see content created by others, it comes across as more organic, which naturally sparks curiosity and encourages others to explore and learn more. Plus, it builds trust—if real customers are talking about your brand, it feels more genuine, and that can have a big impact on how potential customers view your business.
3. Integrate Chatbot Apps
The growing use of chatbot apps is giving marketers more freedom to focus on what they do best. With chatbots handling basic questions and providing general info to customers, marketers can dive into tasks that really need their expertise (and gain the time to do it). Plus, these chatbots are smart—they learn how to engage with customers, making them a great tool for boosting brand awareness.
As chatbots keep getting smarter, they’ll not only improve customer interactions but also offer valuable insights that help marketers fine-tune their strategies. The big win? They save time and resources by streamlining customer service, which allows businesses to respond faster. That means more time for the creative, high-impact work that really drives growth.
4. Maximize Strategic Social Media Channels
New social media apps seem to pop up every day. As social media platforms keep growing in popularity, marketers are making the most of them to connect with their target audience. One of the biggest trends in recent years, and continuing into 2025, is short-form video content—an easy, fast way to get your brand in front of more people in less time.
Picking the right social media platform really comes down to your business, industry, and most importantly—your audience. “Go where your customers are” definitely applies to your social media game. Focus on where your audience spends their time, and then shape your strategy and messaging to connect with them to gain the most impact.
5. Adopt Data-Driven Marketing
With so many marketing platforms available, data-driven marketing has become a more targeted marketing strategy over the past few years, and should continue to grow in the coming year.
By analyzing metrics and data to understand who’s engaging with your content, you can create marketing campaigns that effectively target your ideal audience. This data helps you refine your strategy to connect with a more focused and relevant group of potential customers.
Data-driven marketing ultimately helps you become more effective and efficient with your marketing. It also delivers the highest return on your investment (ROI) possible for your time, resources, and budget. By focusing on what works and eliminating guesswork, you can make smarter decisions that drive better results and long-term success.
6. Get on Board with Zero-Click Marketing
Zero-click marketing is a marketing strategy that delivers information to users without requiring them to click to an external website or page. With changes in how Google search functions over the past few years, users can now view answers to questions directly from a Google search.
With zero-click marketing, businesses can create content so Google can pull an answer directly from their website to be shown on the top of the search results pages. This approach helps businesses increase visibility and reach their audience right where they are, without relying on clicks. More than just a trend, it’s about being the first solution people see when they search for results.
7. Multi-Channel Marketing
If you’re spending time on marketing, you want your marketing to work across multiple channels. Just because someone discovers your brand on one platform doesn’t mean they’ll automatically visit your website or make a purchase. That’s why having a full multi-channel marketing strategy is key to building lasting relationships with your audience.
Looking ahead to 2025, businesses can tap into strategies like retargeting to keep their brand front and center, to improve engagement and ultimately boost the bottom line. It’s all about meeting your customers where they are and staying connected.
8. Nano and Micro Influencers
Partnering with influencers is a great way to boost brand awareness, but not every brand has the budget for top-tier influencers with thousands or even millions of followers. The good news? You don’t need them. Even smaller, niche influencers can make a big impact.
Look for up-and-coming influencers with a more modest following who really ‘get your brand’ and align with what you stand for. They’ll often have more engaged audiences, and their authenticity can be a perfect match for your marketing goals. As always, be a smart marketer. Understand what you’re agreeing to and getting in return.
9. Strategic Prospecting & Outreach
Instead of waiting for users to visit your website or social media pages, strategic outreach flips the script by reaching out directly to your audience on a one-on-one basis. The trick is to carefully choose the right contacts from companies that make sense for your brand to do business with.
Strategic prospecting is a smart way to get your content in front of the right people; your job is to follow up and keep the conversation going. This personal touch sparks a human connection and drives engagement, especially when you’re timely in your responses. It won’t take long before you know if your messaging and offer are working or not. Since you’re reaching out to just one person at a time, making adjustments is easy. You can tweak your pitch as many times as you need until you start getting the results you’re looking for.
10. Invest in Digital PR
PR is making a comeback—digital PR, that is.
In 2025, it’s all about building online relationships and gaining exposure through influencers, online publications, and social media mentions. That’s why Digital PR is a great public relations strategy for small business – it helps boost your brand’s visibility, improve SEO, and build trust with your audience. Whether it’s securing online media coverage, gaining those important backlinks, or collaborating with bloggers and influencers, digital PR is a must-have in your marketing toolkit for the coming year.
It’s not just about traditional press anymore; it’s about creating buzz where your audience is already spending time. Whether that’s on social media, through influencers, or online publications and communities, meeting them where they are is key to gaining their attention and keeping them engaged.
Closing Out: Marketing in 2025
As you plan for 2025, be sure to work these trends into your marketing strategy. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a small business or part of a bigger company, these trends can be tailored to fit your goals and help you stand out.
From testing out AI to mastering digital PR, these tactics aren’t just for the big guys—they can work for businesses of all sizes. My advice? Stay ahead of the game and be ready to pivot when needed. Get in early, and you’ll give your brand a real competitive edge. Watch how these strategies can level up your marketing in 2025 and beyond.
And remember, you can always tweak what’s not working—there’s no such thing as perfect in marketing!
Robin Samora is a marketing & PR expert based in Massachusetts, helping small businesses create long-term marketing plans and strategies.
Get started today – schedule your intro call with Robin.
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