Undoubtedly, 2025 will be a year of sharpening our focus when practicing digital marketing. The challenges and disruptions brought on by the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and economic uncertainty will make it a year like no other.
However, businesses cannot press pause on 2025, planning to wait and see how things will unfold. To continue to grow (and survive), business leaders need to put strategies in place now. And marketing has a major role to play.
To help your business find clarity amidst uncertainty and move forward confidently, we searched what Google leaders think about the top marketing trends and predictions for 2025. Their insights will help guide you as we head into the new year.
Top Digital Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2025
- More inclusive media planning
- Advertising with a purpose
- Privacy and peace of mind
- It’s Gen Z’s world (we’re just living in it)
- Super apps set super (app) expectations
- Snackable, short-form videos
- Social media commerce
- Interactive content
- Influencer marketing
- SMS Marketing
- AI in SEO & Marketing
- Pay Per Call Marketing
Let’s discuss these and more in detail below:
1. More Inclusive Media Planning
With consumers becoming more conscious of social and political issues, businesses are pressured to ensure their media planning is more inclusive. This includes ensuring their marketing efforts represent various cultures, ages, and backgrounds. This trend will likely continue in 2025, with businesses expected to make a greater effort to be more inclusive in their media planning and advertising.
2. Advertising With a Purpose
As consumers become more conscious of the impact of businesses on society and the environment, they are more likely to gravitate towards brands that have a purpose beyond just making a profit. As such, more businesses are expected to align their marketing efforts with a social or environmental cause in 2025.
According to Dealfront, targeted ads are more likely to reach your prospects. If you’re marketing towards Millennials or Gen Z, it pays to be an eco-friendly company. You can conduct a PPC audit and check which of your targeted ads bring the best results.
3. Privacy and Peace of Mind
With data breaches and privacy concerns becoming more prevalent, consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of protecting their personal information. As such, businesses are expected to emphasize providing transparent and secure data practices in 2025.
This means businesses must implement stronger security measures and provide clear and easy-to-understand privacy policies to give customers peace of mind and trust.
4. It’s Gen Z’s World (We’re Just Living in It)
As the oldest members of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) start to enter the workforce and become major consumers, businesses will need to adapt to meet their unique needs and preferences.
This generation is known for its fluency with digital technologies and social and political awareness, and they are more likely to be influenced by these factors when purchasing decisions. Businesses need to understand the Gen Z perspective and tailor their strategies accordingly.
5. Super Apps Set Super (App) Expectations
With the rise of super apps like WeChat, Alipay, and Gojek, businesses must up their game to provide an all-in-one experience for their customers. Super apps allow users to access a wide range of services and features from one central location, and businesses will need to provide a similar level of convenience to keep pace with this trend.
6. Snackable, Short-Form Videos
With the increase of mobile usage and the rise of platforms like TikTok, the trend for short-form, snackable videos will likely continue in 2025.
These videos are quick and easy to consume, and businesses are expected to create more short-form videos to keep their audience's attention. They are also great for storytelling, providing information, and also be a good way to repurpose existing content.
7. Social Media Commerce
Social media platforms are becoming increasingly popular as shopping destinations, and more businesses are expected to incorporate social media commerce into their digital marketing strategies in 2025.
Platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok are introducing new features that allow businesses to sell products directly through their social media profiles.
For example, if you add a link to your TikTok bio, your businesses can drive traffic to their online stores or specific product pages. This allows businesses to reach customers where they are already spending a lot of time and can help to increase conversions and sales.
8. Interactive Content
Interactive content can be an effective way to engage with customers and generate leads. Quizzes, polls, and other interactive content can generate leads and nurture them through the funnel by allowing users to engage with your brand.
With Quiz Maker, you can craft tailored quizzes that resonate with your audience, drive lead generation, and effortlessly funnel nurturing. Interactive content lets you gain valuable insights into your customers' preferences and interests.
9. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing can be an effective way to reach new customers and generate leads. By working with the right influencers with a large and engaged following in your industry, you can tap into their audience and reach people likely to be interested in your products or services. Influencer marketing can also build trust and credibility for your brand.
10. SMS Marketing
Digital marketing trends in 2025 also include directly connecting with clients through texts. This was a great development in 2024 and will see a rise in 2025. Along with push notifications and email marketing, the use of SMS messages to engage customers is projected to increase. Once they opt-in, this tool sends text messages directly to your clients.
Common uses of SMS marketing include promotions, coupons, and personalized messages. Keep these messages short and make sure your customers can opt out. Be sure to choose a business phone plan that allows you to text from the computer because it’ll make SMS correspondence a breeze.
11. AI in SEO & Marketing
AI can be used in SEO to improve keyword research, content optimization, and competitive analysis. AI can analyze data, see which pages rank above yours, and tell you how to raise your brand's profile. AI can also generate content ideas, optimize on-page elements, analyze backlinks, and offer recommendations for improving search rankings.
Marketers can also use AI SEO tools to optimize their Google Business Profile and generate meta tags, headings and other on-page elements crucial for SEO success. An NYC web design company can integrate these AI-driven SEO strategies into a cohesive and effective website design for businesses in the Big Apple seeking a holistic approach to their online presence.
Collaborating with a reputable digital growth agency like IntentFarm can further enhance the implementation of AI strategies, ensuring a comprehensive and tailored approach to digital marketing success.
A great example is the ProfilePro Chrome extension from Merchynt that helps businesses optimize their Google Business Profile - for free. ProfilePro uses AI to learn about a business then optimizes its Google Maps SEO, responds to reviews, writes Google posts, creates images, and more with the click of a button.
12. Pay Per Call Marketing
Another growing trend, especially amongst businesses that offer services as opposed to selling products, is pay-per-call marketing. As it sounds, pay-per-call marketing allows advertisers to purchase phone calls from potential customers needing their service. This type of digital marketing is trendy among home service contractors, insurance providers, law firms, and medical professionals such as dentists, chiropractors, etc.
There are many pay-per-call networks out there that cater to various industries. While each might operate slightly differently, the goal remains the same: produce phone calls from potential customers. Advertisers are typically willing to pay considerably more for these types of phone calls because customers who are willing to pick up the phone and call a provider are serious about purchasing services.
For service businesses considering pay-per-call marketing, it's important to have a solid phone system in place to ensure you're able to answer the phone and that you've properly trained call takers on how to convince potential customers they are the right choice for their service needs.
Conclusion
It's important to note that these trends are not mutually exclusive. Businesses should consider how these different trends intersect and how they can use them in an integrated way to maximize their impact. Additionally, businesses must stay informed and adapt their strategies as needed as the digital landscape constantly evolves.