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2025 is here. We’ve networked with our experts to come up with what they believe will be the top marketing trends for this year. Here’s what we found.
1. Identifying the Right Video Platforms
Over the past ten years, smart televisions have become the standard, and the choice between broadcast (cable) and streaming TV is no longer an issue. Broadcast television still reaches more people and households; however, more than half of the population says that most of their TV watching is done through streaming. That leaves many smaller local businesses wondering where to place their television ads.
The answer is to figure out the viewing habits of the people you’re trying to reach. They differ across a range of demographics and geographies. Many people, especially older ones in the suburbs, continue to watch broadcast TV, while consumers in other demographics, especially young urban people and families, prefer Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) or Ad-Based Video on Demand (AVOD).
Businesses that understand their buyer viewing habits will be better able to achieve advertising success in 2025. If you don’t know what your audience base watches, ask your current customers. They can provide the direction you need to advertise in the right places.
2. Get Social Media Right
According to Kantar’s Media Reactions for 2024, 31 percent of people pay attention to ads on social media, a significant decrease from last year’s 43 percent. And the trend is expected to continue in 2025.
Some of this can be attributed to people’s reduced attention spans, which have fallen to just a few seconds when they are online. Another issue is disenchantment with — and distrust of — social media.
This has raised the bar for capturing people’s attention on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and Linkedin.
Similar to our conclusion in the previous section, what’s critical is to understand your consumers, where they spend time on social media, and the content they would find valuable from your organization. If you don’t know these things, talk to your current customers to find out where they engage with social media and what they want to hear from your business, or conduct a survey or host a focus group to find out.
Social media engagement is no longer assumed. In 2025, it will absolutely have to be earned.
3. Business Owners and Marketers Take Control Over Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The discussions about Generative AI continue. New capabilities, claims, and concerns emerge every day. This is a challenge for small businesses that want to know where and how to leverage AI in their marketing and other parts of their operations.
In 2025, it will be critical to understand where the data that feeds AI-powered apps comes from. Good data in will help prevent bad AI insights out.
It’s also critical to thoroughly review any consumer-facing AI insights before releasing them. Being cautious will help prevent anything incorrect from having a negative impact on buyers and prospects, which could seriously harm the reputation of your business.
In 2025, AI will still be a growing force in marketing and business operations. However, it is not the panacea everyone thought it would be. What’s critical is to control your use of artificial intelligence and not let it control you.
4. Sustainability Becomes Central to Small Business Marketing
Does any aspect of your operation impact the environment?
Across the United States and worldwide, people (in some studies, more than nine of ten) say they want to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
This is forcing small businesses to view sustainability as a risk and opportunity. A small percentage of them have addressed sustainability in their marketing and communications, often to great success because it differentiates them from less aware competitors. Those who avoid facing sustainability head-on risk alienating consumers who care deeply about this issue.
If you haven’t limited environmental impact in your operation and integrated messaging about it into your marketing and communication, you not only miss the chance to engage with the vast majority of people who prefer to do business with companies that are environmentally aware, but you also risk alienating them and driving them to competitors who make the environment a cause.
5. Inclusion is Imperative
With their limited resources, small businesses often bypass the complexity of dealing with diversity in their marketing efforts. This could be a huge mistake.
In a connected world shaped by demographic shifts, inclusivity will continue to rise in importance because more and more people care about it. Generation Z and Millennials, those in the LGBTQ+ community and their advocates, individuals with thinking and learning differences and disabilities (and the people who love and care for them) are growing in number and spending power.
Small businesses that choose to ignore these groups do so at their peril. Not only will these consumers be less likely to do business with these companies, but it could completely alienate many people, significantly harming their brands.
2025 Trends: A Final Look
The world of small business marketing is changing at a faster pace than ever. And it will continue to do so in 2025 and beyond. Leverage the tips in this article to prepare for the year ahead and continue reading the Dodgeball Marketing and GoEpps blogs to learn about new trends as they emerge.
