Agencies are navigating a fast-changing marketing landscape driven by artificial intelligence, shifting platforms, and evolving consumer expectations. While the rapid pace can be overwhelming, it also brings plenty of opportunities for those who adapt.
When marketing agencies were asked about trends they foresee shaping the year ahead, common themes emerged. Many highlighted the growing importance of using AI to streamline operations, diversifying content to counter declining organic reach, and adopting tools that enhance both creativity and efficiency. These insights reveal how the industry is evolving and how agencies plan to tackle upcoming challenges.
In this article, we will break down key insights shared by more than two dozen marketing agencies. We’ll explore strategies expected to define agency success in 2025 and provide practical takeaways to help agencies stay ahead in the ever-evolving marketing world.
1. Prioritise User-Centric AI Strategies
The widespread adoption of AI by creators in 2025 marks a major shift in how marketing agencies develop their strategies. With AI tools becoming mainstream, the key differentiator lies in how effectively agencies leverage them to enhance user experiences and build genuine connections with their audiences.
Franco Aquino, Co-Founder of REN Marketing, notes, “Creators are adopting AI quickly. This is great for early adopters, but in a short amount of time, it may not be a differentiator. Excelling in high-quality (but not necessarily high-production) user-generated content will separate the one-hit wonders from those that will grow long-term.”
As AI continues to influence marketing, agencies that focus on authenticity rather than just automation are likely to stand out. A practical way to foster authenticity is by sharing user-generated content (UGC), such as reviews and testimonials, which can help build trust and strengthen customer relationships.
For instance, customer reviews provide organic, credible touchpoints that enhance a brand’s reputation. To encourage more reviews, make it easy for customers by including links to review pages in emails and on your website. You could also send follow-up messages and offer incentives for leaving reviews.
2. Diversify Channels to Boost Visibility
With ongoing changes in Google Search, marketers need to adapt their tactics to ensure clients remain visible to their target audiences.
Joy Hawkins, Owner and President of SterlingSky, observes, “We’re starting to see sites lose traffic due to AI overviews. With the rise of AI on Google, SEOs will face challenges in finding new ways to drive traffic to clients’ sites. Informational queries that used to attract clicks are now resulting in fewer visits. The solution will be to diversify traffic sources and focus on more transactional queries, which will likely become increasingly competitive.”
Diversifying content types and distribution methods will also play a crucial role in sharing client messages effectively. Tanya Wigmore, Chief Growth Officer and General Manager of Cronyx Digital, stresses the importance of this strategy, saying, “2025 is going to be all about diversification. We’re seeing a decline in organic traffic as a primary source and a drop in organic social visibility. To stay ahead, you’ll need to broaden your content to include video, audio, and traditional text while also increasing visibility across multiple channels.”
Although AI can help streamline content creation, it’s vital to add a unique perspective and expertise to stand apart from other AI-generated material. Expanding to more channels will add complexity, but using tools that track online and offline touchpoints can help map customer journeys more accurately.
For better visibility into your marketing impact, consider tools like Call Tracking and Form Tracking. These can provide valuable data on keyword searches and lead sources, which will help you make smarter marketing decisions.
3. Experiment with New Tactics — and Track Their Effectiveness
Marketing agencies face the dual challenge of meeting their clients’ goals while also achieving their own revenue targets. For some marketers, missing revenue goals in the previous year was attributed to economic factors and client turnover.
Experimenting with new tactics could improve performance, but it’s essential to monitor progress carefully. AI can assist with both testing and tracking.
Jake Meline, Associate Director of Sales Operations at Accelerated Digital Marketing, advises, “This is a great time for marketers to explore new ways of reaching audiences and test whether those methods can deliver efficient conversions. Many of these tactics will rely on AI to define and segment audiences, as well as to craft tailored messaging or creative content.”
As marketers try new approaches, tracking each touchpoint in the customer journey is critical. Meline highlights that different tactics may support different stages of the funnel, which means success metrics will vary. AI-based campaigns can only thrive if they optimise for the right goals.
To ensure AI-driven marketing is as effective as possible, marketers must gather comprehensive performance data, whether from phone calls, lead forms, or online purchases.
A useful tip is to run A/B tests to measure the impact of your experiments and adjust your strategy based on the results. This will allow you to fine-tune your campaigns for better outcomes.
4. Be Authentic with Your Customers
Authenticity is key to connecting with the right audience, and presenting your clients in a genuine way can make all the difference. Ben Wright, Founder and CEO of Risely Marketing, puts it simply: “Be human!”
“Marketers are always leveraging the latest trends, and AI is no different,” Wright explains. “In 2025, it will be easier than ever to sound robotic, feel generic, and get ignored online. Agencies that focus on helping their clients build authentic, memorable, and unique brands will stand out.”
To foster authenticity, consider sharing real stories from customers and employees when it’s relevant. You can also engage directly with your clients’ audiences through social media to create more meaningful connections.
- Automate Tedious Tasks
In the year ahead, many marketers are planning to use AI to help their agencies scale by automating repetitive tasks. Common areas where AI-driven tools are expected to make an impact include:
- Customer data analytics
- Lead intelligence
- Marketing automation
Blake Akers, CEO of Webology, LLC, envisions a future where even simple but time-consuming tasks, like installing a Google Ads container in WordPress, can be automated. “For us in the SEO space, there’s potential to automate things like citation building and internal linking, which will soon have a direct impact on SEO service costs,” he says.
By automating follow-ups using AI-powered tools like Convert Assist, your clients can save time and ensure that valuable leads and customers don’t fall through the cracks.
- Innovate with No-Code Platforms
With AI-driven platforms, it’s now easier than ever to create tools and apps tailored to customer needs. More agencies are exploring no-code platforms to offer these solutions, though it’s essential to ensure the tools address genuine customer problems. Otherwise, customers may grow frustrated with apps that don’t add real value.
Andrew Peluso, CEO and Owner of Bananas Agency, believes the trend marketers should watch is AI-first, no-code tool creation. “Building useful, customer-centric tools has never been easier,” he says.
For example, Peluso’s agency recently used the OpenAI GPT-4 API alongside a no-code platform to build a bug identification tool for their client’s customers. Before, users had to search through an extensive bug library manually. Now, they can simply snap a photo and instantly receive identification and relevant information about the bug.
“A tool like this, once costly and complex, can now be built in just a few hours for $30 a month,” Peluso explains. This shift offers a huge opportunity for marketers to develop value-driven solutions that improve customer experiences.
In an era where AI can produce content, images, and videos at scale, the challenge lies in combining these capabilities to deliver unique, impactful outcomes. The marketers who innovate in this space are likely to secure lasting customer loyalty.
Tip: Use no-code integration tools to streamline innovation for both your agency and your clients.
- Optimise SEO with AI-Driven Tools
AI-powered tools are already helping agencies improve and streamline SEO processes, from keyword research to data analysis. As AI evolves, its impact on SEO is growing, especially as search interfaces change.
Patricia Walterick, CEO of Open Space Digital, advises marketers to adapt their SEO strategies to cater not just to traditional search engines, but also to AI-powered search interfaces. She highlights several key trends to watch:
- AI Backlink Ecosystem: Emerging data from tools like Google Search Console indicates a rise in backlinks from AI-generated content. These AI-powered backlinks may influence SEO and require careful monitoring to ensure quality.
- Optimising for AI Interfaces: With more users turning to AI chatbots and virtual assistants for answers, it’s vital to optimise content for these platforms. This might involve creating clear, direct answers, using schema markup, and incorporating conversational keyword strategies.
- Training Proprietary AI Models: Agencies may also begin training their own AI models with optimised content to boost brand visibility in AI-driven search environments. This proactive approach can position brands as trusted sources for specific queries or topics.
By using an AI-powered platform like Premium Conversation Intelligence™, you can improve keyword tracking and SEO analysis. This makes it easier to identify which ads and keywords are generating the most valuable leads.