If 2024 left you screaming: “What the actual fuck?!” in the void…
You are not alone, my friend. 2024 was a BIG year in marketing – one that left LOTS of freelancers and business owners across multiple industries feeling uncertain about the future and absolutely EXHAUSTED.
Does anyone else need a 4-day nap?
So what’s coming next in 2025? Is all hope lost? Is this the new norm? What is actually going on?
In this blog, I’m breaking down my BIGGEST marketing predictions for 2025…
You need to see this (especially #1)…
Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.
Coming at you with an article EVERY SINGLE copywriter, marketer, and business owner needs to pay attention to RIGHT NOW.
Listen… I know this year has felt HARD for many of you––me too, I won’t lie…
So before I jump into my BIGGEST marketing predictions for 2025, can we PLEASE just acknowledge the dumpster fire that was marketing in 2024?
I’ve been in the marketing industry for over 16 years now. 2024 was definitely one of the hardest years of them all. And I know I’m not the only one who shares that sentiment.
I’ve been chatting with fellow entrepreneurs and business owners over the last several months, and there’s no denying that things are shifting right now…
So, if 2024 was hard for you, too, I hope this makes you feel just a little validated knowing it’s NOT JUST YOU.
But you’ll be happy to know that these shifts come with some pretty awesome opportunities that I, for one, am really excited about.
And once you know how to work SMARTER (not harder), I promise 2025 will feel a LOT easier and way more fun as we adjust to the new normal.
Moving into 2025, the theme is SIMPLICITY. I’m going back to the basics—and I am here for it…
And, I am here to help you navigate these shifts so you can succeed this year and beyond.
You know I got you, Posse, and there are some AMAZING new videos coming your way soon on how I’m shifting my copywriting, content and marketing in 2025…
If you don’t want to miss those, go ahead and subscribe to my newsletter so you’re first to know when my next blog goes out.
Now let’s count them down – my BIGGEST marketing predictions for 2025…
Make sure to stick around to #1 to get my uncensored advice on how to make 2025 your most successful year EVER!
Starting with…
#7: Authentic Marketing Will Win
Consumer trust is at an ALL TIME LOW. Which – ding, ding, ding! – is exactly why 2024 was hard for so many of us…
Audiences today are more skeptical than ever…
A recent study shows that 69% of consumers distrust brand advertising. And that number is quickly on the rise.
With the barf factory that is AI-generated content, “deepfakes,” scammers, impersonators, automated everything, the non-stop barrage of ads screaming for our attention, yet making us feel nothing…
It’s no freaking wonder we’re skeptical.
So I’m just going to say it…
In 2025, AI NEEDS TO STAY OUT OF YOUR MESSAGING.
Consumers are NOT STUPID. They know the difference between something that is written by YOU vs something written by AI.
And I don’t know about you, but I am already bored by the crapload of unhelpful, generic content being published online…
And I’m not the only one. In fact, over 50% of people claim they can tell the difference.
And well over 50% of consumers report they are CONCERNED (read: SKEPTICAL) about businesses using AI to write product descriptions, create fake reviews, answer questions, and more.
If they are concerned about it, it means they are LOOKING for it. And one little sniff of inauthenticity or sneakiness in your marketing and you’re officially out.
Call me woo-woo, but I believe there is such a thing as an energy exchange in everything we do and create…
Your audience can FEEL the difference when something is created by a human.
I LOVED this email from Ryan Levesque, a 7-times Inc 5000 CEO:
In his email, he made a similar argument to mine…
That every piece of communication should come from YOU – aka a person.
He said, “The world is craving the Sunday brunch, freshly squeezed orange juice version of YOU. Not the watered-down AI version that comes in a can. They need to see your Heart. Humor. And Humanity.”
OMG YESSSS….. CHILLS.
Now, before you come at me… I’m not anti-AI.
In fact, I LOVE AI and I think we need to use MORE of it… in the right ways.
But ever since ChatGPT blew up, people have been hyper-focused on training AI to write for them and treating it as the magic bullet to success.
Sure, they are saving time, but in the process, they are removing all heart, humor and humanity from the equation…
And that is the nail in the coffin of your dying business this year.
Instead, we should be using AI to STREAMLINE our processes, make our content more accessible, and deliver personalized, valuable content to our customers exactly when they need it…
We should be using AI to help with time-consuming tasks like research, ideation, task management, scheduling, editing, outlining, proofreading, transcribing and refining.
We should be using AI to free up more of our time so that we can do MORE of the human-to-human, trust-building activities that only we (aka humans) can do.
Like writing our messaging and communicating with our customers, you know, the people who actually give us MONEY.
In 2025, the businesses that will WIN are the ones who use automation so they can prioritize authenticity. Think about that one…
This brings me to…
#6: Personal Brands Will Thrive
For all the reasons I just mentioned, your customers are literally STARVING for connection…
And one of the BEST places to create that connection is social media…
Customers are looking for leaders they know, like and trust who can show them the way.
This means personal brands, creators, solopreneurs, and service providers have a HUGE opportunity right now.
Now you might be thinking, “Ok great. I’m already on social media and posting regularly.” But there is a catch…
In 2025, we need to go back to the way we USED to do social media.
Remember when we used to post our unedited family photos? Or share real stories about what we’re up to when we’re NOT running our businesses? Or reshare memes that made us laugh, or cry, or just FEEL anything.
THAT is what consumers will want more of in 2025…
They want to connect with YOU (not a logo, product, company or agency) in a real, raw, authentic and relatable way.
I’ll admit I lost sight of this last year because I got too “busy” in other areas of my business that it really sucked the joy out of sharing on social.
It became a “process” rather than a meaningful way to connect with my audience…
So, let it be known that in 2025, I’m going back to having more fun, being more REAL and posting more personal and playful stuff on my social media.
Remember, people want to know WHAT you do and WHO you are.
So if you’re just getting started, forget about having two separate Instagram accounts, one for yourself and one for your business… just show up and be YOU. That is what your audience wants.
BUT don’t just post for the sake of posting…
Now that “content” is cheap, thanks in part to AI and every Dick and Sally on the internet thinking they can shortcut their way to success, it has me re-evaluating the type of content and conversations I want to have…
The Internet is a garbage pile of boring content that is utterly exhausting to sort through.
Write this down: Content is cheap. Connection is invaluable.
So in 2025, I want to go deeper, have more fun and share my uncensored thoughts and opinions.
And my invitation to you is this: with every social media post you create in 2025, I want you to keep these three goals in mind:
- Build Trust
- Create Connection/Emotion
- Act In Service
Stop locking your BEST advice behind a paywall.
Stop asking your followers to jump through hoops to get the value you have to share.
Stop hyper-focusing on only “getting leads and conversions.”
Be REAL, be helpful, be you. TALK to people…
Alright, now moving on to #5…
#5: Micro-Conversions Matter
Up until now, the metrics that MOST of us have been concerned with are what we call “macro-conversions”…
Basically – sales – because that’s what it’s all about right? Well, ultimately we have business to make money, yes… butttttt….
Because consumer trust is at an all-time low, they are taking WAY LONGER to make a buying decision.
And this is happening across the board.
After a customer first discovers you, they are NOT buying right away. Well, not usually. Instead, they are shopping around, evaluating options and taking their sweet, sweet time GETTING TO KNOW YOU before they buy….
And Google defines this as the “messy middle”…
Which is “the space of abundant information and unlimited choice…”
Basically, it’s the complicated web of touchpoints a customer interacts with between the first trigger (or touchpoint) and the final purchase decision or sale…
And business owners are left scratching their heads about how to navigate this as it doesn’t really fit into the traditional brand marketing or performance marketing buckets…
Here’s a quote from the report, Decoding Decisions Making Sense of the messy middle…
“The messy middle is a good way to describe how marketing has evolved over the past decade or two, with the polarization between branding and direct response creating a gap into which all sorts of valuable consumer behavior goes unrecognized and underserved.”
The problem with this messy middle is that it leaves many of us thinking we are FAILING when someone doesn’t buy from us right away…
So what do we do? We pivot, we shift gears and change up our strategy…
Which CONFUSES everyone in the messy middle and sends them the message, “Hey, this brand is inconsistent and untrustworthy. Time to move on.”
Then the messy middle cycle begins ALL OVER AGAIN with a new set of people.
And the cycle continues…
So, in 2025, we need to start looking at and tracking MICRO-CONVERSIONS.
Micro-conversions are the smaller, low-commitment steps users take that indicate heightened engagement and movement through the sales funnel – even if they aren’t converting (yet).
I’m talking about things like:
- Newsletter signups
- Social media interactions: comments, shares, and follows
- Filling out a contact form or survey
- Attending a free webinar or masterclass
- Consuming your content!
By prioritizing increasing THESE micro-commitments, rather than only looking at sales – you are focusing on building trust during your customers’ evaluation phase…
Which ultimately leads to better engagement and higher sales conversion rates.
Alright, now moving on to #4…
#4: Customer Experience Is EVERYTHING
Customer experience has ALWAYS been king when it comes to long-term success in business…
But in this age of AI, mistrust and endless “eerily similar” options… customer experience has NEVER been more important.
I mean, just look at these statistics:
- 42% of customers are willing to pay more when offered a friendly, more welcoming customer experience.
- When given a POSITIVE customer experience, 72% of customers will share their experience with six or more people…
- In contrast, after a POOR customer experience, up to 89% of consumers have switched to a competitor.
- And when making a purchase, 64% of consumers consider customer experience to be more important than price.
So what does this REALLY MEAN?
How can you improve customer experience in 2025?
Well, there are a lot of things that go into an overall good customer experience!
Of course, you want to make sure that you’re delivering on your promises, getting them the things they paid for in a timely manner and meeting their quality expectations…
But great customer experience goes BEYOND that.
We are in the middle of a CONNECTION CRISIS. As content continues to cheapen, there is an ever-rising premium on human connection.
And brands that foster that connection will rise to the top…
GaryVee refers to this as the “thank you economy” – he has a whole book about the Thank You Economy I recommend you read.
But here’s how he sums it up…
In other words:
- Be a rad human!
- Send a heartfelt thank you note to your customers.
- Follow up after a few weeks or months to see how they’re getting along – notice I didn’t say to offer them MORE SERVICES… just a genuine check-in.
- Reply to their messages promptly and with kindness.
- Take the TIME to show your customers that you CARE about them as a fellow human being and that you genuinely WANT to see them succeed.
Customer service is one place I will NEVER fully automate in my business.
Real, heart-forward humans are behind EVERY customer service email, DM and comment you see from my brand.
Well, with one exception!
And that leads me to #3…
#3: Start More Conversations
Ok so know that people are STARVING for connection.
Which means we are STARVING for conversations.
In 2025, the brands that start MORE conversations EARLIER will succeed.
Not just in building long-term and lasting relationships with their target audience…
Not just in creating a sense of trust and connection…
Not just in fostering a positive reputation with their audience…
But ALSO in getting more sales conversions.
In fact, 70% of conversations in Instagram DMs result in conversions with customers. That is a crazy high conversion rate.
All from taking a few extra minutes out of your day to directly message someone and have a REAL HUMAN conversation with them.
No funnel, no ads, no sales calls…
A simple back-and-forth conversation.
I have seen this firsthand in my own business. 8/10 times I have a 1-1 conversation with someone it leads to a conversion…
Maybe that person was having doubts about their abilities…
Maybe they were unsure the timing was right…
Maybe they just weren’t sure I would actually be able to help them.
But when I hop into their DMs and send them a quick voice note to answer their questions, it ALWAYS helps.
It might not always result in an immediate conversion… but because I’m taking the time to connect with that person, they are WAY more likely to convert at a later date…
So now the question really is: HOW are you realistically supposed to do this? I mean, you can’t really go around DM-ing every single person who likes a post or follows you.
There aren’t enough hours in the day for that.
This is where AI tools can be SUPER USEFUL. Yes, I’m talking about ChatBots.
ChatBots can help you INSTANTLY initiate conversations with hot leads – aka people who show interest in your content.
And once the conversation is INITATED, you can easily swoop in as a REAL PERSON to answer any follow up questions or concerns they might have.
And interestingly, DMs is one place where people seem to be totally okay with AI.
According to that same survey on AI that we referred to earlier, 53% of consumers actually WANT to interact with AI through instant messaging – aka ChatBots.
That makes sense if you think about it…
Part of a great customer experience is getting what you want when you want it.
Which is exactly why we use a ChatBot to deliver resources – like free guides and links – to my followers as soon as possible…
They get them INSTANTLY, which is faster than a human could send them!!
BUT – and I believe this is important, I am totally transparent and identify the bot – you can see we do that here in the very first sentence of this automated message…
We named our Bot Benny, and everyone loves Benny!
ChatBots can be incredibly useful for STARTING conversations with hot leads – which can increase your overall conversions.
But the important thing to remember is that they should not be OVERUSED or abused.
Use it to answer questions quickly & deliver resources fast…
But, in my opinion, you should ALWAYS give people the option of speaking directly to a human. Even if that might involve a wait – just let them know someone will be in touch.
Here is an example of how we give our audience that option. If they click the button “I have a question”… we send one more automated message that asks them to drop their questions and lets them know we’ll get back to them ASAP.
Then, YES, Daisy, a real-life person on my team will respond as soon as she can.
So, while AI and technology can definitely assist in streamlining your conversational marketing efforts —DO NOT ignore the power of empathy and humanity.
And now moving onto…
#2: Stories Are Here To Stay
Remember that messy middle we talked about? And how during that time your customers are waiting and watching and trying to get to know you better to decide if YOU are the person/brand/business who can help them?
Well, the BEST way to let your audience get to know the REAL YOU is through your stories.
This is how you nurture those hard-won relationships and continue to win them over day after day.
But I’m not just talking about sharing stories over email or in your social feed…
I’m talking about actually posting to your Instagram stories!!! It might seem like a “little thing”…
But it can have HUGE RESULTS.
In fact, a couple of months ago, I challenged myself to post to my Instagram stories every single day.
And after just 14 days, I massively increased my reach and engagement on my personal social media…
And it literally required NO PREP time, no planning, no fancy graphics or captions…
I would just hop on and share random thoughts or a quick picture of me walking my dog.
SO EASY and one of the simplest ways to boost your social media marketing efforts.
If showing up on stories terrifies you, I challenge you to check out this tutorial next – where I give you DETAILED prompts and ideas to help you show up on your stories every single day for 10 days in a row.
One of the trickiest parts about marketing in the age of information and endless options is staying front and center in the mind of your audience…
This is such a great way to do that.
Alright… are you ready for the grand finale?
My #1 prediction for 2025? I call it…
#1: The Big Shift
There are some BIG shifts happening in the marketing world. And these affect EVERYONE – copywriters, business owners, social media creators, and freelancers across the board…
A lot of previously “proven” models and systems are no longer working.
People are simultaneously bored and exhausted…
The old model is broken, and it’s time to make some new rules.
I have so MUCH to say on this that I’m hosting a FREE upcoming masterclass I’m calling “The Big Shift”:
- I’ll share the shocking ways copywriting is shifting in 2025. I’ll reveal my uncensored predictions for the year ahead (good and bad) and how to create more trust, authority and sales in an oversaturated and highly skeptical online landscape...
- What do these shifts means for copywriters? What do they mean for business owners?
- If you’re a copywriter, you’ll learn how to take advantage of these massive shifts to level up your skills, ignite your business (even with zero experience), find dream clients and make 2025 the year you bet on yourself and win big.
- And if you’re a business owner, you’ll learn EXACTLY I’m in my own business to cut through the noise, simplify my marketing strategy and create a bigger impact with my content (including where I’m using AI and where I will NEVER use AI).
2025 is all about going deeper, having more fun and sharing the REAL YOU — and I’m so excited…
Are you ready?
Hit the link right now to save your spot at my upcoming FREE Masterclass.
I hope to see you there…
Until then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!
