Novacom | Award-winning digital marketing and customer experience agency
Novacom
Novacom | Award-winning digital marketing and customer experience agency
2025 Digital Marketing Trends: The essential guide for marketers

2025 Digital Marketing Trends: The essential guide for marketers

We may not have a crystal ball, but we know digital marketing inside out. So, let’s tackle the question: “What marketing trends should we focus on this year?”

1. Marketing marmite: AI and machine learning

Whether you love it or hate it, AI is here to stay, and by now, most people have seen, heard, or used it. It’s nearly impossible to avoid, and it’s already transforming marketing strategies and activities.

Whilst AI’s use in marketing has already begun to surge, audiences are becoming familiar with spotting its use, from the predictable robotic language and the overly polished but ‘something not quite right’ visuals.

However, AI and machine learning offer valuable support for marketing tasks, including:

  • Strategy planning – use your research and structure clear, digestible content more effectively.
  • Data analysis – categorising and summarising information efficiently to help generate reports.
  • Content and visual inspiration – helping to spark creative ideas, for when you’re having a creativity block.
  • Personalisation – tailoring marketing content using customer data, such as personalising email content based on user behaviours.
  • Optimising send times – timing posts and emails to when it is more likely to be viewed/opened based on user behaviour.

If you plan on using AI in your marketing activities, it’s important to not rely too heavily on AI to generate content. The human touch is very important and how you connect on a human level, so overuse of AI generated content is a sure way to weaken brand credibility. When it’s used correctly, it is a great tool to enhance work and speed up some tasks.

2. The Rise of ‘Zero-click’ Marketing

If you’ve recently used google search you may have come across the ‘AI Overview’ feature, which often answers your query, taking snippets of information from various web sources without you needing to click onto a webpage itself – this is zero click marketing.

While featured snippets have been around for a while, AI tools and changing user habits are making quick, consolidated answers the norm. 

Example of Google AI overview feature

As AI overviews become more common, click-through rates (CTR) for informational content are predicted to drop. Social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are also prioritising native content to keep users engaged on their platforms.

SEO and social strategies need to consider ‘zero click’ content more than ever, which offer valuable and standalone insights – it’s more than just dropping a link.

  • For SEO it’s focusing on answering popular queries (that are relevant to your audience) within on-page content.
  • For social media it’s about creating standalone content exclusive to the platform, using native tools to keep users engaged.

The key is to provide value where your audience is, without always relying on links.

3. Micro-influencers are bigger than you think

Collaborating with celebrities or large influencers can boost exposure, but bigger isn’t always better. Across B2C and B2B brands, micro-influencers are gaining traction due to their niche, community-focused audiences. Unlike mega-influencers who often face low engagement and bot accounts, micro-influencers build genuine connections with like-minded followers who regularly engage with their content. Micro-influencers feel more organic!

Micro-influencers are popular across industries—from wind turbine experts on LinkedIn to book reviewers on TikTok—making them accessible for brands of all kinds.

If you’re considering micro-influencers in your strategy, ask yourself:

  • Do their values align with your brand?
  • Is their audience your target demographic?
  • Does their content aesthetic match your brand?
  • Do they understand your industry?

Most importantly, have a clear strategy. Poor influencer alignment can harm your brand—remember the infamous Kendall Jenner X Pepsi ad? 

4. Blurred lines between social media and e-commerce

Social media is evolving into a hybrid space for browsing and buying, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest enabling on-platform purchases. Combined with their newly recognised role as search engines, this shift highlights the need to see social media as more than just a tool for awareness—it’s now a channel to drive conversions.

Much like ‘zero click’ marketing further up the list, these new features are designed to provide users withmore on-platform, keeping them around for longer and making it convenient.

To make the most of this shift in social, you should consider the following:

  • Optimise social content for search and sales, not just engagement.
  • Use key search terms, relevant hashtags, and high-quality visuals in your posts and ads.
  • Apply SEO-like strategies to your social media efforts.
  • For consumer products, link your e-commerce platform directly to social channels.

By integrating search and commerce into your social strategy, you can turn casual scrollers into loyal advocates.

5. Authenticity is key 

Authenticity is essential for brands; overly polished social media content is losing its appeal as consumers increasingly view it as inauthentic. The shift towards user-generated content, behind-the-scenes posts, and influencer partnerships reflects a growing demand for real, relatable marketing.

Even traditional businesses can benefit from this trend. After all, people connect with people, which creates loyalty and helps with driving conversions.

To embrace authenticity in your content strategy:

  • Be transparent—share your story, values, and mission.
  • Embrace imperfections—show your human side and discuss challenges.
  • Engage with your audience—listen, ask for feedback, and create conversations.
  • Tell stories—highlight meaningful work or introduce your employees.

Authentic content helps to build trust with your audience and creates a sense of community within your industry—often proving more impactful than even the most elaborate marketing campaigns.

It’s all about improvement…

Digital marketing is constantly evolving, and staying ahead means embracing these trends. Whether it’s leveraging AI, optimising for zero-click content, tapping into the power of micro-influencers, or blurring the lines between social media and e-commerce, each offers unique opportunities to connect with your audience and improve your marketing ROI.

Here’s to making 2025 your most impactful year yet!

Will Yates
written by Will Yates
Client Services Director at Novacom
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