Digital Marketing Trends in 2025: Expectations and Recommendations

Every year, digital marketing brings fresh opportunities to drive impact—and 2025 promises to be no different. With game-changing advancements like generative AI tools and shifts in Google’s SEO algorithms, marketers are more empowered (and challenged) than ever.

Staying sharp on these trends will be essential to stand out. Here’s a look at 2025’s top digital marketing trends, covering the must-have tools, formats, and platforms, plus actionable insights you can put into play right now.

#1 The Evolving Use of AI Tools

Remember the tidal wave of hype and transformative promises when ChatGPT was launched back in 2022? Attracting over a million users within a week, ChatGPT undoubtedly represents a big step forward in mainstreaming the use of generative AI tools – and the new ChatGPT search feature even enables real-time web browsing.

Now that the dust has settled, though, the initial euphoria has given way to revised expectations. Rather than deploying generative AI to produce vast amounts of content in the blink of an eye, marketers ought to take a more considered approach.

Whether in blog articles or mailshots, AI-generated copy often lacks a distinct voice. Discerning readers can identify AI-generated content due to the tools’ tendency to overuse certain words, phrases and structures. Recent technical advances have also led to consumers developing higher expectations of company chatbots – so relying on rigid, rule-based solutions risks your message being lost in an ocean of indistinguishable AI-generated content.

AR and VR are also gaining momentum, by the way, offering interactive experiences that immerse customers and let them visualize products before buying. These technologies enable brands to craft memorable and engaging digital journeys, creating new standards for how we experience and interact with products online.

Avoid the idea that AI tools are capable of automatically producing high-quality content: they are a ready source of inspiration and valuable support for digital marketers. Google Search’s guidance on AI-generated content offers valuable advice, saying that they can “power new levels of expression and creativity”.

Takeaway: Remember that AI tools are tools, not an end in themselves

Google stresses that its E-E-A-T guidelines remain just as important as ever. So use AI tools purposefully, combining human ingenuity with AI-powered productivity to connect with your audience in a more meaningful way.

Take the hugely successful Heinz AI ketchup campaign from 2022. The condiment creator played on popular skepticism regarding generative AI to underscore the brand’s authenticity, market leadership and uniqueness, achieving more in their one-minute ads than thousands of AI-generated blog articles ever could.

On the other hand, for an example of what not to do, look no further than the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Australia, who failed to review his AI-generated content. While he originally hoped to illustrate fresh plans for new parks in an election campaign, that lack of oversight ultimately led to him publishing images of streets littered with lifeless bodies and phantom, floating feet.

#2 The Changing Face of Google Search

After Bing introduced AI-powered search functions in 2023, Google followed suit in 2024. While the large-scale roll-out got off to a rocky start in some respects, refinements soon followed and the AI Overviews is now – in certain countries – an established part of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).

In October 2024, Google confirmed that it would integrate ads into the AI Overview section. However, some uncertainty remains about the wider impact of these changes on digital marketing.

The AI Overview supplements the PAA box, local pack, and other ranking features to drive the rise of zero-click searches, in which users don’t click any link on a SERP and either end their session or enter a new query. In the US, zero-click searches now account for 58.5% of all searches – up from 50.3% in 2019.

Search engine marketing (SEM) faces reduced visibility for the rest of the SERP if this trend continues, with users increasingly relying on the top of the page. Although this is a fundamental shift, there’s no cause for panic: with tailored adaptations and a renewed focus on SEO fundamentals, brands can leverage this new system to their advantage.

Takeaway: Review the basics and adapt to new circumstances

AI Overviews has the potential to forge a direct connection between your brand and a specific topic – establishing your thought leadership, credibility and authority. Review your content, new and old, to ensure it meets consumers’ needs while also checking the right boxes for AI Overviews. Established SEO best practices are just as applicable as ever.

#3 Embracing Digital Minimalism

There’s an age-old piece of wisdom that remains as relevant as ever: less is more. While this includes how brands produce their content, like the temptation to pump out content with generative AI, it also holds true for digital marketing strategy more broadly.

You can send out a daily newsletter, post on every conceivable social media platform, produce blog articles and constantly publish new video content – without necessarily seeing those efforts translate to higher engagement or stronger relationships. In fact, constant communication can cheapen what your brand has to say.

In 2025, expect to see brands turning to digital minimalism, which aims to cut through the chatter, remove extraneous detail and streamline marketing activities. Have you noticed the growing calls for people to “switch off”? Rather than producing a constant stream of content, brands that curate selected pieces of high-impact content ensure clarity and consistency to provide memorable experiences.

Takeaway: Evaluate, concentrate and streamline

Don’t spread yourself too thin: identify where your customers are, zero in on how best to reach them, and convey your message as concisely as possible. Concentrated doses of high-quality content tend to leave a lasting impression.

#4 Video is Still King

Research published by Wyzowl found that the use of video content in marketing remains at an all-time high, with 91% of companies using the format. An almost identical number reports a solid ROI on video content, too. Audiences also confirm the importance of video content and its impact on their opinions and spending, with 82% saying that a video has convinced them to buy a product or engage a service.

However, it’s important not to lose sight of the need to curate high-quality content. After all, 87% of consumers claim that the quality of a video impacts their trust in a brand. In other words, while video provides a valuable opportunity to connect and engage, low-quality content does more hard than good.

It’s also worth noting Wyzowl’s findings on the most effective video marketing platforms. Although YouTube leads the way, only 52% of digital marketers have found TikTok an effective video marketing platform to date. This underscores the importance of selecting the right platforms to reach your audience.

Takeaway: Video remains key, but invest in quality

Identify the right platforms for your customers, draw up a targeted strategy, leverage trends and analyze your performance. High-quality video content offers immense opportunities to persuade consumers, but videos need to have an obvious purpose and satisfy a specific appetite.

#5 Walking the Talk on Community Engagement

Companies around the world have set aside vast budgets for social media marketing, with global spending on social media advertising estimated to reach US$228 billion in 2025. Brands need to make their presence felt in this overcrowded environment. The most effective answer? Meaningful community engagement.

Consumers now have enough experience of AI-based solutions to know what poorly implemented forms of the technology look like: bland, formulaic responses that instantly curb any chance of an empathetic connection. Social media platforms revised their algorithms to favor genuine interactions, moving away from the number of likes and comments alone. Facebook, for example, took specific measures to avoid “bait” and reward authentic engagement. Meanwhile, LinkedIn strives to reward “meaningful comments” that foster genuine discussions.

Digital marketers should prioritize deeper, more personal connections, as they have an enduring impact. As platforms catch up with users, prioritizing those connections will also continue to increase the likelihood of boosting and extending your brand’s reach.

This relates to another trend: personalization, which builds a sense of connection with your audience. Many companies struggle with a disconnect between assessment of their efforts – and how consumers actually perceive them. While 85% of businesses claim to offer personalized experiences, only 60% of consumers believe this is the case.

Takeaway: Deepen your community connections to enhance your reach

Refocus your activities, especially on social media platforms, to ensure you target genuine engagement that reflects your brand’s distinct voice.

With data privacy concerns rising, ethical data use is more critical than ever. Customers increasingly want transparency about how their data is collected, stored, and used. Brands that prioritize ethical data practices—such as clear consent protocols, secure storage, and transparent data policies—not only safeguard customer information but also build trust.

Insider Tip: Location Performance Optimization

In 2025, a fresh approach is reshaping location marketing: Uberall’s new Location Performance Optimization (LPO) that unifies visibility, engagement, reputation, and conversions into one cohesive plan to drive revenue impact at every location.

By consolidating metrics into a single view, LPO helps marketers pinpoint effective strategies and optimize each location’s digital impact—ultimately translating local marketing efforts into measurable revenue gains.

Alongside this new Location Performance Score (LPS), you’ll receive tailored actions designed to help you continuously improve and boost your results. So this new approach is coming with a next-gen analytics suite and an AI-powered assistant, automating time-consuming tasks so you can focus on growing your business.

Takeaway: Review the basics and adapt to new circumstances

Listings and review management are essential components of local SEO, playing a critical role in enhancing your visibility and reputation in the digital landscape. To be one of the first to enter an entirely new chapter – namely Location Performance Optimization – keep a close eye on our vision for 2025!

Above All Else, Be Authentic

With brands producing content faster and in higher quantities than ever before, standing out from the crowd will require careful attention to fundamentals. Emphasizing meaningful connections will be more important than ever in 2025.

Consider the trends and developments set to shape digital marketing in 2025. Yet, ultimately, the more things change, the more they stay the same. In the maelstrom of technical innovations and shifting user habits, you need to communicate authentically to create a lasting impression. Distinctive communication with accurate positioning and precise targeting is the route to fostering trust and establishing relationships that endure.

AI tools can provide immense benefits for your digital marketing activities when deployed effectively, whether to produce content or process data for personalization. Careful, though: take the time to ensure that you don’t weaken your brand’s distinctive voice in the process. We can help you with that, just reach out to our team!