Marketing Strategy

Long before ChatGPT, I worked with clients who used AI and machine learning to speed up data analysis at scale. Their enthusiasm about AI’s ability to improve everything from business operations to AI marketing funnels piqued my interest. So when ChatGPT took over the news cycle, after my initial skepticism, I haven’t looked back. While it’s always important to take AI with a grain of salt, it provides companies of all sizes opportunities to personalize marketing, deepen customer intimacy, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing programs. More importantly, it lowers the barrier to entry for sophisticated marketing efforts, improving the way we can interact with and build on customer relationships. So let’s get into how you can incorporate AI into your marketing funnel. Table of Contents AI and the Marketing Funnel Understanding The Buyer Journey How to Build a Marketing Funnel With AI Tips for Making the Most of AI in Your Marketing Funnel and MarTech Operations AI and the Marketing Funnel Before you and I have any conversation about how AI can improve the marketing funnel, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what marketing funnels are and how they work. Why? I strongly feel that before you can automate something, you need a solid understanding of how it works so you know the expected outcomes. Without that foundation, you can’t know if AI recommendations are any good, you can’t identify what’s working and what’s not, and it’s tough to find a solution that works. So, at a high level, let’s agree that the entire purpose of a marketing funnel — or flywheel — is to map out each stage of the buyer journey and then improve the way customers move through it. From there, we can look at the different ways that AI can improve aspects of the marketing funnel — including the buyer journey (and far beyond it). Understanding The Buyer Journey Here’s a quick recap of what the buyer journey typically looks like, the types of tasks that are associated with it, and the opportunities for AI marketing funnel optimization. Awareness Stage During this phase, prospective buyers are aware of a problem but may not yet know the solution and search for information to understand their pain points. Marketing Tasks & Challenges Marketers working through awareness stage tactics spend time: Identifying target audiences and key messages. Understanding buyer pain points. Creating and optimizing content that speaks to problems and solutions. So, where are the challenges? Some of the struggles I see other marketers face — and have struggled with myself — include: Analyzing whether or not we’re reaching the right audience. Ensuring content speaks to different segments and pain points. Generating leads — the holy grail! AI Marketing Funnel Opportunities I’ve seen AI make a significant difference when it comes to prospecting and lead scoring. I’m working with a client to develop some new programs, and we’ve found the “Likely to Engage” score in ZoomInfo helpful for identifying the best possible targets for initial contact. Some of the other ways I’ve seen AI help in the awareness stage include: Segmenting audiences. This makes it easier to target specific groups based on shared interests, demographics, or problems. Personalizing content. AI can identify existing content, push it to the right audience at the right time, and identify opportunities to tailor it for those audiences based on data analysis. Ad targeting. Ads can be targeted based on the likelihood of engagement and lookalike audiences. Using predictive analytics. This helps determine which content, channels, and formats are most likely to pay off. Pro tip: Use AI to identify where customers are and deliver the right message at the right time. Adam Tishman, co-founder of Helix Sleep, says, “AI allows us to know which customers are in which marketing funnel stage by using historical data to categorize them based on their behavior.” He shares that this has led to a 32% increase in engagement. Consideration Stage At this stage, buyers are solution-aware. They know solutions to their problem exist and are actively evaluating their options but may not be familiar with your specific product or service yet. Marketing Tasks & Challenges If you’re a marketer tackling buyers in the consideration stage, you’re probably focused on: Developing and distributing content that helps buyers evaluate options, such as product comparisons, case studies, and expert guides. Tracking engagement across channels to gauge interest levels. Nurturing leads with personalized email campaigns or retargeting ads. Common obstacles that can make this stage challenging include: Determining which leads are genuinely interested versus those who are just browsing. Providing the right information at the right time without overwhelming leads. Balancing personalization with scale, especially with a large volume of leads. AI Marketing Funnel Opportunities AI offers several advantages for optimizing the consideration stage, such as: Lead scoring. This can help you prioritize high-potential prospects. Content recommendations. AI can identify which content is most engaging and suggest the next best content to keep them moving through the funnel. Automated email nurturing. AI can segment leads and deliver content based on specific triggers without requiring constant manual input. Behavior analysis. Assesses buyer intent and helps you adjust messaging based on real time interest levels. Pro tip: Don’t rely completely on AI — the personal touch still matters. Roland Jakob of Blazekin.Media shares, “AI spots patterns and predicts actions, but it’s on us to craft messaging that resonates personally. In my early experiences with AI, I relied on it too much for customer interactions. It’s tempting to automate everything, but I quickly realized that complicated conversations and decisions need a human touch.” Decision Stage By the decision stage, buyers understand their problem, know the potential solutions, and are evaluating providers. They’re comparing products, seeking validation through demos or testimonials, and are ready to make a final decision. Marketing Tasks & Challenges If you’re working on initiatives to help buyers make a final decision, you may have already handed the lead over to the sales team, who

As a marketer who’s been in the business, I’ve noticed something interesting: when people think of “marketing,” they often picture those flashy Super Bowl commercials or massive Times Square billboards. But marketing is so much more accessible than that. I’ve seen businesses of all sizes succeed with smart, budget-friendly marketing strategies. The key to getting started is knowing the fundamentals. Here, I’ll walk you through some beginner-friendly marketing channels and how to build your first marketing strategy. Table of Contents Fundamentals of Marketing Cost-Effective Marketing Channels Building Your First Marketing Strategy Fundamentals of Marketing Successful marketing isn’t something that’s gatekept by huge budgets. In fact, some of the most effective marketing strategies I’ve seen didn’t cost a fortune. Marketing today encompasses countless channels and tactics, and I’ve helped businesses find success with budgets of all sizes. Pro tip: Before diving into any marketing channel, I always advise my clients to start with a clear goal in mind. Whether it’s building brand awareness or driving sales, knowing your “why” will guide your entire strategy. Cost-Effective Marketing Channels If you’re just getting started with marketing, here are a few cost-effective channels to consider: Content Marketing The entire premise of content marketing is to provide valuable content to your audience. These include blog posts, videos, podcasts, e-books, and more. Unlike a pop-up ad, this type of marketing isn’t disruptive. It’s supposed to feel natural, organic, and helpful. Pro tip: I always recommend starting with one content type you can excel at, rather than trying to do everything at once. For instance, if you’re great at writing, start with a blog before diving into video content. To take it one step further, you include a sign-up form for a free trial of your app at the top of every article — giving readers a chance to convert into customers. Content marketing is a long-term investment. But with patience and the right strategy, you can drive brand awareness and nurture customer relationships without significant financial strain. Email Marketing Email marketing is relatively affordable compared to other marketing channels. Many email service providers offer free plans or tiered pricing to appeal to different budgets. For example, HubSpot’s email marketing software is easy to use, secure, and free. With email marketing, you‘re reaching people who’ve already expressed an interest in your business. This puts you in a great position to build relationships, promote your products, and share offers. You can also set up trigger emails when someone completes an action, such as making a purchase or downloading a content offer. Looking to bulk up your email list? Check out this helpful guide. Social Media Marketing These days, consumers expect brands to have an online presence — so if you haven’t already, sign up for a business profile on a few social media sites. Once you’re up and running, you can begin to share content. Experiment with different types of content until you have a better idea of what gets the most traction. Remember that social media is all about connection, so interact with customers, initiate conversations, and leverage user-generated content. In a marketing trends report by LocaliQ, they noted that “short-form videos, like those on TikTok and Instagram Reels, continue to grow in popularity, it’s great to see that nearly 60% of small businesses surveyed have hopped on the bandwagon to try them.” These tactics can help you ​​foster relationships and build loyalty around your brand without spending a dime. However, if you decide to run paid ads, social media offers incredible reach that can generate immediate results. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn provide advanced ad targeting, enabling you to narrow down your audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. And with flexible budgeting options, you can allocate your budget strategically and maximize your ROI. Online Advertising One of the biggest benefits of online advertising is that it’s often cheaper than traditional advertising. Consider TV ads, which cost anywhere from thousands of dollars to even millions. Now, think of an ad running on social media for $1 a day, and you can see why online advertising is a great option for small businesses. Online advertising encompasses a few areas, including: Display ads: these include banner ads, images, and videos that you can buy on Google Ads. Pay-per-click: PPC is an advertising model that falls under search engine marketing. These ads appear at the top of search engine results, and you only pay when people click them. Social ads: these are ads that appear on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. You set a budget and specify your target audience. Remarketing: this involves tagging your website visitors and targeting them with content after they leave your site. Think of an email from an e-commerce store reminding you of your abandoned cart. Unlike traditional advertising, online ads offer powerful analytics. You don’t have to wonder if an online ad is effective since you can track metrics like impressions, click-through rates, conversion rates, and more. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) The goal of SEO is to boost your website’s presence in search engines like Google. While SEO trends come and go, the key principles stay the same: Create and publish valuable content on your website Strategically insert keywords in the content Improve your website’s page speed Offer a great user experience to website visitors Like content marketing, SEO is a long-term game. But when you consider 95% of search traffic goes to the first page of search results, it becomes a critical strategy for driving traffic and generating leads. Building Your First Marketing Strategy You can think of a marketing strategy as a roadmap, helping you make the most of your marketing. Here are the basic principles of a strong marketing strategy: 1. Start with your goals. Before you can build a marketing strategy, you first need to set clear goals. What does your business want to accomplish? Are you aiming to increase brand awareness? Generate leads? Or enhance customer loyalty? Goals provide direction and purpose for your entire

I still remember the early days of the internet and how exciting (and expensive!) it was to use. As it was a dial-up modem connection, my parents put strict time limits on how much time I could spend online (gosh, that makes me feel a little old). Since then, things have changed tremendously and the internet has become so widely accessible that even people in the most remote areas use it. So, it’s not surprising that it became a massive marketing channel. Internet marketing offers unique benefits other marketing mediums (i.e., TV, print) can’t offer — scope of reach, the option to personalize content, and the opportunity to build far-reaching relationships with customers, being just a few. There are tens of digital channels, including email, social media, websites, and search engines, to reach your ideal audience. In this post I’ll cover everything from marketing strategies to real-world examples, to ensure your business reaches the right people. Table of Contents What is internet/online marketing? Types of Internet Marketing What’s the role of internet marketing? Internet Marketing vs. Content Marketing Internet Marketing Strategy How to Do Online Marketing Online Marketing Examples Top Online Marketing Tools Types of Internet Marketing 1. SEO Marketing Search engine optimization or SEO, helps companies expand their visibility in organic search results. Essentially, good SEO ensures that when someone Googles your product or service, they can find your website in the search results. For example, if I Google “Hubspot,” it appears at the top of the search results, right after the sponsored posts. Branded terms are much easier to rank for compared to other terms, like “best CRM.” 2. Social Media Marketing With 5.17 billion social media users globally, if you’re not using it for marketing, you’re missing out. No matter who your target audience is, chances are you’ll be able to find them on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, or another platform. Depending on your marketing goals and budget, you may choose: Organic. With organic social media marketing, you can take advantage of free marketing opportunities like creating posts and reels on Instagram. Paid. With paid advertising on social media, you can create promoted posts targeted towards a specific audience. A lot of brands (and individuals) turn to LinkedIn to not only show their expertise but also to build connections with their followers. For example, Ben Goodey, the founder of an SEO agency Spicy Margarita (whom I am a big fan of), has impressive engagement. Look at how many likes and comments he got! Source 3. Content Marketing Content marketing involves the creation and distribution of branded online content you can use to engage and attract both potential and existing customers. This can include social media, a company blog, training materials, video content, case studies or other industry related topics. Blogging is definitely one of my favorites. It gives companies a great opportunity to share unique insights and showcase their personality — especially now that the internet is flooded with generic, low-quality content written by AI. Here is an example from HubSpot. It features a lot of expert tips, which add credibility to the piece. The CMO at gifted.co, Elad Maoz, told me that content marketing has proven a very helpful tactic for them. “By creating high-quality, audience-centric content, we’ve built trust and engagement with our target market. One strategy we implemented was a blog series on creative gifting ideas, paired with video tutorials on making personalized gift packages. We distributed this content through email campaigns and social media ads,” says Maoz. The blog series generated a 35% increase in website traffic and boosted engagement rates on social media by 50% over two months. “Content marketing works because it positions your brand as a helpful resource, fostering loyalty and encouraging users to share your content, amplifying your reach organically,” he adds. 4. Email Marketing Email marketing is the process of targeting your audience and customers through email. It helps you boost conversions and revenue by providing subscribers and customers with valuable information to help them achieve their goals. When customers share their email with your brand, you can use it to: Send welcome emails to new customers. Promote new blog content. Introduce new products or services. Send promotions and discounts. Solicit feedback from customers about their experience with your brand. Send abandoned cart notifications to boost sales. You might be wondering if it’s still worth investing in email marketing (especially since there are so many social media platforms to post on). My short answer is – absolutely. Some of the world’s most popular newsletters see subscriber numbers in the seven-digit range. For example, The Pulse, one of New York Times’ flagship newsletters, exceeded 2.4 million subscribers in 2024. Of course, the more niche your product, the fewer subscribers you’ll aim for. Yet, this example demonstrates that email marketing can still achieve outstanding success. 5. Pay-Per-Click Marketing Pay-per-click, or PPC, is a form of advertising that allows you to pay a fee to have your website on the search engine result page (SERP) when someone types in specific keywords or phrases to the search engine. The SERP will display the ads you create to direct visitors to your site, and the fee you pay is based on whether people click your ad. For example, here are a couple of PPC ads that appeared in Google when I searched the phrase “newsletter tool.” Notice the “sponsored” tags and how these types of advertisements frequently take up all of the above-the-fold parts of the page. 6. Influencer Marketing Influencer marketing employs popular, niche content creators to improve brand awareness, increase traffic, and target messaging to a brand’s audience. You can use influencers across multiple channels, including social media, blogs, digital and print ads, and television. It’s an effective marketing avenue because it uses word-of-mouth marketing and social proof, which are now critical aspects of any successful marketing strategy. One of my favorite influencer marketing examples is Skin Unmasked, an Instagram profile run by Piotr Janicki MD, focusing on skin health

Back in business school, consumer behavior was my favorite marketing class. I loved learning about the psychology of marketing and what makes people spend the way they do. It’s no wonder I still love B2C marketing today. But as fun as it is, it’s also challenging – especially in 2025. Unpacking the latest HubSpot data, let’s chat about what the B2C marketing landscape looks like today and what trends you must master to stay competitive this year and beyond. Table of Contents What is B2C marketing? What makes B2C marketing different from other types of marketing? Top B2C Marketing Trends of 2025 How to Create a Future-Proof B2C Marketing Strategy What is B2C marketing? B2C or business-to-consumer marketing are marketing tactics that aim to sell products directly to individual consumers — not other businesses or organizations. That means marketing that talks to you, your best friend, mom or dad, your boss, or your second cousin’s boyfriend’s sister’s mother-in-law. B2C marketing also drives consumers to purchase from third parties like retail stores and partners. Tactics can include website strategy, email marketing, social media, content marketing, and public relations, but these responsibilities are often shared with the retail partners. What makes B2C marketing different from other types of marketing? So, honestly, I’m at the party that all businesses are B2C. I mean, no matter the product, there’s a consumer or person on the other end buying from you, right? However, there are some subtle nuances that distinguish B2C from business-to-business (B2B) and direct-to-consumer (D2C), for instance. B2C Marketing vs B2B Marketing Source B2B marketing is for products or services that are being bought to be used by or for organizations. Individuals may make the actual purchase, but they’re making it for professional purposes. Like if people buy software to help their business schedule social media content like Sprout Social or help an organization improve its team communication like Slack, then it’s B2B. They’re trying to build trust with and drive sales from other businesses by focusing on values like improved productivity, efficiency, and profitability. Messaging is conventionally more formal and focused on return on investment and sales cycles longer. Notice how Sprout Social highlights other companies that use its tools and makes it clear it’s talking to organizations in its copy. If people purchase a product with personal goals, such as improving their athletic performance (e.g., Nike) or their health (e.g., Calm seen below), it’s B2C. B2C marketing is usually more casual and focused on showcasing value, such as personal fulfillment or improving daily life. Depending on the purchase size, B2C sales cycles can be long or short, but as these are purchases made for oneself, they typically can be made faster and with lower risk and barriers than B2B. For an even deeper dive into the differences, check out our article, “B2B vs. B2C Marketing: My Key Takeaways as a Marketer.” But what about D2C? A few months back, I dug into D2C marketing, and it took me a beat to understand how it differed from B2C. Here’s how I summarized it. “B2C works with third parties or “middlemen” like wholesalers, retailers, or distributors to get your product into consumer hands. Retailers often even help shoulder some of the marketing to drive sales.” Meanwhile, “D2C doesn’t have any of that help. Your product goes straight from the manufacturers to the consumer who bought it through the brand’s website, store, or popup. Overall, it’s a more direct line to the buyer than B2C.” B2C Marketing Challenges Like marketers from any industry, B2C marketers reported generating traffic and leads and keeping up with trends as some of their biggest challenges in 2025. There are, however, some more unique pain points they face as well. Here are the top three. Consumers are less trusting with their personal data (22.83%) Poor data quality 18.07% How rapidly your audience’s lives have changed over the past few years 17.95 Consumers Are Less Trusting With Their Personal Data Concerns about data privacy are alive and well. Modern consumers are concerned about having their information sold and their identities stolen, among other things. Because of this, many are reluctant to share their names or email addresses or grant brands the cookies they need to personalize experiences. This can make it harder for B2C marketers to understand what their audiences want to see from them and to cater their marketing effectively. Poor Data Quality On top of consumers not wanting to share their data, B2C marketers also face poor data quality. We’re talking about inaccurate or old contact information and data with typos or redundancy. Issues like these create incomplete information about what you’re working with. They make it difficult to shape a strategy and use AI to be more efficient. Ryan Gunn, Director of Demand Gen & Marketing Ops at Aptitude 8 recently explained how clean, well-structured data is the secret to succeeding with AI. “As businesses ramp up segmentation and personalization, syncing accurate data across systems will be the key to unlocking AI’s full potential. The better your data, the smarter your AI-powered marketing becomes, and the easier it is to hit your goals.” Pro Tip: Tools like HubSpot’s Breeze Co-Pilot can make keeping your data clean and up-to-date easier by connecting your CRM data across all your business efforts. Lifestyle Shifts It’s no secret: the world’s been pretty crazy the past few years. Between the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, shifts to remote working, increasing costs of living, and a great deal of social and political unrest, consumer lifestyles and buying behaviors have changed dramatically. And they’ve yet to settle. As B2C marketers, it’s hard to keep up. Constant shifts make planning harder, whether you’re thinking about budget or messaging. So, how are marketers navigating these challenges in 2025? We surveyed over 1,400 global marketing professionals to find out. Top B2C Marketing Trends of 2025 In 2025, nearly 80% of those in B2C marketing plan to increase or maintain their marketing budgets. The question is: Where exactly are

Marketing is a wild ride – trends flip overnight, and it’s a constant game of catch-up. In 2025 , it’s crucial to know where to focus and what roadblocks might lie ahead. That’s why I dug into the biggest challenges marketers are expecting next year and how to handle them, using insights from: 300+ global marketing leaders who took our Annual Marketing Strategy & Trends survey 500+ U.S. marketing leaders who participated in our Executive Marketing Leadership Survey Exclusive interviews and insights from Microsoft, ZoomInfo, and Sprout Social leaders. Table of Contents The Biggest Challenges Global Marketing Leaders Expect to Face in 2025 Top U.S. Marketing Executive Challenges 1. Adopting a data-driven marketing strategy. Why It’s a Challenge Marketers are leaning more toward behavioral data, like content consumption and shopping habits, but it’s tough to balance that with traditional demographic info. With 33.43% focusing on content habits and 31.77% on demographics, it’s clear that understanding not just who your audience is but how they act is getting more complicated. What can you do? To stay ahead, marketers have to mix both behavioral and demographic insights into their strategy. Understand how your audience consumes content and shops. Microsoft’s Global Head of Programmatic Evangelist, Daniel Godoy, told me that it‘s critical marketers keep first-party data in mind if they’re aiming to expand their reach in 2025. “Marketers feel the pressure to win the ads race in a wild WWW. During this race, it’s worth mentioning that consumer media behavior is changing, and advertising strategies, too,” he said. “With the cookies deprecation coming (although it has been delayed by Google), it should be on our radar that at least 40% of browsers today don’t get signals.” Godoy adds, “Shaping your strategy by leveraging 1P or 3P trustable data becomes necessary to expand potential reach and start piloting your data strategy for the future.” First-party data can ultimately help you ensure you’re reaching the right audiences with your ads and turning those audiences into high-quality leads. Once you‘ve defined your audiences and properly segmented them, you’ll need to develop unique messaging that resonates with your prospects. 2. Integrating AI into marketing workflows. Why It’s a Challenge AI is a life-saver, but a lot of marketers are still figuring out how to make the most of it. Even though 52.76% of respondents in our survey say they understand how to use AI and 53.73% can measure its impact, similar percentages indicate a significant gap in both understanding and applying AI effectively. Furthermore, SurveyMonkey found that 69% of marketing pros are pumped about AI and how it’s changing their jobs, while 17% feel a mix of excitement and worry. On top of that, 60% are feeling really good about where the industry is headed, and just 1% are super pessimistic. Overall, the feeling is optimistic. Source What can you do? To close the knowledge gap, marketers need to sharpen both their technical know-how and their ability to track and measure results. 40% of businesses have already made a proactive move by bringing in specialized AI experts to improve their marketing efforts. Focus on learning how to implement AI and analyze its impact. 3. Mastering the transition to short-form video content. Why It’s a Challenge Video is stealing the spotlight in marketing, especially short-form content on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. LinkedIn no longer falls behind, too. The real challenge for marketers is keeping up with the shift toward social video, where younger audiences are turning to engage with brands more than on search engines. So you’ve got to be quick and smart about creating content that captures attention. What can you do? Ramp up your focus on short-form video — it’s expected to see the most growth in 2025. Use social listening and sentiment analyzing tools to figure out the questions your audience is asking, and have your content team develop content that resonates. Even better, tap into your brand advocates to help share the answers, expanding your reach and credibility. 4. Bridging the personalization gap in customer experiences. Why It’s a Challenge 56.35% of marketers agree that marketing has changed more in the past three years than in the last fifty. That’s huge. The biggest shift? The demand for personalized content. While 65% of consumers say brand content feels relatable, only 35% of marketers believe their customers are actually experiencing true personalization. Source Even though 65% of marketers claim to have high-quality audience data, it’s clear many aren’t using it effectively to build stronger, more meaningful connections with their audiences. What can you do? To close this gap, double down on using your data more effectively: Improve audience segmentation by dividing users into micro-segments. Scale up personalization — craft ad messages that speak to micro-segments’ desires and fears. A/B test and refine creatives. 5. Overcoming challenges with content marketing. Why It’s a Challenge Finding fresh ideas for new content tops the list of struggles, with 16% of marketers agreeing on it. In turn, 16% of marketers define it challenging to create content that drives high levels of online engagement — like clicks, shares, and comments. For 15% of marketers, developing content that attracts more traffic to their website is a major challenge. What can you do? Tip #1: Lean into E-E-A-T To receive more clicks, “Your content strategy must start with what users need, not what’s most efficient for you. If you look at recent Google updates, you’ll notice that Google has been refining what “helpful content” means and prioritizing the “E” for “experience” in E-E-A-T. Your content must be personal, demonstrate experience, and address real needs. And you’re already playing catch-up.” — Ben Steele, Senior Editor at Search Engine Journal Tip #2: Create better headlines. To drive initial traffic from the web, work on your headline sharpness. A Danish news outlet, TV 2 Fyn, conducted A/B tests to improve CTR using ChatGPT to generate headlines. Over three weeks, they ran 46 A/B tests. AI-generated headlines won 46% of the tests, while human-created

When we hear the word “organic,” we usually think natural, pure, and unaltered. A delicious juice, perhaps. Well, the same goes for organic marketing — minus the juice part. Organic marketing is all about naturally attracting your audience to your brand or business. It’s about grabbing their attention and winning them over without “paying” for it. But how do you do that — especially in a saturated market like 2025? To be honest, while I recognize times are tough, I’m still an old-school “inbound marketing” purist at heart. The success you get from organic outlets just hits differently, and everyone can taste it with the right approach. Let’s go over what organic marketing is, how it compares to paid alternatives, and how to create your strategy. Table of Contents What is organic marketing? Organic Marketing Channels Organic Marketing Examples Organic Marketing vs. Paid Marketing Organic Marketing Strategy So, wait — does organic marketing still work in 2025? The main goal of organic marketing is to increase brand awareness and build a natural connection with your audience through educational or entertaining content. When I think about it, it’s really the idea of “inbound marketing” I first learned from HubSpot back in 2013 as a wee marketer. It said that people no longer respond when you “push” your message on them through traditional outbound methods like billboards and commercials. These methods interrupt people when they’re going about their day, often when they aren’t even in the market. Organic marketing, however, “pulls” people in. It makes your business present and easy to find when they’re actively looking for solutions. It attracts buyers who actually need your offering, even if they don’t convert immediately. Benefits and Drawbacks of Organic Marketing What are the benefits of organic marketing? Well, overall, it creates a better, less intrusive customer experience, establishes trust with your target audience by sharing real value, and uses low-cost mediums and tactics. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? The only real drawback is that it can take an extended period of time to see results. Blog articles and website pages take time to get crawled and indexed by search engines. It takes time to build a following on social media. It takes time to build an email list. Paid marketing bypasses all that — but more on that shortly. Organic Marketing Channels Before we dive into the specific differences between organic and paid marketing, let’s discuss the most common types of organic marketing channels. Truthfully, most mediums or channels can be organic if you just let them do their thing (without paid backing), but these are the ones we typically see: Organic Social Media Marketing Blogging Guest Blogging SEO (Organic Search Engine Marketing) User-generated Content Email Newsletters Public Relations/Media Relations YouTube Videos Podcasts Organic Social Media Marketing Recently, I saw a meme that said something like, “Picture it: It’s 2011. You just took a bad photo of your cup of coffee. You put a sepia filter on it and posted it to your 12 followers. It got zero likes. Life is good.” This, my friends, was the golden age of organic social media. via GIPHY You posted content to your profile or account that could only be seen by your followers in the feed or, if you were lucky, discovered through a share, hashtag, or link. There were no paid ads or sponsored posts, so when you did get a ton of engagement or traffic, you knew you earned it. Some of the perks of organic social media? It’s free to get started, and depending on the platform, it could be a video, image, blog article, or even a product review. Read: Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide Blogging This one’s pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll be quick. Blog posts are long-form written articles published on your blog or website to share knowledge, news, or your company’s unique perspective with your audience. They can showcase your credibility and expertise to build trust with potential buyers and convince them you’ll deliver on your promises. Blog articles are usually search-engine optimized to help your website get found, and, minus the cost of a content writer, starting a blog is fairly low-cost. Need help setting up your blog? Check out our free blog maker. Guest Blogging Guest blogging is when you write blog articles for publications other than your own. I did this a lot for past employers. In fact, HubSpot was one of my most frequent destinations. Source The goal is to get exposure to a new, relevant audience and introduce your brand to them. Typically, this means contributing to a publication with larger readership or more engagement. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO, or organic search engine marketing, is when you optimize content on your website or other online presence to be found by your target audience through search engines. While social media channels tend to get the most attention, the best place to spend your time with organic marketing is SEO, as it tends to drive 1000%+ more traffic. Unsure about your SEO strength? AI Search Grader and Website Grader can help evaluate how your strategy stacks up and where you need to improve. Read: How to Create an SEO Strategy for 2025 [Template Included] User-generated Content (UGC) UGC is content your buyers create about your brand, product, or services. They haven’t been paid to post or talk about you, but perhaps they have been encouraged to tag your brand or use a particular hashtag. This content is great because it showcases what real customers experience and feel after buying from you. It’s social proof of everything you claim. Read: How to Leverage User-Generated Content in Your Marketing Strategy Email/Newsletters Newsletters are long-form emails you send to a list of contacts who have opted to receive them. Because these aren’t publicly posted online, these are a great place to be more candid and exclusive with the information you share. In fact, email marketing, in general, is. Also, unlike many other channels we’re discussing here, email doesn’t

If you’re anything like me, you probably wish you had more time and resources to get through your work, ponder game-changing ideas, brush up on digital marketing industry trends, and give your audiences unforgettable brand experiences. I get it. That’s why I put together this overview of top marketing trends for 2025. I’ll share some of my favorite highlights from HubSpot’s recent survey of more than 1,700 B2B and B2C marketers, exploring the key trends, tools, and challenges that today’s marketing professionals are focused on the most. Plus, keep reading to hear from leaders at OpenAI, Asana, Adobe, Bitly, and more.  Top Digital Marketing Trends in 2025 1. AI is helping marketers keep up with increasing content needs. In 2024, AI usage among marketers rose at a staggering rate. And while there are countless AI tools available to help with a wide variety of marketing needs, today’s marketers reported they have been particularly focused on using AI tools to create content to keep up with their increasing content needs. Interestingly, different marketers use AI to create content in different ways. While some report using AI to develop entire drafts from scratch, one of the most common AI use cases was to repurpose content from one format to another. For example, I’ve found that marketers may use AI tools to turn a blog post into a video script, or a video clip into a social media post. AI has enabled many marketing teams to increase their content output without having to hire more people. Diving a little deeper, here are the top AI use cases identified by our survey respondents: Content creation (using generative AI to write copy, create images, get ideas, etc.) (43%) Research (using generative AI for market research, to find datasets, summarize articles, etc.) (34%) Brainstorming (using generative AI to brainstorm content ideas) (27%) Learning how to do things (using generative AI to learn an Excel function, debug SQL code, etc.) (40%) Data analysis/reporting (using generative AI to analyze or manipulate marketing data) (35%) Take notes or summarize meetings (27%) When it comes to the types of content that marketers have been using generative AI to produce, I’ve found that social media posts, emails, blog posts, topic ideas, images, and product descriptions are the most common. In addition, many marketers use tools like HubSpot’s Content Marketing Software to turn existing blog posts into social posts, newsletter content, audio files, and other content forms in just a few minutes. Curious about using AI for content creation? HubSpot’s Free AI Content Creator is a great place to start. It’s also important to clarify that while many of our respondents were focused on using AI to generate content, AI is poised to grow beyond content generation into a range of related domains. As OpenAI’s Head of Strategic Marketing Dane Vahey notes, “Marketers have been scratching the surface of AI, but so far, it’s been mostly for content generation. In 2025, we expect to see marketers make the leap to using AI for creative ideation, data-driven decision-making, workflow automation, and strategic brainstorming.” 2. Many marketers struggle to integrate AI into their workflows. Despite the growing popularity of AI content generation tools, our survey found that many marketers are still struggling to learn to use these tools effectively and integrate them into their workflows. As Briana Rogers, VP of Marketing at Miro, shared, “Marketers will have to learn how to integrate AI into their work.” She continued, “The space is moving so quickly and we need to experiment with everything… from the more well-established use cases — like leveraging machine learning to improve ad buying, or creating predictive customer value models — to newer spaces, like identifying patterns in user research and data, assisting in creative development, and building full customer campaigns that are powered by AI.” Our survey found that while marketers are increasingly investing in AI, many remain less than confident about their ability to use these tools. Specifically, just 47% strongly or somewhat agreed that they had a clear understanding of how to use AI in their marketing strategy, and 48% strongly or somewhat agreed that they had a clear understanding of how to measure the impact of AI in their marketing strategy. Moreover, even among marketers who understand the basics of AI implementation, integrating these tools ethically can also pose a major challenge. As Dr. Rebecca Hinds, Head of Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, warns, “Gen Z is sounding the alarm: They’re more concerned than any other demographic about whether their organizations can trust generative AI vendors to uphold responsible AI practices.” She goes on, “Vendors must lead with transparency, clear AI principles, and a commitment to ethical innovation to gain the support of Gen Z in 2025” — and doing so can be quite difficult for many marketers. 3. AI is making a major impact — but it shouldn’t replace humans. While many content marketers (myself included) have voiced concerns about the potential for AI tools to replace human content creators, our recent data suggests that this is unlikely to happen. Past HubSpot survey data shows that the vast majority of marketers still edit content that’s been generated by AI, suggesting that AI tools are acting more like assistants than like fully-fledged, human content developers. Plus, neither customers nor search engines are likely to reward an excessive reliance on AI-generated content. For example, a recent post from HubSpot Senior Marketing Manager Curtis del Principe highlighted the punishment handed down to one agency after they farmed thousands of posts with AI in what’s been called an “SEO Heist.” Other research has highlighted the risk of plagiarism when using AI-generated content, and Google’s Gemini (formerly Bard) actually allows you to double-check its output by providing links to sources that confirm the information it provides. In other words, AI is definitely making a major impact on the world of content generation — but I don’t think it’s likely to fully replace human marketers. 4. Social media is the highest ROI marketing

I don’t know about you, but the fact that we’re a quarter into this century is blowing this marketer’s mind — especially since new marketing trends emerge with every flip of the calendar page. In the last quarter century, we’ve seen the number of MarTech solutions grow from hundreds to tens of thousands. Mobile became its own channel, ushering in an era of constant content consumption, and generative AI started unlocking efficiencies we had never imagined. And that’s just a handful of the highlights. The evolution continues, so let’s not waste time. Here are five new marketing trends we need to keep our eyes on in 2025, according to the 2025 State of Marketing Report (and how experts suggest you approach them). Top Marketing Trends to Watch in 2025 1. Focusing On Younger Customers Millennials and Gen Z are no longer just summer interns, people. The oldest of the gens are in their early 40s and are the decision-makers, both professionally and personally. The State of Marketing found that over the past twelve months, marketers (both B2C and B2B) have narrowed their focus to Gen Z and Millennial customers while pulling back on their attempts to reach Boomers and Gen X. Head of Content at 6Minded, Joanna Borkowska, has seen and experienced this first-hand, sharing, “We’ve noticed it ourselves, collaborating more frequently with managers and founders born in the 90s, who now influence purchasing and strategy decisions.” What does that mean for marketers? “Marketers must revamp their tactics and prioritize personalization, networking, and authentic interactions,” advises Borkowska. “While raised in the digital age, this generation craves genuine connections and trust built on shared experiences and goals. They seek partners who care and can truly understand them and grow and learn together.” For brands of all kinds, this means delivering personalized, targeted content and insights based on your audience’s individual behaviors. It means catering your brand experience to the customer’s specific needs, showing you understand them. Think sending emails with resources related to their past purchases (i.e. “How to get the most out of your [insert product purchased]”) or showing them articles similar to those they read in the past on your website. You can also tap AI to help with personalization, like CEO at BridgeRev Ashley Quintana. Source “HubSpot’s AI tools like Breeze and Copilot have been invaluable. Breeze streamlines brainstorming and drafting, making it easy to create engaging, audience-specific content, while Copilot helps us optimize workflows by integrating AI directly into our daily tasks.” “These tools allow us to deliver high-quality content faster without sacrificing the strategic and human elements our clients rely on.” Check out: AI in Digital Marketing — The Complete Guide AI Marketing Automation: What Marketers Need to Know How to Use AI Personalization Tactics to Scale Marketing Growth 2. Leading with Brand A bigger focus on personal and authentic consumer interactions also lends itself to another trend we’re seeing — brand-forward marketing. We’re talking marketing focused on building brand awareness; strategies that really lean into the values, culture, and overall story of a business, rather than just its products or services. Brand was also a focus in 2024, but our research found many marketers plan to invest even more this year, especially in creating value-focused content. But why exactly? Quintana explained, “The shift towards value-driven content reflects a broader demand for authenticity and trust in marketing. In 2025, consumers aren’t just choosing products or services — they’re aligning themselves with brands that resonate with their beliefs and reflect their values.” In such socially charged times, people are shopping their values. They want to know that their hard-earned money is ultimately going to efforts, causes, and principles that they support on a deeper level. Value-focused content is one way to make yours clear to buyers so they can join you or avoid. What does that mean for marketers? “For businesses looking to lead with their brand, my advice is simple: know your ‘why’ and weave it into every piece of content you create,“ continued Quintana. “Ensure that your actions align with the values you promote.” One brand that does this well is Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream company has made activism a staple of its brand since its founding in 1978. Source It highlights its values on its website and makes it a point to highlight its socially conscious business practices and the causes it cares about.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) It’s also no stranger to advocating on social media about issues facing the world or incorporating them into their product names and marketing.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) When you buy from Ben & Jerry’s, you know exactly what your dollars are going to on a greater level — and many consumers actually choose them because of that. Pro tip: Use “Human Intelligence” to create your brand content. Let’s be real: As more marketers incorporate AI into their writing processes, we’re seeing a rise in generic, low-quality content. Continuing to create human-led content that isn’t simply copied and pasted from a chatbot is one way to stand out as a brand and ensure your values come through. Even if you generate content with AI, make sure someone on your team takes the time to infuse your brand’s unique personality and tone of voice. Also, aim to add elements that reflect your brand’s specific values and culture, like original examples and first-hand experiences. I mean, think about it. No one knows your culture and exudes your values better than those at your company. They have experiences, knowledge, and feelings AI never could. This is a big differentiator. Want more tips on how to humanize your AI content? I’ve got you covered here. 3. Visuals as

Keywords, SEO, Blogging — the list of tactics marketing soothsayers have declared dead is long and not exactly accurate. But potentially dying marketing trends are something to keep an eye out for. As marketers, we’re at the mercy of the world around us. Our strategies need to align with buyer behaviors and what they care and talk about, and honestly, that seems to change with every refresh of an explore page. If we’re going to stay effective, we need to stay current — which brings us to today’s obituary. Friends, we’ve gathered here today to discuss four outdated marketing trends that, according to new data from the 2025 State of Marketing, may not survive 2025. Ok — maybe this is dark phrasing, but these tactics certainly won’t stick around with our current approaches. Let’s unpack what they are and how to pivot. Marketing Trends That Might Not Survive in 2025 1. Mass Marketing If you market to everyone, you market to no one. Marketers have known this for ages, but we need to take it more seriously as consumers demand a personalized touch from brands. I mean, admit it. It’s kind of nice to open an email or app and get a message no one else has received. It feels special — exclusive even — and most people agree on this. Twilio’s State of Personalization report found that 49% of consumers say they’ll likely become repeat buyers after a personalized shopping experience with a retail brand. (I know I get a little giddy seeing my name in things like my Spotify Wrapped.) Moreover, Zendesk found that 70% of customers expect anyone they interact with at a business to have the full context of their previous engagement and actions. So, they’re not messing around. That said, mass marketing — that is, marketing with no specific target audience, general messaging, and a “one size fits all” experience — needs to be abandoned. Successful marketing in 2025 will require greater emphasis on personalization and community engagement. Last year, this was the number one area marketers reported focusing on, and this year, our research found that 85% of marketers consider their strategy somewhat or very personalized. On top of that, just about 94% said personalization impacted sales. Recently, Grace Kao, Head of Global Business Marketing at Spotify, discussed the importance of creating emotionally resonant experiences tied to users’ personal moments as a brand. She said, “It’s about the value you‘re actually bringing to your customer. For us at Spotify, what we’re really trying to bring is some sort of personal element.” “It‘s a ’Oh, wow! Thank you for providing something that speaks to me specifically.‘ That’s what keeps users coming back, feeling like their moments matter.” How can you pivot in 2025? Learn everything you can about personalizing your marketing and brand experiences. This can look like: Addressing your buyer by name in emails Making product recommendations based on past purchases on your website. Sending emails with content suggestions based on purchases or past behavior (i.e., pages they’ve visited or offers they’ve downloaded.) Checking in and proactively reaching out with support or help with recent purchases. Asking for feedback And don’t forget: AI can help with scaling all of this. More on that here: How to Use AI Personalization Tactics to Scale Marketing Growth Top 5 Use Cases for AI Personalization in Marketing 2. Link Building For over a decade, successful content marketing has largely been focused on creating keyword-packed website/blog content and earning traffic and links back to their websites. However, marketers in our survey rated visual formats like short-form video, images, and live streaming higher in return than those like blogging (though this did still make the top five), buyer behaviors are increasingly favoring social media and AI chatbots, and Google’s EEAT regulations are not letting up. With all these factors, it’s clear traditional search tactics alone won’t cut it anymore. Kevin Indig from Toast predicted that traditional SEO tactics, such as link building, will decline in importance and that brand mentions, authority, and reputation will matter more in a competitive search landscape ​moving forward. He explained, “In my worldview, the idea of links shifts a bit more to mentions — In other words, what context and how often is our brand mentioned? The more often your brand is mentioned across the web, the more people potentially hear about it.” In this context, Indig isn’t just referring to getting discovered through search engines but also through mentions and discussions on social media, in the press, and eventually by AI assistants. “There’s something to be said about the training data,” He continued. “Essentially, you want to grow the surface at which it is possible that an LLM [large language model] finds your brand in a certain sentiment.” “When the New York Times, for example, writes about HubSpot being the most successful B2B company, that obviously has a different weight than when somebody on Reddit says, ‘Oh, you know, Salesforce is better than HubSpot.” “We don’t yet know the exact impact on your visibility in generative AI or in LLMs based on those mentions, but we can assume that there’s probably a pretty strong connection.” How can you pivot in 2025? Indig continued, “I see the link-building space shifting much more to web footprinting or exposure — public relations (PR) is another name for it — just basically getting your brand out there in a positive sentiment and on the most authoritative sites possible.” This can take many different forms, but some examples may include: Brand collaborations Influencer marketing (more on that shortly) Live streaming Live events Increased social media marketing All of these tactics aim to expand your reach and get you in front of new audiences outside of your owned media. 3. Podcasts Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve forecasted doom for podcasts and audio content like chatrooms (Remember Clubhouse?). They made our list last year, too. This year, only about 13% of marketers plan on increasing their investment in

2024 was a year to remember. For one, there were enormous strides in AI that resulted in massive shifts across the marketing industry. (Many marketers compare AI innovations to the industrial revolution. No big deal or anything.) Aside from AI, Google’s EEAT search ranking factors shook up content strategies, redefining online visibility. Even consumer buying behaviors evolved significantly, with shoppers becoming more attentive to brand values and increasingly favoring campaigns that align with their personal ideals. As we stand on the brink of 2025, it‘s crucial for marketers to pause and reflect on the year’s biggest challenges and prepare for the future. Below, let’s review the current global marketing issues impacting the industry, according to data from HubSpot’s 2025 Marketing Report and insights from marketing experts. Or jump to whichever top challenge you’re most curious about: Customer Targeting Knowing the social issues your audience cares about Facilitating sales and marketing alignment Hiring top talent Creating content that generates leads Gaining and keeping followers on social media Is marketing hard? Top Challenges Marketers’ Faced in 2024 — Plus, Expert Insights on How to Navigate Those Challenges in 2025 1. Customer Targeting Over the past 12 months, marketing efforts towards Boomers and Generation X have hit an all-time low. This decline indicates a much-needed strategic recalibration as companies reassess where to allocate their marketing resources for maximum impact. The shift away from targeting older generations is evident even across industries. For business-to-consumer (B2C), Gen X targeting dropped from 67% in 2023 to 41% in 2024; as business-to-business (B2B) sectors had a similar fall in Gen X targeting from 68% to 43% over the same period. Why It’s a Challenge Shifting demographic focus can mean an almost complete overhaul of how teams market their product or service — and shifting tactics can come with uncertainty. Appealing to changing cultural or behavioral differences can challenge businesses reliant on their pre-existing brand image. For example, older generations may have established brand loyalties that can be difficult to change. Younger audiences may be more skeptical and selective, placing a premium on authenticity — but there are some cases as recent as November 2024 with brands like Jaguar, that took a big swing in rebranding and following an ethos that shocked many luxury car consumers nationwide. Rawdon Glover, Jaguar’s managing director, shared his thoughts on the new brand transformation behind its TYPE 00, stating, “We have forged a fearlessly creative new character for Jaguar that is true to the DNA of the brand but future-facing, relevant, and one that really stands out.” While it’s too soon to call, this brand is one of countless that are taking on the challenge of adapting to changing audiences and bravely targeting those who are newly introduced to the brand or are more into a fresh (or even bold) future. What You Can Do Freshen up your team‘s market research and data analytics to understand an expanding audience’s preferences, behaviors, and needs. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every persona you may be trying to reach, familiarize yourselves with the latest industry trends and content preferences that customers are gravitating towards in 2025. 2. Knowing the Social Issues Your Audience Cares About Consumers want brands to be socially responsible — in fact, 45% of people think that brands need to do more to advocate for social justice issues. The brands that take a stance on social issues that matter to their audience will have an easier time connecting with their prospects and customers. People want to buy from brands that care about things that matter to them. Consider Warby Parker. I’ve been purchasing sunglasses from Warby Parker for years. I won’t go anywhere else. Why? Because of their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, which donates one pair of glasses per pair bought and, to date, has distributed over 10 million glasses. Why It’s a Challenge Roughly one-third (28%) of marketers say their biggest challenge is a lack of information on the social causes their target audience cares about (e.g. environmentalism, racial justice). Simply put, it can be difficult to discern which social causes matter most to your target audience. This information is a little more nuanced than age, gender, or location. Additionally, you want the cause to align with your brand values. Your audience might care deeply about climate change, but that cause might not have a natural connection with your brand personality. To authentically connect with your audience around social issues, it’s critical that they make sense for your business, as well. What You Can Do Like most marketing activities, the key to success here lies in market research. You’ll want to conduct thorough research to better understand your customers on a deeper level – including what they value most. Surveys can be strong opportunities to explore these more nuanced conversations with your buyer persona and understand what matters to them. However, people aren’t always going to feel comfortable sharing the social issues they care most about, since they are often very personal. In these cases, leveraging social listening tools to glean insights into the social issues your audience discusses the most on social media could be a strong first step. HubSpot’s Manager of Community Strategy & Operations Jenny Sowyrda told me, “My number one tip for understanding what your community values is to listen to your community. Your community is telling you what they care about through every interaction — from clicking links in an email to re-sharing a social post.” Sowyrda adds, “Additionally, you should actively listen by connecting with your community members directly. Start a list of members, both the loudest and the quietest folks in the room, and build trust with them through individual conversations focused on learning what they care about. By combining your understanding of your community members with your unique expertise, you can provide value and cater to their needs.” Once you‘ve determined what your community values, you’ll want to figure out which social issues overlap with your brand. Authenticity here is