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.
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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Friends, we’ve gathered here today to discuss four outdated marketing trends that, according to new data from the 2025 State of Marketing, may not survive 2025.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 the medium — less than short-form video, user-generated content, images, and live streaming.
But why so few when there are believed to be over 500 million podcast listeners worldwide?
Our survey found that most marketers don’t believe podcasts are one of their top ROI drivers. In fact, only about 13% reported it as one of their top three.
Blend’s Marketing Manager, Dan Stillgoe dug deeper into this for us, saying, “It‘s true that you can’t directly attribute leads or revenue from a podcast, but that’s not its purpose.”
Fellow HubSpotter Caroline Forsey added, “I‘m also assuming some marketers feel the barrier-to-entry is a little high. Creating a full, high-quality podcast episode requires time and resources.”
“It takes more effort than, say, posting an Instagram Reel, and it‘s harder to track ROI. But while it’s not easy, it’s worth considering if most of your consumers are podcast listeners.”
How can you pivot in 2025?
Your podcasts don’t have to go away, especially if you’ve got a good listener base, but perhaps you need to revisit your goals and expectations for the medium.
Stillgoe explained, “Podcasts are a long-term brand-building channel that can improve affinity and connection for your brand like no other channel. When you realize the long-term and surrounding benefits, podcasting becomes a clear and obvious investment.”
He adds, “Podcasting is the perfect way to craft engaging and authentic content — something buyers are beginning to crave in this AI era.”
So rather than turning to podcasting as an avenue for leads or traffic, turn to it for building community.
Read: Podcasting in 2025: What You Need + 9 Steps To Get Started
4. Mega-Influencer Marketing
It’s no secret: Consumers like influencers.
69% of consumers say they trust influencers’ opinions, while 49% actually depend on them for recommendations. But this doesn’t mean any old influencer will do.
Consumers like influencers and content creators they find relatable and trustworthy. As The Drum put it, they opt for those who “can offer connection, companionship, and aspiration.”
However, as “influencer” becomes more of an actual profession and follower numbers reach the millions, the sense of connection consumers crave is harder to come by.
Because of this, more niche influencers are proving more effective for brands.
Our survey found nearly 45% of marketers reported seeing the most success with micro-influencers, the largest of any group, followed by macro and nano-influencers. Mega-influencers (those with over a million) came in last.
Some of the reported benefits of smaller influencers included more trust with their followers, access to tight-knit communities, and more affordability.
Calvin Goncalves, a marketing associate at New Balance, also noted how smaller influencers offer more authenticity than their larger counterparts.
“Today, getting the most popular person is just like, ‘okay, cool.’ This person has 15 million followers on TikTok, but do they fit what you want to do? People are very savvy, and you don’t want anyone to think of something as like a money grab.”
How can you pivot in 2025?
Marketers need to be selective. Pick influencers that actually fit your brand, product, and audience; people with credibility and insight into what you do, not just large presences.
For example, if you’re a payment software company, it may be cool to have Mr. Beast promote your brand in one of his videos, but will it actually help you reach an audience that’s going to buy from you? That’s questionable.
Check out our article. “How to Identify & Work With the Best Brand Influencers for Your Business” for more guidance on how to find the right niche influencers to achieve your goals.
Keep Your Marketing Alive and Kicking
As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, holding on to outdated strategies can weigh down your brand’s potential for growth.
The trends outlined here serve as reminders that what worked yesterday may not deliver results tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you need to throw them out completely.
This is an invitation to evolve and innovate. By embracing personalization, prioritizing authentic connections, leveraging AI, and collaborating with niche influencers, you can create strategies that strike a chord with your audience in 2025 and achieve your goals.
Every new year is a turning point — one that allows us to rethink, refine, and reinvent. The key to thriving in this next era of marketing? Stay adaptable, stay curious, and always put your audience first.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December 2022 and has been updated annually to include new, exclusive HubSpot data and expert insights.
