2025 Marketing Trends: What To Expect and How to Prepare
As we approach the close of 2024, it’s essential to reflect on this year’s successes, recognize what hasn’t worked, and prepare for the shifts that will define the upcoming year. User preferences, engagement tactics, and digital landscapes are constantly evolving. We see this across our agency’s dozens of clients throughout North America, and the insights gleaned from analytics, trend cycles, and emerging digital norms are telling. Whether it’s the way audiences consume information, interact with brands, or transition between platforms, staying nimble and attuned to shifts will be critical. Here’s a look at the marketing trends we expect to take center stage in 2025.
Expedited Approvals Cycle
Traditionally, marketing teams and content creators prepared content as far as a year in advance, often on quarterly or monthly schedules. While having a plan remains essential, today’s fast-paced digital environment requires a degree of agility to respond to trends and events in real time. Success increasingly depends on the ability to recognize trending topics and create timely, relevant content. When businesses delay engagement with a trend, they risk appearing out of touch or stale to their audience.
To stay in sync with trends, brands must establish faster approval processes. This might mean empowering content teams to make real-time decisions or setting up channels where approvals can happen swiftly. For some companies, this could involve creating a dedicated chat channel with a clear mandate to expedite approvals for trend-driven content within hours or even minutes. The more agile your approach, the better your chances of resonating with audiences in real time.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-generated content has emerged as a powerful foundation for brands aiming to build trust and community. UGC lets your audience market for you, often in ways that feel more genuine than traditional ads. This can be encouraged in several ways: creating photo-worthy spaces for in-person interactions, running campaigns that incentivize tagging or sharing, or partnering with creators to produce content you can repurpose. The authentic feel of UGC appeals to modern consumers who seek out relatable, trustworthy recommendations.
Encouraging users to share their experiences also adds to your content library, providing fresh material that resonates more strongly than studio-produced images. Incorporating UGC is a win-win—your audience enjoys being a part of the brand, and you gain an endless well of relatable, organic content to share.
Purpose-Driven Marketing
Increasingly, consumers are drawn to brands that clearly communicate their values. Purpose-driven marketing is not just a trend; it’s a movement toward greater transparency and authenticity. Brands that commit to social responsibility, sustainability, and inclusivity are seeing heightened loyalty and engagement. It’s no longer enough to support a cause passively—today's consumers expect brands to align with the values they hold dear.
Purpose-driven marketing often requires an honest evaluation of your brand’s mission and principles. If you commit to sustainability, for example, be open about the costs and impacts of changes like sustainable packaging. Consumers appreciate transparency and are more likely to connect with brands that communicate their values openly and consistently. Having a dedicated “About Our Purpose” section on your website and integrating purpose-driven content into your social media strategy can make your values clear and credible to your audience.
The Rise of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is evolving beyond a networking tool and becoming a crucial platform for brand visibility. With features like video content, newsletters, and blogs, LinkedIn now offers a suite of tools for brands to engage in professional storytelling and networking. Brands are increasingly turning to LinkedIn advertising to reach specific audiences based on job titles, companies, and geographies, seeing high returns on these targeted efforts.
If your brand isn’t already active on LinkedIn, 2025 might be the time to start building a presence. Investing in LinkedIn marketing can mean leveraging company pages and even building personal brands for executives or thought leaders within the company. This dual approach helps create a connected network, drawing attention both to the brand and to the people behind it.
Content Diversification
Social platforms have added an array of content types in recent years, and brands need to diversify their content strategy to keep up. Instead of just images and text posts, brands are experimenting with infographics, videos, discussion threads, carousels, and more. Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter reward creators who engage with new features, boosting visibility and reach for those using them.
Diversifying content doesn’t mean you need to be on every platform or use every feature. Instead, choose formats that align with your audience’s preferences and your brand’s strengths. A well-rounded mix of visual, textual, and interactive content can help increase engagement and reach a wider audience.
Dark Mode UX / Personalized UI
Dark mode, once a niche preference, has become a mainstream feature across platforms. This trend points to a broader emphasis on user experience and personalization. Users increasingly expect digital experiences that align with their preferences, whether it’s dark mode or UI elements tailored to individual usage patterns. For brands, this trend signals an opportunity to experiment with personalized design options that enhance user comfort and keep visitors engaged for longer.
Video-First Strategy
Video content is not just a preference—it’s an expectation. Audiences are responding to video across platforms, and brands that lean into this format are seeing higher engagement rates. Whether through live streaming, short-form content, or longer informational videos, adopting a video-first approach can help you stand out in a crowded digital space.
For brands that have traditionally relied on text and static images, pivoting to a video-first strategy can feel daunting, but the potential benefits make it worthwhile. With platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn doubling down on video features, investing in video production, even on a small scale, can elevate your content and attract a broader audience.
Looking Ahead
Marketing in 2025 will require adaptability, authenticity, and a commitment to keeping pace with the rapid shifts in consumer preferences. As audiences evolve, so must our approaches, embracing both technology and transparency to build stronger connections. For businesses that stay attuned to these trends, the opportunities are endless. Let’s make 2025 a year of innovation, agility, and meaningful engagement.