If you’ve noticed marketing strategies and activities that have worked for years are no longer bringing you the customers or clients you need, you’re not alone. It’s not only the platforms and methods of marketing that are changing, but how people, especially younger generations, are searching and buying online that are more different than ever before.
So, what do you do? As a business, you know how to be resilient and how to change to suit your audience, and it’s time to extend that adaptation to your marketing. To help you know where to start, these are the marketing trends changing the future of marketing to help you level up your business, straight from the mouth of one of our award-winning digital marketing specialists, Ryan Chilton, at his presentation for Gold Coast Leaders in February 2025.
Top 5 Trends That Are Changing the Future of Marketing
1. Diversifying your marketing efforts is crucial.
While most businesses get a lot of business through referrals, (Digital Surfer included) this leaves many business owners at risk of falling behind. It’s important to know where your ideal customer hangs out online and ensure you’re being active on these platforms.
Now, let’s look at the future of marketing and something most people never think of. Who is your ideal client going to be in 1, 3, 5 years? Well this could very well see your ideal audience change, and means you need to diversify your marketing and be looking at these new platforms.
Here’s an example: Currently a real estate agent’s ideal client base is in the 30-45 age range, who are likely searching on Google, Scrolling Facebook and going through word of mouth. However, fast forward 5-10 years when Gen Z hit that 30-45 Range, well the way they search for things isn’t going to magically change to suit what that real estate agent was doing.
Where Younger Generations Are Searching & Buying:
- TikTok – Many people under 25 are looking to TikTok as a search engine and source of information when it comes to the buying cycle.
- Instagram – Influencers have changed the game, no longer is word of mouth coming from your neighbour but it’s being broadcast to millions online (both Google & Bad).
- YouTube – This has become the 2nd largest search engine behind Google with billions of videos watched every day.
- Video Content – Attention spans are getting shorter, so you need to diversify how you deliver your content. This can be through video, audio, visual & written content.
2. Mobile-first marketing is more important than ever.
It’s important for any business with a website (which should be everyone) to be optimised for mobile users. However, it’s even more crucial for those with a younger target audience, such as those targeting Gen Z and Millennials. When referrals from other platforms like Tiktok, Instagram and other social platforms start ramping up this makes your website’s mobile friendliness a top priority. Thanks to mobile devices, impulse purchases on-the-go have never been higher.
“If your website isn’t optimised for mobile, you’re leaving money on the table. Most people are discovering, researching, and buying from their phones. It’s where the entire customer journey is taking place.”
But how do you optimise your website and marketing for mobile?
Quick tips for optimising your website and marketing for mobile:
- Focus on providing a seamless user experience on your website design for mobile users, including fast load speeds, intuitive navigation and easy-to-find call to actions.
- Tap into mobile content formats, like vertical content that takes up more space, short-form videos (like TikTok and Reels), and interactive elements, like polls and swipeable stories.
- Utilise mobile-friendly marketing channels, like SMS marketing or push notifications if you have an app.
- Optimise for local SEO mobile search, such as ‘near me’ searches, optimising your Google Business Profile and location-based paid ads.
- Embrace mobile commerce (known as m-commerce), enabling people to buy straight from their phone, such as using Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal, as well as quick and easy purchase experiences.
3. AI will help businesses scale with the use of authentic engagement.
When we say AI, forget about the controversial topic of using ChatGPT and similar tools for creating mass-amounts of generic content. That’s a thing of the past. What we’re talking about is utilising AI and automation to personalise and supercharge your marketing, amplifying your efforts by utilising data.
There are so many ways marketers and business owners can use AI to not only stay on the right side of the future of marketing but also level up their success.
Ways to utilise AI and automation for your business growth in 2025:
- Automate repetitive tasks, such as reporting, increasing efficiency in marketing campaigns.
- Send behaviour-triggered emails automatically, such as abandoned cart reminders, welcome sequences or follow-ups after purchases.
- Change content in emails based on the receiver’s preferences or locations.
- Use AI chatbots for basic customer enquiries even when you or your team can’t be online.
- Analyse large datasets using predictive AI to find out where customers are most likely to convert to help tailor ads.
4. Authenticity will be the key to standing out with your online brand.
On the flipside of AI being a leading marketing trend (and likely the foreseeable future), authenticity has never been more important. People are tired of seeing the same-old, over-polished, corporate-style messaging, and are seeking brands who come across as genuine and human. If your marketing is getting lost in the crowd, being authentic is going to be essential for you.
What does this mean for your business? Well You need to not only build your company brand but your personal brand aswell. No longer does faceless businesses work, those who are smashing it online are putting themselves to there above their competitors.
“People want to see the human side of your brand. They want to know your values, your team, and your story. Authenticity builds trust, and trust drives sales.”
How to be authentic as a business in 2025:
- Be transparent about your brand’s story, where the idea came from, what drives you, your challenges and your values.
- Show the behind-the-scenes, building trust by allowing people to see your team, how you do things and that you’re real humans behind the product or service.
- Use real, unpolished content, using unfiltered videos, especially for stories and on TikTok. It doesn’t all have to be hyper-edited to perfection.
- Engage with your audience, responding to comments, being the first to send a message to those who engage with you often and similar.
- Align with causes that matter to you and your business, showing real, honest action.
- Let your brand’s personality shine, showing that humour or bold opinion.
5. Short-form video will be essential.
Quick-to-consume content has been a big marketing trend for a couple of years, especially with how the younger generations are searching, and this isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Platforms like TikTok have skyrocketed the demand for bite-sized content that can give consumers the who, what, when, where, why and how within seconds. For businesses and marketers, it means adapting to this or risk the potential of your customers or clients gravitating towards your competitors who do.
Where to use short-form content in 2025:
- TikToks, Instagram and Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts for informational content.
- Instagram, Facebook and other social stories, showing more relaxed short-form content.
- On your website, using short 1 to 2-minute videos on product/service pages or blogs to share the ‘gist’ of the page for those who prefer video.
- In reports (if relevant to your business) to give your clients a recap or overview of their results.
TIP: Create long form YouTube content & repurpose It across multiple channels
One YouTube video can be used to fuel your TikTok, Instagram and other short-form video platforms for weeks. You Can even repurpose these videos onto your website to help increase value & content quality.
Need Help To Future Proof Your Business’s Marketing?
At Digital Surfer, we tap into data to trial the latest marketing trends to ensure our clients only receive strategies that actually work. If you’re ready to invest in your business’s growth in 2025, then we can help you with our mutli-award winning strategies, with a track record of getting our clients results like a 3,000% return on investment.
Contact us today to see how we can help you Level Up your marketing.
