2025 digital marketing trends

Q1 is almost over, so it’s probably about time we reflect on the last few months to see whether some of the predicted digital marketing trends are coming to life – and what you can do to weave them into your strategy.

Sustainability-focused messaging

We are now in a generation where making ‘responsible’ purchases is driving our decision-making, and this will only become more and more important over time. You can spot the green-washers a mile off, so when you’re giving yourself a pat on the back for playing your part, make sure you share this in a humble way. It doesn’t have to be your ‘core’ brand message, but it’s important it’s a part of your brand communications. Human-centric story telling and purpose-driven partnerships, combined with clear communication to the rising expectations of consumers will give you an edge against your competitors.

AI is becoming the backbone of search

You may have noticed when you hop onto your usual Google search, there’s a very neat summary at the top, pulling together the most valuable answers from several sources where they think the content is richest. Yes, Google is trying to keep your website clicks down and stick you to their search engine – but this is exactly why SEO is becoming more and more important. What’s on your site and digital channels will be pulled into these summaries, so if you want to make the convenient cut, you’ve got to keep your website content top-notch.

Hyper-personalisation is still centre stage

Consumers expect more relevant content delivered to their inboxes and ads – whether you pop in their location, name-drop them, or surface an image relevant to their last purchase. Hyper-personalisation is on the rise, and it isn’t going to slow down. This is only possible if you prioritise data. Are you capturing what you need from your customers or leads to make sure you can speak to them directly, rather than relying on old-school blanket communications?

Video content continues to dominate

It’s no real surprise that video content continues to be the number one format consumed when scrolling. Lo-fi video doesn’t have to be expensive to produce, but it does need to be creative and trend-led. Half of the content creators out there are doing the hard graft of content trend-spotting for you, so when you’re next deep in social media, take a look at what’s scoring great engagement in your industry – and how you can adapt this to your business.

Multi-platform search

Google has played a clever game with AI summaries of your search terms. But alongside this, consumers are gravitating more and more towards AI with ChatGPT, and also heading over to social for their usual Google searches. User-generated content is becoming increasingly important across social platforms for ‘real’, unbiased reviews of your service or product – where to go for their next trip or a creator’s favourite finds when out and about. ChatGPT is now the new itinerary planner, suggestion maker, and guru when it comes to challenging questions. Don’t discount reviews – as much as we want to shout about our brands on our own channels, the likes of TripAdvisor and Trustpilot are gaining traction for their authenticity.

Let’s see if these trends stand the test of time – or what new trends could unfold. If you’re ready to see how you can switch up your marketing strategy to tap into some growth opportunities, get in touch!