Marketers are some of the nimblest workers out there – they know that the industry changes and in the blink of an eye what was working yesterday stops working today. Marketing depends entirely on the preferences of the customer and is constantly changing. So if you are not evolving with the times, you are potentially losing out on reaching your customers and driving sales for your organization. Staying ahead of trends is what allows your brand to maintain that competitive advantage.
AI in Marketing and Automation Take Center Stage
AI is everywhere and marketing is no exception. The use of AI-powered chatbots and VAs (virtual assistants) has been adopted to help enhance the customer experience, and AI-driven tools like ChatGPT, Jasper or Gemini are more popular than ever to help with efficiency in many areas of marketing including content creation, social media management and customer service.
Automation eliminates repetitive tasks to allow marketers to focus on creativity. Marketing automation tools help to scale your marketing efforts without the need to add additional resources. For example, for paid advertising, automation tools can optimize budget and ad performance in real-time in order to adjust copy and strategies for the best performance.
Personalization and Data-Driven Marketing
Another trend that is sure to continue throughout 2025 is using predictive analytics in marketing to analyze consumer behavior. This data allows for the hyper-personalization of marketing campaigns. AI-powered data-driven marketing creates ultra-targeted content that resonates with the right audience.
First-party data will be the foundation of your customer data strategy and inviting consumers to follow you, join any company programs or subscribe to newsletters will give you more access to your core audience. Investing in platforms that collect this data and use it to personalize experiences will build trust and turn insights into actionable results.
Video Content Domination
Beyond personalization, video marketing has been growing over the years, and is an important trend that businesses should be capitalizing on. Creating content that is engaging and user-friendly is top of mind for SEO and video content is the most engaging form. With more than 3.3 billion video viewers, people are more reliant on video content to help make decisions in their purchase journey. Videos allow for a way to engage the consumer with relatable content that helps inform the consumer on how a product or service works. The use of interactive video content is rising. This type of media gives users the ability to click, drag or scroll to interact with web content and provides a fun and engaging experience.
User-generated video content is also growing as your audience craves content that is trustworthy and authentic. Understanding this trend, creating videos to better market your brand for your website and social platforms like LinkedIn will have an impact on SEO and overall rankings. With social media dominating the landscape, businesses can use short-form video marketing on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts that really resonate with their audience.
The Future of E-Commerce through Social Platforms
Social commerce continues to grow in popularity, taking off in Asia and set to blow up worldwide. With growth of social media platforms and short-form video, it only makes sense that e-commerce brands take notice and shift strategies. Social shoppers grew from 97 million in 2021 to over 106 million in 2023 and the TikTok Shop has really been the lead driver of social commerce in the United States.
In order for this trend to continue, influencer marketing is crucial to promoting user-generated content and driving sales growth. Influencers are what help your brand to gain new followers and new consumers and attract them to try the recommended products. Influencers typically see the highest ranking and engagement on TikTok and other platforms. With the younger generations spending so much of their time on social media, having a brand presence and promoting your services and products via social channels will be key for 2025.
SEO: The Growing Importance of Voice Search Optimization
SEO is one component of marketing that seems to evolve year after year. Ranking in organic search really depends on how people are searching and how you are able to provide relevant information based on that, so any changes in user behavior can impact SEO. Voice search SEO is something that has grown year after year, and in 2025 is predicted to be a major influence in how people find their information.
Devices like Alexa and Siri have grown in popularity. Over 20% of people currently use voice search and over 13% of people in the United States make purchases via their smart speakers. For local businesses, 76% of the voice-activated search queries are focused on the user seeking a local business in their area. Voice search continues to rise, with the number of voice assistants expected to hit 153.5 million in 2025. That means that websites and business profiles must be optimized based on the way in which people are searching via these devices to be able to drive growth.
Let Us Take the HardPart Out of Staying Ahead of Trends
Marketing is dynamic and forever changing. Staying aware of the latest trends and implementing current best practices helps you to stay competitive in an evolving landscape. Ready to future-proof your marketing strategies?
Implement top marketing strategies to elevate your brand. Let our Scottsdale advertising experts handle the latest trends – so you can focus on growing your business! Contact us at HardPart Media today!