10 Marketing Trends to Watch (+ Tips and Examples)

Adapting to new marketing trends is key to staying competitive and relevant.

To keep up with changing consumer behaviors and new technologies, brands need to be agile and forward-thinking.

Check out these 10 latest marketing trends. With actionable tips on how you can capitalize on each. And create better marketing campaigns.

1. Marketers Will Adopt AI for Fast, Effective Content Creation

Gartner predicts that 80% of marketers in advanced creative roles will be using generative AI by 2026.

Which means marketers who want to stay ahead need to learn how to use AI effectively for content creation.

Not using AI yet?

Here are a few ideas:

For example, here are some content ideas generated by ContentShake AI:

From there, you can click “Generate article.” And the tool will generate a fully-optimized article. Complete with images.

Want to get started with AI today?

Read this guide on generative AI to learn more.

2. Brands That Produce High-Quality Content Will Drive More Traffic

Content marketing is the strategic production and distribution of helpful and relevant content—e.g., blog posts, whitepapers, etc.—to attract and engage potential customers.

Quality content positions your brand as an expert. Which can build trust with your target audience.

Your content can also support potential customers through the buyer’s journey. From first learning about your product to deciding to become a paying customer.

Create high-quality content by following Google’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) guidelines.

More specifically, keep the following in mind when you create content:

• Research your target audience to understand their needs, preferences, and pain points. So you can address them with your content.
• Understand search intent to create relevant content your target audience actually wants
• Display experience and expertise by sharing real-world examples, valuable opinions, and actionable insights
• Ensure your article is well-researched, accurate, and original

That way, you can create content that is more likely to rank well. And that your target audience is actually interested in.

3. More Businesses Will Invest in Nano- or Micro-Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is when brands collaborate with individuals who have a dedicated online following (i.e., influencers) to promote products. Brands rely on influencers’ credibility and follower trust to drive consumer interest.

In 2024, brands were more likely to collaborate with nano- and micro-influencers (i.e., influencers with up to 100,000 followers) over macro-influencers and celebrities (influencers with 100,000 to over 1 million followers).

Because nano- and micro- influencers typically charge less than influencers with more followers. But still generate high engagement rates.

Nano-influencers get an average engagement rate of 4.59%. Which is the highest of all influencer groups.

Micro-influencers have an engagement rate of 2.59%. Followed by mid-tier influencers at 1.71%.

Macro-influencers engage their followers less on average with an engagement rate of 1.44%.

Find the right influencers for your brand with Influencer Analytics.

Tell the tool what kind of influencer you want. And hit “Create magic.”

For example, we entered “pet influencer with a small female audience.”

And got a list with over 17,000 influencer accounts.

Go through the list. And find influencers whose followers are also members of your target audience. And are within your budget range.

Further reading: How to Find Influencers for Your Brand (Not Just on Instagram)

4. Marketers Will Continue to Build Trust with User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is content created by individuals and consumers. Businesses can repurpose it on social media, in email marketing campaigns, or on a website or landing page. 

Think of user-generated content as word-of-mouth recommendations. Because it reflects the opinions and views of your real-world customers.

Only 30% of consumers say they are able to highly trust companies.

Meanwhile, 72% of consumers say customer reviews influence their purchase decisions. And 40% say customer-generated images and videos also influence their decision to buy.

Which is probably why many brands use UGC to build trust and authentic relationships with their target audience.

Here are six ways you can generate UGC from your audience and existing customers:

1. Look at customer reviews and testimonials on Google reviews, social media, or conversations between customers and your support team and turn them into social media posts
2. Search for brand and product mentions across the web using the Media Monitoring app to find stories that people share about your products. And share those stories on social media or on your blog
3. Engage with communities on social media or forums like Reddit to encourage users to share more about their experiences with your brand
4. Create a brand hashtag, like Nike’s #JustDoIt or Coke’s #ShareACoke, and encourage your audience to use that hashtag when they create posts related to your product
5. Use your purchase confirmation email or page to ask customers to create a photo, video, or leave a review
6. Host a social media raffle to encourage customers to tag your account in a testimonial post for your product or service

For example, this is an Instagram post by skincare brand Blume featuring an image created by one of their happy customers, showing the efficacy of their product.

The post got a lot of engagement (over a thousand likes and hundreds of comments) which signals that their followers are interested in this type of content.

In 2024, spending on short-form videos for advertising was estimated to reach almost $100 billion.

That’s likely because short-form videos are generally more engaging. And are highly shareable.

Videos under 60 seconds have a 50% average engagement rate. While videos longer than 60 minutes have a 16% average engagement rate.

This signals an opportunity for marketers to reach more people. With paid social campaigns and product ads using TikTok or YouTube Shorts.

Find inspiration for short-form video topics using the Keyword Analytics for YouTube app.

Open the tool and click “Get started” under “Keywords Research.”

Then, enter a keyword related to your brand, industry, or market in the search bar and click “Search.”

You’ll see a list of related terms and relevant information, including the top videos.

Look for keywords with a high search volume and a low competitive rate. Then, target them using short-form video content.

6. Brands Will Use Values-Driven Marketing to Show Commitment to Environmental or Societal Causes

Consumers often prefer brands that share their values.

In fact, 78% of consumers said they made a purchase decision based on a brand’s values. And 55% said they are much more likely to buy from companies that reflect their beliefs.

And more than 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably sourced and produced goods.

This means brands can benefit from using values-driven marketing to resonate better with potential customers and foster loyalty among their target market.

Here are examples of values-driven marketing in action:

Ecologyst shows its commitment to sustainability by creating an Instagram Story highlight about its sustainability efforts.

And Adidas’ “Breaking Barriers” campaign highlights its commitment to improving access to sports for women and ***** in Europe. 

7. Social Commerce Will Drive Greater Conversions for Ecommerce Brands

Social commerce is the process of selling products directly on social media. It creates a seamless, convenient, and interactive shopping experience. 

Platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube integrate shopping features directly into their platforms. Meaning people can purchase products without having to leave social media.

This ensures users stay on the platform through the entire journey—from product discovery to checkout. Which can lower the risk of cart abandonment.

The best part?

Social commerce accounted for 18.5% of online sales in 2023. And is predicted to be a $100 billion industry by 2025 because of its ease of use and frictionless checkout. 

Image Source: eMarketer

In practice, social commerce can mean partnering with influencers to create engaging, short-form videos. Your target audience can then interact with these videos to purchase featured products in a few clicks.

It can also mean integrating shoppable products into carousel ads to drive purchases from your social media posts.

8. Marketers Will Focus on Creating Personalized Content with AI

Marketers who created personalized customer experiences were 215% more likely to say their strategies in 2023 were successful.

And 77% of marketers who used generative AI said it helped with creating personalized content.

For example, AI-powered tools like Peak can accurately segment audiences. Which allows marketers to analyze their users’ habits and preferences. And craft highly relevant emails, blog posts, or social ads.

And ContentShake AI uses Semrush’s SEO data to craft content that targets keywords your audience is searching for.

Even chatbots are evolving. Conversational chatbots like Drift use AI to offer instant, personalized recommendations during customer interactions. Making the experience feel more tailored.

As AI tools become more sophisticated, personalized content will continue to be a key strategy in improving customer experiences and driving business growth.

9. Marketers Will Increase Focus on First-Party Data

In light of growing privacy concerns and shifting regulations, marketers are increasingly prioritizing first-party data over third-party data to drive their marketing campaigns.

But what are first-party and third-party data?

• First-party data is data that you collect directly from your users through interactions like website visits, purchases, and signups. This information is stored within your organization and is rarely shared with external parties.
• Third-party data, on the other hand, is data you obtain from external organizations (usually data brokers) that collect and aggregate data from multiple sources. In some cases, users don’t consent to their information being shared. 

One of the biggest drivers behind the shift to first-party data is the growing consumer demand for privacy.

Around a third of consumers said they care about their data privacy and want more control over their personal data. These consumers are also willing to take action or have already taken action to protect their online data.

In addition to that, more governments have introduced stricter privacy regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU. And the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

This growing demand for privacy has marketers turning away from relying on third-party data. Only 49% of marketers still rely on third-party data, down from 75% in 2022.

Here are some ways you can collect first-party data:

• Track website analytics. Use Google Analytics to track audience behavior on your website. Collect data on page views, click-through rates, and user journeys to understand customer interests and preferences.
• Collect customer feedback. Gather feedback through satisfaction surveys, product reviews, and customer support interactions.
• Build loyalty programs. Use loyalty programs that collect data on customer purchase history, frequency, and preferences. Use this data to reward and engage loyal customers.
• Deploy sign-up forms. Encourage your audience to sign up for newsletters or register for webinars. Then, collect information such as email addresses, job titles, and preferences. 

Further reading: What Is a Data Strategy, and How Do You Create One?

10. Brands Will Focus on Immersive VR Experiences to Engage Audiences

Virtual and augmented reality have the potential to add around £1.4 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

And with the launch of virtual reality headsets from companies such as Meta and Apple, this signals new opportunities for marketers to provide immersive brand experiences, such as: 

• Virtual product demonstrations and try-ons
• Virtual showrooms and product displays
• Virtual brand storytelling 
• Interactive games and branded VR challenges
• Virtual tours and travel experiences

These strategies can create memorable experiences, provoke emotion, and give you an edge over competitors in your industry.

Keeping up with marketing trends can be a lot of work. But tools can help you keep up with the times while minimizing effort.

For example, integrating AI into your content workflow is easy with ContentShake AI. The tool gives you SEO ideas, generates fully optimized articles, and lets you publish content. All using one platform.

And creating personalized content is easy with tools like Market Explorer and One2Target that tell you more about your target audience. So you can create content they can relate to.