As we head into fall, it’s time to start planning our marketing efforts for 2025. Here are some of the trends we expect to see. As always, what works for you will depend on your target market, your overall marketing goals and strategies, and your resources. As we head into uncharted technological territory, a good deal will also depend on your technical abilities and personal ethics. Here are some things coming our way in 2025:
- Very personal personalization. Marketing professionals will be creating even smaller and more precise target markets. Personalization has been a trend for years, but recent advances in AI and data analytics will enable brands to deliver highly tailored content, offers, and experiences to individual consumers. Expect to see marketing strategies that are not just segmented by demographics but are drilled down to address the needs and interests of extremely specific groups. The role of micro-influencers will continue to grow as brands strive to forge authentic connections with consumers. In design, expect to see personalized content, dynamic layouts, and websites that adapt to user behavior.
- AI Content. Like it or not, more of what we see next year will be generated by AI. Blogs, product descriptions, social posts, and even entire layouts and designs will be brought to you by the bots. This will certainly relieve some of the marketing load and help people scale their efforts. Whether AI will be good or bad for artists, writers, and society itself is still a bit of a question. One caveat: legal issues of copyright are still being sorted out. A good policy is to have at least a couple sets of human eyes look at anything that your business publishes, even online. You are responsible for infringements on copyright and trademark and you can be held accountable for libel if you publish untrue defamatory information even if your content is written or created by AI.
- Interactive Email. Email marketing still has one of the highest ROIs in the business, in spite of how old school it feels these days. In 2025, it will evolve to keep up with the times by becoming more content-rich and interactive, with dynamic content that responds to user behavior (personalized product recommendations, embedded videos, polls, etc.). As inboxes remain crowded, marketers will try to stand out and capitalize on nostalgia by leaning in to the old-school perception. Expect personalized interactive emails that aim for a more intimate and authentic feeling than social media posts.
- Sustainability. Marketing and design have never exactly been known for environmentally friendly practices, but that will change as audiences come to expect and demand sustainable practices. Look for lower data loads, energy-efficient coding, and sustainable materials in print. Brands will publicize their commitment to sustainability, and those that are genuine will likely be rewarded by consumers, particularly younger ones.
- An explosion of AR (Augmented Reality). AR is set to revolutionize how users interact with products and services online. Whether it’s trying on clothes, placing furniture in a room, or visualizing products in 3D, augmented reality will become a standard feature for e-commerce and interactive websites. Look for these immersive experiences to become common as users come to expect the ability to try before they buy.
- SEO for voice. As voice-activated devices become more prevalent, optimizing for voice search will be crucial. Voice searches already account for 27% of online searches, and that number is growing by the day. People who search by voice use more natural language and typically search in the form of a question. People typing tend to use short phrases. To keep search rankings high, optimizing for voice search will need to be part of every Search Engine Optimization strategy going forward.
- Social media as a store. Social media platforms are rapidly evolving into shopping destinations, and by 2025, social commerce will be a dominant force in the retail landscape. Brands will optimize their social media channels not just for engagement but for seamless shopping experiences. Shoppable posts, live-streamed sales events, and integrated checkout processes will become standard as consumers increasingly turn to social media to discover and purchase products.
Substance and Style 