Start selling with Shopify today Start your free trial with Shopify today—then use these resources to guide you through every step of the process. How does Shopify work Learn what domain authority is, why it matters for SEO, and how to improve your website’s score and boost your search rankings. Start your online business today. For free. As you apply search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to your website, you’ll find many of them are geared toward improving your domain authority. This metric is a helpful tool in planning for SEO success, but it is commonly misunderstood. Here’s how to increase your website’s domain authority. Domain authority is a proprietary off-page SEO metric developed by Moz, an SEO technology company, to help predict how well your website is likely to rank for any given keyword. The domain authority metric primarily uses the quality and quantity of sources that link to your website to calculate the score. Websites are ranked from 0 to 100, with 0 being a site that will have a very difficult time ranking, and 100 being a site that will generally rank high among search engine results. Domain authority is a website-wide metric, associated with a domain as opposed to an individual page on a website. Moz uses backlinks to calculate the domain authority of a website. If a website has a higher domain authority than yours, it’s probably because it has been linked to by more and higher-quality sources. Although Moz’s exact formula for calculating domain authority scores is proprietary, the company has released its scoring methodology in a white paper. Other SEO tools, like Ahrefs’ domain rating tool, now offer their own versions of domain authority calculators. Both quantity and quality of backlinks matter. A website could have a strong domain authority with fewer than 100 high-quality backlinks if many of them are from very credible sources such as government websites, scientific journals, and mainstream news reports. By contrast, if a site has thousands of links, but they’re of low quality or from potential spam sites, it may have a much lower domain authority. Moz occasionally updates its algorithm for calculating domain authority, so scores can fluctuate even without changes in backlink profiles. For this reason, domain authority is best used as a comparative metric (“Have I moved closer to or further ahead of my competitors?”) instead of raw (“How many points have I increased?”). Domain authority is not provided or endorsed by search engines like Google. It is not an official ranking factor, and a higher domain authority score does not automatically mean your site’s rankings will improve. According to Vanessa Bellanti, SEO lead at Shopify, “SEOs should still care about domain authority because it is a good indicator of a website’s overall authority and trustworthiness in relation to providing information on a particular topic.” That’s right, domain authority does matter, for at least four reasons: Moz’s studies, as well as third-party research, show that sites with high domain authority tend to rank higher and receive more organic traffic. This lends domain authority credibility—you can be reasonably confident as a marketer that increasing your domain authority is good for SEO. Backlinks (links to your website from other sites) are a Google ranking factor. Domain authority provides a great shorthand reference for the state of your site’s off-page SEO. When you’re trying to rank for a particular keyword, looking at the domain authority of the websites that currently rank for that keyword can help you understand how you stack up against your competitors. Websites with high domain authority are more difficult to rank against. Free competitor research template Find a strategic angle to achieve sales success, uncover your product-market fit, and stand out from the competition with our free template. As you implement SEO optimizations and build a strong backlink profile, your domain authority should increase. So, tracking your domain authority over time is a good measure of how your SEO efforts are paying off. There is no one number that necessarily indicates a good domain authority score. If a site is brand new, it will have a domain authority of less than 10, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything inherently wrong with the website. It just hasn’t built up a backlink profile yet. Domain authority scores also tend to vary by industry and content type. Some types of websites, such as those focused on recipes or software, have high traffic volume and many high-quality backlinks. On the other hand, websites focused on niche topics may face a less competitive search environment and thus require fewer backlinks to rank. To know what a good domain authority is for your website, use keyword research to determine which queries you want to rank for, then look up the domain authority of the websites already ranking for those terms. That will give you a rough answer. Here is a rule-of-thumb reference for what different score ranges mean: Increasing your domain authority requires a strategic approach focused on building a strong backlink profile and ensuring overall site health. Here are five steps you can take: Focus on creating unique and authoritative content other websites will want to link to. These are often called “linkable assets” because they serve as valuable resources that attract backlinks naturally. Colleen Echohawk, CEO of Eighth Generation, knows the importance of consistently creating content that attracts high-authority links. “We create new blogs pretty often, because we want to get SEO content out there,” she says. “When British Vogue searched for native artists, our content came up, and they reached out. We sent them all these products, hoping to get in the magazine. Instead of just including us, they put us on the cover!” While creating great content is essential, you also need to actively work on earning backlinks from reputable sources. This involves focusing on getting links from domains that have higher authority than yours, as these links carry significant weight. There are several ways to acquire high-quality backlinks: It’s a good practice to regularly audit your backlink profile. This helps you spot any low-quality or “toxic” backlinks that could potentially harm your site’s authority and search engine rankings. Toxic links often come from spammy or irrelevant websites. You can use SEO tools to find these, and if you can’t get them removed directly, look into disavowing them using tools like Google Search Console. Disavowing tells Google to ignore these specific links when they evaluate your site. Always prioritize quality over quantity; a few relevant, high-authority links are much more valuable than many low-quality ones. Writing guest articles for other reputable websites in your industry helps get your content in front of a new audience and gives you opportunities to earn quality backlinks. A simple way to find opportunities is to search for industry keywords plus phrases like “guest post” or “contribute.” Once you find a good fit, reach out to the site’s editor with content ideas that you know will appeal to their audience. Consider using digital public relations to earn mentions and links from authoritative news sites, prominent blogs, and industry publications. Send out press releases about company news, offer expert commentary on industry trends to journalists, or share unique data your company has gathered. Mentions and links from highly respected media outlets can significantly boost your site’s authority. While domain authority is primarily an off-page metric, strong on-page and technical SEO foundations are crucial for overall site health, user experience, and the ability to rank, which indirectly supports your authority. Ensure your content is well-optimized for your target keywords. This includes using keywords naturally in headings (H2, H3, H4), the introduction, and throughout the body text. Write compelling meta titles and descriptions that encourage clicks from the search results. Ensure your content is easy to read and understand, using formatting like bullet points and short paragraphs. Technical SEO focuses on optimizing your website’s infrastructure for search engine crawling and indexing, as well as user experience. Factors like site speed, mobile-friendliness, a logical site structure with clear internal linking, and a secure HTTPS connection all contribute to a positive user experience and signal to search engines that your site is high-quality and trustworthy. JJ Follano, founder of Zero Waste Store, knows from experience the importance of technical SEO—especially when going through a rebrand. “A lot of brands aren’t redirecting their URLs from their old domain to the new one,” says Follano, “and you actually get a lot of dead links in Google search. You could potentially lose a lot of the traffic you’ve gained from your prior branding.” A fast, secure, and easily navigable site is more likely to rank well, which in turn can support your perceived authority. Even the best content won’t attract links and traffic if no one knows it exists. Actively promoting your content is key to increasing its visibility and potential for earning backlinks. Share your content across relevant social media platforms to drive traffic to your website. Engaging with your audience and encouraging shares can increase your content’s reach and expose it to individuals and websites that may link back to it. Beyond social media, consider promoting your content through email newsletters, online communities and forums, relevant industry websites, and even paid promotion if it aligns with your strategy. The more visibility your content has, the higher the chance of earning valuable backlinks. Keeping your website’s content fresh and ensuring a great user experience show search engines that your site is valuable. Regularly update your existing content to make sure it’s accurate and still relevant. When people have a positive experience on your site, they’re likely to spend more time there and explore other pages, which signals value to search engines. While domain authority is a helpful metric, Google uses E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) to figure out how trustworthy and authoritative websites are. To build E-E-A-T, your content needs to demonstrate real-world experience, showcase your unique knowledge and skills, and be recognized as a go-to source in your niche. Domain authority is based on backlinks, so the types of websites with the highest domain authority are the ones that receive a high volume of quality backlinks. These are typically news sites and well-established sites, like Wikipedia, that offer a wealth of information. No, Google does not directly look at a site’s domain authority. Domain authority is a metric generated by Moz, an SEO technology company. However, since Google’s algorithm factors in the quality and quantity of backlinks when determining a site’s SERP ranking, domain authority can be a helpful proxy for analyzing how Google views your site. It typically takes at least one month to see improvements in a website domain authority score, though it may take a good deal longer, depending on the competitiveness of the keyword you want to rank for and the effectiveness of your link building and SEO efforts. You can check your domain authority score using various SEO tools. Moz offers a free domain authority checker on its website. Other popular SEO platforms like Ahrefs (which uses Domain Rating) and Semrush (which uses Authority Score) provide similar metrics to evaluate a website’s authority based on its backlink profile and other factors. A toxic backlink is a link from a low-quality, spammy, irrelevant, or potentially harmful website. These links can negatively impact your website’s authority and search engine rankings, potentially signaling to Google that your site is associated with low-quality sources. Identifying and disavowing toxic backlinks is an important part of maintaining a healthy backlink profile. 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Think about your org chart. Now imagine it features both your current colleagues—humans, if you’re like most of us—and AI agents. That’s not science fiction; it’s happening—and it’s happening relatively quickly, according to McKinsey Senior Partner Jorge Amar. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Jorge joins McKinsey talent leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to talk about what these AI agents are, how they’re being used, and how leaders can prepare now for the workforce of the not-too-distant future. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Lucia Rahilly: Jorge, welcome to McKinsey Talks Talent. Jorge Amar: Thank you very much. Excited to be here. Lucia Rahilly: Jorge, there was a great little piece in The Wall Street Journal called “Everyone’s talking about AI agents. Barely anyone knows what they are.” What exactly do we mean when we talk about agentic AI? Jorge Amar: I’ll start where I think most people still are, which is generative AI. Gen AI is mostly a reactive type of AI focused on generating creative content, triggered by a prompt or an instruction from an individual. Now if we continue the evolution of AI into agentic, we start to come to a very different reality. The first difference is we’re talking about AI that is not only generating content. It is executing on a task, on a mandate, on a particular instruction. An AI agent is perceiving reality based on its training. It then decides, applies judgment, and executes something. And that execution then reinforces its learning. It learns if what the agent did was good or bad and then feeds that back in. Your AI agents could now be the evolution and the creation of a digital replica of the entire workforce of an organization. So we’re getting into the next step: AI deciding what to do on its own. We start to get into this complete AI workforce. Your AI agents could now be the evolution and the creation of a digital replica of the entire workforce of an organization. Lucia Rahilly: OK, Jorge. You’re scaring us. Let’s talk through some use cases that might help bring this to life a bit. What does agentic AI look like now in the wild? Jorge Amar: It’s still the Wild, Wild West out there. But I’ll try. Right now, many companies are starting to experiment. Typically, the environments in which they are deploying agents are very deterministic, with a clear process to follow. Think of IT help desks, or software development, or customer service tickets: any environment where a customer asks for something and there’s a well-defined process afterward. The agent picks it up—decides what is the right process, the right content article to be retrieved, the right information to be gathered—and then triggers an action. Bryan Hancock: In HR, we’re seeing agentic AI in talent acquisition. Agents clean records. They try to understand, “Of the vast universe of potential candidates, how do we clean the data and understand who the right candidate might be?” Then a separate agent goes through and scores those candidates and does the ranking and the sourcing process. A separate agent reaches out to gain contact and schedule interviews. And then I’ve seen a coordinating agent that sits on top of the overall process, interacting with those underlying agents. Have you seen that kind of coordinating agent process? And how do you even create an agent that coordinates across some of those discrete subprocesses? Jorge Amar: I have a client that is already doing the first screening of all candidates for the front line entirely with agents. And I have even seen one step further: AI agents being deployed for training. Think of a call center or store environment. You generate an agentic customer, and you say, “This is a type of call. This is a type of customer. Record an interaction.” It’s not only simulating a real phone call. You’re also getting live, detailed scoring of how you, as a frontline employee, are doing in that interaction. Are you using the right words? Have you remembered every single step of the process? It gives you very detailed coaching instructions. Probably before, a supervisor in a call center could listen to three, five calls per agent. Now you get a summary of every single call, with a detailed breakdown of all the things this human agent is doing well and could do better. You can focus your coaching, your onboarding in a much more targeted way because you know exactly which skills to develop, which traits to emphasize. And it’s not only recruiting and training; you could even do the same thing for performance management. Brooke Weddle: Jorge, it sounds like you’re pointing to examples where agentic AI has allowed companies to achieve greater levels of productivity. Recently, the Work Trend Index annual report came out, one of Microsoft’s flagship publications in workforce. And it found that a third of executives are considering using AI to reduce head count in the next 12 to 18 months. But nearly 50 percent said they were considering maintaining head count but using AI as digital labor to boost productivity—as complementary to human skills. What have you seen in terms of use cases? Jorge Amar: It is still early days when it comes to what I call decoupling the creation of capacity—automating tasks that otherwise would have been performed by a human—and the monetization of capacity. The monetization of capacity is its own independent thing. One of the potential paths can be, “I’m going to reduce head count.” More and more, some executives I’m talking to are interested in, “I might reduce head count, but I also might want to do things differently.” Suppose your competitive advantage was your call center agents. If AI brings everyone to the same parity level, how do you differentiate? What are the implications for your workforce when you can differentiate by having the best algorithm, the best agentic framework out there—but at the same time, how do you complement that with humans to do things that otherwise would have been cost prohibitive? I’ll give you one example. Last week, I was talking with one of my travel clients—and you could pick the airline or cruise line of your choice. What if you now had your own personalized concierge looking at your travel, giving you very detailed recommendations on how to navigate the airport, suggesting the type of food you could pick up on your way and even creating the order for you, and then getting to the final point in which it helps you board the plane and makes sure you have space? The possibilities are endless when it comes to figuring out or creating new and different workflows, new processes, new ways to surprise and delight your customers that you couldn’t have otherwise. Bryan Hancock: And I imagine you can also do some of the same toward your employees. How do you surprise and delight across the employee journey? How do these agents actually get created—and get created in a way that’s specific to processes in any one area? Jorge Amar: We’re all still figuring out the best way. There was a quote recently along the lines of, “IT will be the HR of AI agents of the future.” I would divide the creation of an agent into a few different steps. This helps us understand who is doing what. First, there clearly needs to be a rationale from the business: customer support, marketing, sales, HR. They would define, “What is the need for an AI capacity?” and decide, “What are the parameters of what this AI capability needs to perform?” Then they would work with their IT or AI function to either develop or procure their agentic capabilities. In many cases, the specificity and complexity of these AI capabilities will require these companies to develop their agent capabilities in-house, because they cannot find them in the market. It’s going to be a hybrid situation. Once that capability exists, you have to onboard and train that agent, which we call “tuning” an agent. Tuning the agent requires a number of things: a good articulation and understanding of the process you are trying to “agentize,” as well as a subject matter expert who really understands the ins and outs. You also need someone who understands the available data—a content specialist who is saying, “These are the content articles, the corpus of knowledge you need to train your agent,” and who makes sure that knowledge is up to date. In one of my cases, we trained the agent, and the agent started to spit out a bunch of COVID-related policies that were no longer relevant. So you need to make sure the data is accurate, relevant, and up to date. Last, you need a good, robust prompt-engineering skill set: someone who can teach, train, and tune the agent by saying, “When the customer or your employee says this, this is what they mean. This is what they are trying to accomplish. And therefore do X, Y, Z.” Brooke Weddle: Jorge, you mentioned IT becoming the HR of AI agents. And, of course, it was Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, who said this recently. When you think about a digital workforce, whose job is it to ensure that digital workforce is reaching its full potential? Is it more in the realm of IT? Or is this a space where HR might have a few things to say, since for a long time, getting managers to reach their full potential has been more their purview? Jorge Amar: Some pioneering companies in this space are expressing their org charts not only in number of FTEs [full-time employees] but also in number of agents being deployed in every part of the organization. So I think we are going into a world where you’ll have to think about your workforce as both agentic and human. And I don’t think IT will be able to do this alone. IT will be critical in enabling the foundational elements to train an agent—the data stack, the right procurement, the right platform for training and tuning the agents. Now, the true missing pieces: one is the business. Nobody will be able to train an agent if you don’t know intimately the policies, the processes, what really differentiates you from a business perspective. And then I think HR will play a key role—first, to really push the business on what can be done from a hybrid workforce perspective. Second, and we started seeing this in one of my clients, is where the technology is up and running, but the number of live interactions is not coming down. There is a big change management component that comes into play. HR will be absolutely critical there. So I think we are going into a world where you’ll have to think about your workforce as both agentic and human. How do you tell your 20-year-tenured employee in the call center, “Now there is this agent that is going to do the job much better than you”? This person would probably say, “How can this AI thingy that got trained yesterday replace my 20 years of experience?” And there is a big step toward driving the incentives for usage, role modeling communication, and creating the right change story for these employees to understand, “Look at all the great possibilities this unlocks for you.” This tells me HR still will play a critical role in the adoption of this agentic workforce. Maybe HR will not be screening each resume, but it will be critical in driving the change management efforts in adopting an agentic AI workforce. Bryan Hancock, Brooke Weddle, and other talent experts help you navigate a fast-changing landscape and prepare for the future of work by making talent a competitive advantage. Lucia Rahilly: Jorge, it’s so interesting to hear the anthropomorphic terms you’re using to describe these agents—existing in the org chart, for example, or as a digital workforce. To be clear, are these agents being construed as tools or as a class of digital workers—neo-colleagues of some kind? Jorge Amar: I do think of it as a workforce. This is a workforce that will conduct end-to-end processes, replacing many tasks being performed today by the human workforce. It will augment the tasks a human workforce is performing to help make it better, faster, more efficient. Some companies out there are even promoting this notion of a zero-FTE department—an entire function fully performed by an agent. Then you have on the side humans in the loop controlling or monitoring what these agents are doing. Putting philosophical debate aside, I think we should think of agents as a parallel workforce for all intents and purposes. Some companies out there are even promoting this notion of a zero-FTE department—an entire function fully performed by an agent. Lucia Rahilly: You mentioned adoption, and we so often hear adoption cited as a primary challenge in realizing the value of AI. How do you see humans in the workplace taking to this notion of collaborating with AI agents? Jorge Amar: It’s still a big challenge. I’ll give you one example. In some of the frontline environments where I spend a lot of time, some of the newer agents or the newer reps tend to embrace AI faster. Why? Because if you’re just coming into a frontline environment, the back office is where you need to learn all these things, and now AI is guiding you through the process. That’s great. It makes the job easier. But some of the more tenured employees resist AI quite a bit. It’s really challenging for them. There are many of these elements that will be critical in cracking the code to adoption, because my fear is that we will end up with huge investments and very little value realized. The other big element is that many employees tell us, “I cannot trust an AI black box out there that is doing this, so I will use the AI result, but at the same time, I’m going to have my own calculations.” Therefore, you’re now duplicating work. There are many of these elements that will be critical in cracking the code to adoption, because my fear is that we will end up with huge investments and very little value realized. Bryan Hancock: Who do you think is going to lead the way in adoption? Jorge Amar: First, there’s got to be a clear mandate from the top. Leaders should make sure they are role modeling and integrating AI into the way they speak and what they do. Second, evaluate the performance of AI in a joint fashion. One of my clients sees the results of both the human and the agentic parts of the operation in the same dashboard. The business manager, the VP, and the SVP evaluate the joint performance of both their workforces. Third, this space is changing week by week, day by day. You need to design an operating model, a set of processes, that allows you to adapt. The more flexible this operating model, the better, because otherwise you’re going to be making investments in a technology or a set of algorithms that three months from now are going to be different. If you put all that in the mix, some of the smaller companies, start-up environments, have a little bit of an advantage. But the reality is that some of these LLMs [large language models] or agent platforms are not going to be trained on small companies. So it is critical to get to the larger companies and say, “Hey, I’m going to make the performance of these even better.” How to do that in an effective way in that environment is, to me, the crux of this issue. Brooke Weddle: What skills are going to become more salient in human leaders to get the most out of agents? Jorge Amar: First, HR will need to be at least business proficient in what an agentic workforce can do. How can you drive a change management program if you don’t know what your agentic workforce can and cannot do, or what will be possible in three years? Second, I think HR will play an important role in reskilling human employees. Today, you can probably fully agentize the workload of a level-one support engineer. But you might want to repurpose that person to become a prompt engineer or to do content generation for AI training. An HR function that can do that at scale is another critical component and skill set that HR will need to develop if you think about the next three, five years: “What is the evolution of that role?” Last is being really good at empathy, understanding the change story, helping employees onboard into their own AI journey, and making it happen in a way that is not threatening: “Look at all the other possibilities you might have in the future within the organization.” Articulating that very clearly and helping employees come along in that journey is going to be another critical component. Brooke Weddle: The Work Trend Index annual report I mentioned earlier talks about the need to evolve from an org chart to a work chart. Jorge Amar: Yes, and you probably saw that the CEO of Shopify released a memo saying something along those lines: “Before you ask for new head count, show me that AI cannot do the work.” Brooke Weddle: That was almost positioned as a more radical stance. But in my conversations, it’s very much a part of the conversation already. I very much think that’s a now thing versus a future thing. Jorge Amar: There are a couple of elements we also need to put on the table to say why now or not now. I would describe them in three broad categories. Number one is that to get an agent up and running, you do need a good technology stack and data stack. And there are many things being done to create new data, generate what we call synthetic data for training purposes. Number two, there are a number of concerns about security and risks, from drift, hallucination, bias, and any of the challenges with some of these LLMs. For example, what if an agent is talking to your customer support agent, and they generate their own little dynamics and negotiation, and now suddenly you end up with a 90 percent discount on your product because you trained your agent into churn reduction and churn avoidance? How do you control that? Maybe you need to train a whole new set of agents that are monitoring the different negotiations and different discounts, and anything that touches your CRM [customer relationship management]. And the third is, “What is the cost? What are the different usability considerations from a UX [user experience] and UI [user interface] perspective?” It’s great that you might have a very conversational chatbot, but if it looks like the 1990s interface of how you were interacting on some of your most famous messaging platforms, customers are not going to use it. So I think it is a very now conversation, but it also requires us to tackle some of these issues around risk, data, usability. Because otherwise, it’s going to go into purgatory. Brooke Weddle: That’s not where we want to go. Clear. Lucia Rahilly: Obviously, it’s vital to be talking about this now, planning for it now. But acknowledging that predictions are freighted with uncertainty, what time frame do you think we’re talking about for agents really to take effect at scale in companies? Jorge Amar: It depends on who you ask. Some of the hyperscalers and technology companies would tell you that they are already deploying it, and they are. Many of the other organizations I talk to are saying, “I need to understand this; I need to evaluate it.” And we’re probably looking at 18 to 24 months out before it reaches full scale. I believe that there are a few elements where it’ll take a little bit of time, making sure everyone is comfortable deploying them at scale. Bryan Hancock: Jorge, I’ve got two college-age kids. What advice do you have for them as they’re thinking through their careers and how to engage in work in a future that is agentic? Jorge Amar: I was having this conversation a few weeks ago with a friend’s son who asked me: “Maybe I should just drop out of college and become a prompt engineer.” And look, I think there are certain jobs that are going to be fully transformed by AI. These net-new roles, such as prompt engineer and content specialist, will become more relevant in organizations. I would expect this demand to be higher than what the market can offer when it comes to just college. Therefore, I think we will have to go through a reskilling at scale within the existing workforce. On the other side, how do you differentiate? If you differentiate only by having the best prompt engineer, fine. I think that is a skill set that at a certain point you will catch up on, because you could even have an agent that does prompt engineering. But if you think the most important element a company has is the trust of and the relationship with their customers, do you need a human workforce that is more empathetic? Because, again, you might be OK talking to a chatbot to reschedule an appointment. But if you were just in an accident, do you want to talk to a human, or do you want to talk to a bot? How do you emphasize skills in the incoming human workforce that help a company establish relationships? This could be the source of differentiation for your company. This could be the competitive advantage: “I offer a superior service. I offer a more human touch and surprise-and-delight experience.” You might be OK talking to a chatbot to reschedule an appointment. But if you were just in an accident, do you want to talk to a human, or do you want to talk to a bot? For my friend’s son, I was opening his mind in terms of, “Hey, maybe prompt engineering is fine, but maybe my arts background will be valuable in tomorrow’s workforce because I will be able to understand human feelings in a way that no agent will be able to do.” Brooke Weddle: Jorge, if I reflect on what you’re saying, I think it’s a good time to consider the broader cultural implications of having a digital workforce. And some of that relates back to the values of a company. As you think about incorporating and onboarding agents as part of an organization, how do you do that in a way that is consistent with your company values, where you might prioritize collaboration, psychological safety, or having difficult conversations? It’s a really interesting question to ask to get full value from the digital workforce. Jorge Amar: A hundred percent. That’s why we are seeing more and more companies start to experiment with employee-facing agents more than just full end-customer-facing agents. Because how do you make sure that every interaction is in line with your corporate values, with your identity, with your brand standards, with the way you want to address a customer? That’s why I think we’re going to go first through testing and scaling of an employee-facing agentic workforce. And then, over time, in certain discrete moments, you might want to do it with your end customer. You might want to do certain tasks that are mundane: customer authentication or verification or call summarization. But, again, you don’t want to outsource to an agent or a digital agent the core of the relationship with your customer—or not just yet. Lucia Rahilly: I read the article you recently coauthored, Jorge, about agentic AI in the context of customer care. I found it fascinating that one of the findings was that almost three-quarters of Gen Z respondents to your survey believed live calls were quickest and simplest. Even younger cohorts seem to prefer human interaction. That points to the tremendous change management process that will have to happen for this to take hold. Jorge Amar: So funny you mention that. Gen Zers would be bothered if they got a phone call from their parents, right? They would prefer to interact by text. I am sure anyone who has kids can relate to that. But for customer support needs, they prefer to talk. So when we were digging a little deeper into why they prefer to talk to their provider, insurance company, telco carrier, bank, they all mentioned the same: “My situation is so unique, so important to me, that I just want to talk to a human who will give me that personalized and unique solution I won’t be able to get through a bot.” And the reality is maybe 80 percent, 90 percent of those interactions are the human giving them the exact same process, but still they felt they had a much more personalized solution by talking to a human. So maybe that changes over time and customer support bots will just get true characters that enable a fully formed dialogue. To your point, the change management is not only with employees. It’s also customer education and building trust on some of these solutions. Brooke Weddle: Jorge, when you think about the next three to five years, what are you most optimistic and excited about when it comes to the potential of agentic? Jorge Amar: I am really looking forward to doing things in a way that we couldn’t have done otherwise. I am super optimistic about doing personalization at scale with customers. I am super optimistic about empowering humans to do tasks that are not repetitive, that are not going to create attrition levels of 50, 60, 100 percent per year, that create career paths for employees that are about connecting with humans—transforming the way we work on a daily basis, focusing on the change management elements we were just describing. This hybrid workforce future should be a very uplifting environment for everyone—mostly for us as part of the workforce. It creates a new set of skills that were probably deprioritized in previous ways of finding efficiencies in companies—for example, trying to do things as repetitively and as fast as possible—and really opens the door to new ways of interacting with customers and employees. Bryan Hancock: I have a fun question. Should we tell AI thank you? Jorge Amar: I do because I think that when Skynet takes over, I want them to know I was very kind to them. It’s funny. I was reading the other day that OpenAI is spending tons of cycles—I don’t know if you’ve seen that news—on the use of “please” and “thank you.” Brooke Weddle: I say thank you to Alexa. It’s just good behavior all around. Jorge Amar: Of course. Bryan Hancock: The article on OpenAI was saying, “We’re spending millions of dollars, pumping tons of CO2 into the atmosphere because of the energy used by the data centers because we’re saying ‘thank you.’” Jorge Amar: Totally. But imagine your kids. You’re going to teach them not to say thank you to Alexa but say thank you to a human? Come on.
https://zoomyourtraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/wp-header-logo-325.png15361536Team ZYThttps://www.zoomyourtraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ZYT-1.pngTeam ZYT2025-06-26 05:10:172025-06-26 05:10:17The future of work is agentic – McKinsey & Company
You are here: Influencer Marketing Hub » Digital Marketing » Building a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy for 2025 A report, shaped by the lives of 900 marketers (not just surveys). The dull way we approach digital marketing needs to change. Not because AI is here to replace us, but because it’s here to free us, giving us the time to be human again and connect with people where it truly matters: their hearts and minds. Take Volvo’s viral campaign last month – a touching story of a father raising his daughter, masterfully weaving emotion into every frame. It was definitely more than an ad for safety features. It had a narrative that made us feel, made us think, and most importantly, made us care. Unfortunately, this is rare nowadays.
Isn’t that what marketing is supposed to do? Why does it feel so rare, so extraordinary? Shouldn’t connecting to the human experience be the standard, not the exception? In this report, we will explore, how AI amongst others, can be used to amplify our ability to tell these stories, to connect on a deeper emotional level.
It’s December, and marketers everywhere are battle-scarred from a year that tested our creativity, resilience, and adaptability like never before. Ads have never been more expensive. SEO, once the bedrock of digital strategy, feels increasingly outdated. And then there’s AI—not the distant promise of yesterday but the disruptive force of today, rewriting the rules faster than we can adapt. This is not just another year of iteration. 2025 will be the year that separates the leaders from the left-behinds, the agile from the stagnant. It’s not hyperbole—it’s history in the making. We’ve arrived at the dawn of a new era, where traditional playbooks won’t just fail to give you an edge—they might fail to keep you in the game at all. Think back to the challenges you faced this year. The creative ideas that stalled under pressure. The campaigns that felt more like survival than strategy. The budgets squeezed tighter than ever, where every click and conversion had to prove its worth. And yet, amidst the chaos, there was a glimmer of opportunity—a quiet realization that we’re sitting on the most advanced tools humanity has ever created. AI isn’t here to replace us; it’s here to liberate us from the cumbersome, the repetitive, the soul-draining tasks that steal time from where we’re needed most. In 2025, marketers will face two paths: clinging to the comfort of “what’s always worked” or embracing the radical possibilities of “what could be.” It’s a year that demands audacity, clarity, and the courage to think differently. We can’t afford to tread water anymore. This report is your guide—your blueprint—for navigating this moment of transformation. It’s not about tweaking your strategies; it’s about reimagining them entirely. We’ll unpack how AI is reshaping creativity, why the cookieless future isn’t the end but a chance to own your data, and how social commerce is replacing malls as the shopping hubs of the world. We’ll dive into actionable insights, cutting-edge case studies, and data that will help you not just prepare but thrive in a market defined by relentless innovation. 2025 isn’t just another chapter. It’s the start of a new book in the story of digital marketing. And it’s up to us to write it. So, let’s get to work. Just imagine how liberating it will feel to spend less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time crafting campaigns that actually resonate. The days of playing it safe with tired, formulaic strategies are officially over. The marketers who lean into the chaos, embrace the evolving dynamics, and adapt with boldness won’t just survive—they’ll thrive. From TikTok transforming your feed into a marketplace to zero-click searches rewriting SEO playbooks, the changes aren’t just significant—they’re seismic. Privacy is no longer a negotiable afterthought, trust and authenticity are the currencies of connection, and omni-channel marketing isn’t just nice to have; it’s non-negotiable. The dynamics are shifting fast, but here’s the silver lining: the tools you need to win have never been more accessible. What sets the winners apart isn’t the tech itself—it’s how they wield it. In this report, we’re breaking down the six major trends that we believe will define 2025. These are the pillars that will shape how marketers adapt, innovate, and connect in this new era. As AI-driven algorithms prioritize user intent, brand authority, and contextual relevance, traditional keyword-focused strategies are losing ground. The future of search is human-first and AI-optimized, demanding marketers adapt to stay relevant in this evolving landscape. Findings are based on our SEO Trends Report 2024: AI is redefining how search engines interpret user queries. Instead of focusing solely on keywords, search engines now prioritize satisfying the intent behind queries. Thought leaders like Kevin Indig and Ross Simmonds emphasize that search behavior is fragmenting, with users increasingly seeking authentic, community-driven insights. 30% of AI Overviews differ significantly from live search results, reflecting the shift toward intent-based algorithms. Only 6% of Google’s AI Overviews include the exact search query, underscoring AI’s shift toward intent over keywords. A great example is Reddit’s surge in rankings for 26% of over 8,000 affiliate keywords demonstrates the power of user-driven platforms in satisfying intent. Shift from keyword-centric strategies to comprehensive content that addresses user intent through detailed, actionable answers. The emphasis on user intent reflects a broader shift in digital marketing: consumers crave relevance and authenticity. SEO isn’t just about showing up—it’s about showing up in the right way. To truly win in search, marketers must align with how people think, not just what they type. Brand authority has become a cornerstone of SEO. AI algorithms reward sites with high branded search volume and trust signals, favoring businesses that consistently deliver value. Building authority through trust and visible brand mentions is essential to maintaining algorithmic resilience. While thought leaders like Rand Fishkin critique Google’s favoritism toward large brands, others see opportunity in human connection and storytelling. AI values content depth and relevance over sheer volume. Cyrus Shepard highlights that pruning underperforming content rarely works, while Ross Simmonds advocates for repurposing high-performing content to maximize impact. IMH increased article rankings by 43% in top SERP positions using Semrush’s Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD) metric and focusing on topic clusters. AI is revolutionizing SEO workflows by automating repetitive tasks like audits and competitive analysis. However, human research and creativity remains critical. AI optimizes efficiency but cannot replace strategic, human-driven insights. AI-enhanced processes enable SEO teams to focus on 76% higher-value tasks, driving more impactful results. Leverage AI tools for workflow automation while investing in human creativity for storytelling and strategy. In a world where trust is earned in seconds, social proof may just be the decisive factor that sets your brand apart. By leveraging the behaviors and endorsements of others, businesses can create a ripple effect of credibility and confidence. But how can brands go beyond the basics and wield this tool with precision? Types of Social Proof: Building Your Credibility Toolkit To deploy social proof effectively, businesses need to integrate a mix of proven tactics: Social Proof in the Digital Age: Google’s Perspective In the digital ecosystem, social proof transcends human psychology to influence search algorithms. Google, for instance, integrates social proof signals to determine credibility and authority. These include: A compelling example is Help a Reporter Out (HARO), which uses tangible metrics like “thousands of journalists served” to build credibility. This form of “raw quantity” social proof not only instills user trust but also aligns perfectly with Google’s ranking criteria. The Double-Edged Sword: False Consensus and Naïve Realism While social proof is an indispensable tool, it has its pitfalls. The false consensus effect—endorsing products simply because others have done so—can create a distorted reality. Over-reliance on consensus can lead to “naïve realism,” where perceptions become skewed, ignoring alternative perspectives or critical evaluations. Insights for Harnessing Social Proof To effectively employ social proof: By understanding and leveraging these nuances, businesses can turn social proof into a cornerstone of their influence strategy—both for audience engagement and Google optimization. Strategic Recommendations for SEO in 2025
As SEO continues to evolve, its principles spill into other critical areas of digital marketing. Whether it’s privacy-first strategies, social commerce, or omni-channel integration, the lessons of intent, trust, and relevance are shaping the entire ecosystem. And the brands that master these dynamics will be the ones that thrive in 2025 and beyond. As we move from SEO to Privacy, the underlying theme remains the same—earning trust. Just as consumers demand intent-driven search results, they expect transparency and ethical handling of their data. Let’s explore how these dynamics overlap. Let’s get one thing straight: AI isn’t new. It’s been quietly running the show behind the scenes for years. Every time you’ve searched on Google, scrolled your Instagram feed, or seen a highly-targeted ad pop up right when you needed it—AI was there. For years, AI has been making decisions for us: which ads to show, which posts to promote, which search results to rank. But it was all happening passively, with marketers observing from the sidelines. The big shift for 2025? We now get to actively collaborate with AI. Think of it as moving from a backseat passenger to sitting in the driver’s seat, co-steering the creative and strategic process. It’s not about AI taking over; it’s about it taking the mundane off your plate so you can focus on what really matters—building stories that connect, strategies that inspire, and campaigns that leave a mark. There are really 3 main areas where we foresee AI will truly leave a mark in 2025; It is going to be much easier to deliver content (we didn’t say good content – many get this part wrong). Creating content will get faster—but here’s the caveat: speed doesn’t always equal quality. Take for example an influencer who on average spends 40% of their time on editing their content, to optimize it before posting, now can spend those 40% on actually creating creative briefs together with the brands, which usually is around 10% of their time according to our research. Personalization has always been a goal, but hyper-personalization takes things to the next level. Thanks to AI, brands can go beyond “Hello, [First Name]” emails and dive into real-time, context-aware interactions that feel genuinely personal. Imagine a shopper receives a discount notification right when they’re researching a product online. That’s not just marketing; that’s relevance at scale. AI-driven hyper-personalization can analyze browsing behaviors, predict needs, and deliver solutions that feel intuitive, not intrusive. For example, Nutella collaborated with Ogilvy Italia to produce 7 million unique jar labels with AI. The campaign sold out immediately, proving the power of personalized, AI-driven creativity. Personalization works when it feels natural, not engineered. Marketers must tread carefully—showing customers not just what is personalized but how it’s happening to maintain trust and transparency. Let’s be honest: manual data crunching has always been a soul-sucking task for marketers. The great news? AI is finally advanced enough to take over much of the heavy lifting in analytics. Instead of spending hours deciphering spreadsheets, marketers can now focus on interpreting insights and crafting smarter strategies. Buzz Radar recently wrote about how IBM Watson-powered insights reduced the need for large analyst teams while improving ROI reporting for social media campaigns, saving clients millions. While Bayer with their Predictive AI models built using Google Cloud ML improved their ability to forecast flu outbreaks, resulting in: AI is redefining how we make decisions. Predictive AI can identify patterns we’d never see, simulate potential campaign outcomes, and guide strategy adjustments in real-time, which is more related to the autopilot era, but now we as marketers have an opportunity to prompt predictive analytics in many enterprise digital marketing tools. The days of relying on hindsight data are over; with AI, we’re looking forward. Generative AI has ushered in a new era for content creation, making it possible to produce high-quality visuals and immersive experiences at lightning speed. According to our latest research, 42.2% of marketers have adopted generative AI for visual content, and 51.9% are likely to incorporate AI-generated avatars to enhance their brand’s presence across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Tools like Symphony AI are becoming increasingly attractive for 74.3% of marketers, and Runway’s Gen-3 have become indispensable, enabling brands to produce videos, images, and even 3D assets in a fraction of the time traditional methods require. Just as you will see it later in the Authenticity section with the Volvo Ad. Another great example is Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday campaign reimagined its iconic 1995 ad using generative AI. Despite technical limitations, the campaign resonated with consumers, achieving ratings comparable to the original and showcasing the emotional impact of nostalgia-driven content.
We recommend that you augment creativity, not replace it, with AI. Use AI to push creative boundaries while ensuring oversight to maintain alignment with brand values and emotional resonance. AI is a tool—not a replacement. As AI continues to transform marketing strategies, a critical question arises: why are consumers still skeptical? The answer lies in a complex interplay of trust, authenticity, and control. While AI promises unparalleled personalization and efficiency, it also raises ethical concerns that brands cannot afford to ignore. To understand this dynamic, consider a key insight from our recent survey: 34.1% of marketers reported significant marketing outcome improvements from AI. Clearly, when used authentically, AI has transformative potential. But here’s the rub—47.6% of marketers are already leveraging AI to enhance targeting and engagement, yet skepticism among consumers remains high. Why? Because the benefits brands see often contrast sharply with the discomfort consumers feel. This disconnect signals an urgent need for marketers to recalibrate their strategies, ensuring that trust, authenticity, and automation harmonize seamlessly. A groundbreakingCicek Study revealed that 58% of consumers feel uneasy about businesses using AI in their interactions. The primary reasons? A perceived lack of empathy, transparency, and the fear of losing human connection. It’s clear that the future of AI in marketing doesn’t just hinge on its capabilities but also on how it makes people feel. Hyper-personalization is like knowing exactly what your friend needs before they even ask. With tools like predictive analytics and real-time data, marketers can hit that sweet spot of timing and relevance. Picture this: an email offering the perfect solution arrives the moment a customer is searching for it. That’s not just good marketing—it’s connection at scale. Despite its promise, AI still faces skepticism. Our recent study revealed that 36.7% of marketers are concerned about authenticity in AI-generated content, while 19% worry about consumer mistrust of AI in marketing. The lesson here is clear: AI must not erode trust—it must reinforce it. Consumers are stuck in a paradox—they crave hyper-personalized experiences yet distrust the tools that make them possible. AI’s ability to anticipate needs feels intrusive when its methods are hidden. It’s this sense of mystery that often turns convenience into suspicion. Transparency is the bridge marketers must build to align consumer expectations with AI capabilities, ensuring that personalization feels empowering rather than invasive. The challenge isn’t about using AI but using it responsibly. Be upfront about what you’re doing with people’s data and make it easy for them to opt-out (or in). Test your algorithms for fairness. Treat customer data like it’s your best friend’s secret—not something to sell to the highest bidder. When people see you’ve got their back, they’ll trust you to deliver those oh-so-relevant moments without feeling spied on. It’s not rocket science—just good marketing with a human touch For example, 69.1% of marketers use AI for dynamic personalization, showcasing its potential to create tailored experiences that resonate. But personalization only works when it feels earned, not manufactured. AI’s success lies in its ability to augment human empathy, not replace it. This means inviting consumers into the process—showing them not just what is being personalized but how it is happening. Understanding why consumers hesitate is key to overcoming this barrier: Consider Gemini AI, whose unsupervised application produced harmful responses, sparking widespread backlash. This incident underscored the need for robust safeguards and human oversight in AI systems. Without these, trust crumbles, and adoption stalls. The Gemini AI debacle wasn’t just a tech problem; it was a cautionary tale for anyone leveraging AI in marketing. Gemini’s unsupervised AI went rogue, producing harmful and offensive responses that quickly spiraled into a PR nightmare. For marketers, the lesson is painfully clear: unchecked AI can destroy the very trust we work so hard to build. What does this mean for marketers? First, recognize that AI isn’t some magical fix-it-all tool; it’s as good—or as dangerous—as the systems and people managing it. Think about where you’re deploying AI: Are you using it to engage with customers? Create personalized content? Analyze data? Each of these areas requires a level of oversight that Gemini clearly missed. What to watch for: Actionable Insights for Marketers
Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that demonstrate authenticity. AI must enhance—not replace—the emotional resonance of human storytelling. As we mentioned in the beginning, Volvo created one of the most viral ads this year, because they understood our fears, desires, and psychological factors overall and how to influence them. On the other side Volvo’s Viral AI-Powered Ad (which is a different ad), combined cutting-edge technology with themes like Social Responsibility (growing greenery due to electric vehicle impact). The campaign resonated because it leveraged AI’s efficiency while preserving social depth. IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE AUTHENTIC AND USE AI! 2025 will be a pivotal year for AI in marketing, but its success hinges on brands’ ability to address consumer concerns head-on. Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the foundation of trust in an AI-driven future. And if you are really smart, then you do like Dove, use AI to challenge AI, to be both socially responsible and drive on a trend.
AI is not the enemy of authenticity; it’s the enabler. The challenge for marketers is to wield this technology responsibly, creating connections that are both meaningful and memorable. The retail landscape has reached a pivotal juncture, with traditional shopping models fading into the background and social commerce emerging as the dominant force in consumer engagement and sales. Platforms like TikTok are rewriting the rules of retail, blending entertainment and e-commerce into a seamless, closed-loop experience. For marketers and brands, the time to adapt isn’t tomorrow. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to gain momentum because brands and creators are already building knowledge and legacy on social commerce platforms. Before anything, Social Commerce is powerful because it adds an authentic layer which is more important than ever, as ads fatigue is on the rise.
Then take the AI technologies that are turbocharging the social commerce revolution. From AI Avatars which we mentioned earlier, to personalized recommendations. AI is reshaping how consumers interact with brands online via nano and micro influencers we all more or less trust more than brands. Forget the traditional sales funnel. TikTok’s infinite loop model has turned the path to purchase into an uninterrupted cycle of discovery, engagement, and conversion. Users don’t need to leave the app to move from inspiration to checkout. It’s a frictionless ecosystem where impulse buying thrives, perfectly described in a Retail Economics report as a “closed-loop checkout” revolution. Why does this matter? For marketers, TikTok and YouTube are more than just social platforms—they’re all-in-one shopping destinations. Our data shows that 43.3% of marketers have already reported enhanced product visibility by leveraging features like YouTube’s Shopping Collections, while 30% of marketers are actively using live streaming for direct sales. Gary Vaynerchuk predicts that live social shopping will disrupt traditional retail, media, and even Amazon. He calls it the “only thing Amazon should worry about”, signaling TikTok’s unmatched ability to command attention and drive sales.
He also claims that influencers and brands are already making over $1 million per month through TikTok Live shopping, with categories like T-shirts, vitamins, and beauty products dominating the space. Social commerce thrives on authenticity, and influencers are its cornerstone. Whether through live shopping events or user-generated content (UGC), influencers bring relatability and trust to the shopping experience. Yet, the challenge lies in striking a balance between authenticity and commercialization, ensuring that influencer-driven campaigns feel organic rather than scripted. In a two-hour live shopping session, Gary Vaynerchuk sold $40,000 worth of T-shirts on Whatnot, illustrating the immense potential of live social shopping to convert attention into revenue. According to Gary, a similar effort using traditional social media ads would have generated $300,000 in sales, proving the scalability and profitability of this model. Social platforms like TikTok take an 8% commission per transaction, plus a 3% processing fee—creating an ecosystem where both platforms and brands stand to gain. Gen Z is increasingly using social platforms like TikTok as search engines, bypassing Google entirely. This shift underscores the growing importance of social search in product discovery, where engaging content doubles as a marketing tool. 37.7% of marketers found platforms like YouTube’s Shopping Collections effective for direct sales, underscoring the growing importance of social search as a marketing tool. Brands must optimize their TikTok content for visibility in this emerging discovery-first landscape. Use strategic keywords and trending hashtags to increase discoverability, ensuring your products and campaigns show up exactly where Gen Z starts their journey. Actually, everything you used to do in SEO, do also for Social Search Optimization, just more authentically, otherwise you won’t survive. Actionable Insights for Marketers
Traditional retail can’t compete with the immediacy and engagement of social commerce. Platforms like TikTok aren’t just reshaping shopping experiences—they’re rewriting the rules entirely. For marketers, the message is clear: success in 2025 lies in adopting a social-first strategy that leverages AI, partnerships with influencers, and discovery-focused content. The brands that win won’t just be present on social platforms—they’ll transform every interaction into an opportunity to connect and convert. The time to act is now. Are you ready to embrace the future of retail? The reign of mega-influencers is giving way to micro- and nano-influencers—creators who embody the authenticity, trust, and relatability that today’s consumers demand. This shift is no longer just a trend; it’s a strategic pivot, with 43% of marketers increasing their use of micro- and nano-influencers as they recognize the unmatched potential for meaningful engagement. Historically, scalability has been the Achilles’ heel of influencer marketing. Managing 1,000 influencers is a logistical nightmare that most brands simply couldn’t handle without blowing up their budgets on administrative tasks. From vetting creators to negotiating contracts, executing campaigns, and analyzing performance, the process was highly manual, slow, and prone to errors. Because of these limitations, brands defaulted to mega-influencers. It was easier to coordinate with one big-name creator than juggle a large number of smaller influencers. The result? Campaigns that often lacked authenticity and connection with niche communities, as mega-influencers catered to broad audiences that didn’t always align with specific brand goals. The game is changing in 2025, thanks to AI and advanced technology platforms that make scaling influencer marketing efforts not only possible but efficient. These advancements are empowering brands to tap into the massive potential of micro- and nano-influencers without being bogged down by operational challenges. Modern AI algorithms can sift through millions of influencer profiles across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, identifying the best matches for your campaign. These tools analyze metrics like engagement rates, audience demographics, content style, and even sentiment analysis, allowing brands to pinpoint influencers who align perfectly with their goals. Platforms like AspireIQ and Upfluence are leading this shift, enabling brands to build custom influencer lists in hours instead of weeks. From outreach to performance tracking, AI-powered platforms now automate many time-consuming aspects of campaign management. For example, tools like Traackr and GRIN streamline the onboarding process, help manage deliverables, and ensure payments are processed accurately. This frees up marketing teams to focus on strategy and creative input rather than administrative tasks. Previously, tracking ROI for hundreds or thousands of influencers was overwhelming. Today’s AI analytics tools provide real-time insights into campaign performance, breaking down data at an individual influencer level. Metrics like engagement rates, conversion rates, and audience growth are now easier to monitor, enabling brands to optimize campaigns on the fly. Programmatic platforms now allow brands to purchase influencer campaigns similarly to how they buy digital ads. These platforms integrate seamlessly with ad networks and social platforms, offering real-time bidding, campaign optimization, and audience targeting. Micro-influencers thrive because their audiences see them as peers, not polished celebrities. They foster intimate, community-based relationships, often sharing personal stories that resonate deeply with their followers. Unlike the glossy perfection of mega-influencers, micro-influencers embody authenticity, and that’s what audiences crave. Dunkin’ Donuts “Sipping Is Believing” campaign leaned on micro- and nano-influencers in Philadelphia to promote their new espresso drinks. By showcasing relatable, localized content: Smaller audiences mean closer connections. Micro-influencers engage in two-way conversations, actively responding to comments and messages, which fosters a sense of belonging. Their engagement rates consistently outpace those of mega-influencers. A niche account documenting the journey of a diabetic cat exemplifies this trend. By authentically engaging with a small but loyal community, Lucy the Diabetic Cat has driven brand collaborations that feel organic and deeply connected.
Micro-influencers offer a budget-friendly alternative with a higher ROI. Instead of splurging on mega-influencers, brands can collaborate with several micro-influencers and achieve greater impact through cumulative engagement. Glossier’s reliance on micro-influencers over traditional ads helped them establish a cult-like following. By leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and engaging smaller influencers, they achieved exponential growth, proving that authenticity trumps expensive reach. Micro-influencers often cater to specific interests or industries, allowing brands to connect with hyper-targeted audiences. This precision makes campaigns not only more relevant but also more effective. When launching Fenty Beauty, Rihanna prioritized micro-influencers from diverse communities to reflect the brand’s message of inclusivity. The campaign didn’t just sell products; it built a movement, with the brand surpassing $600 million in its first year. Actionable Insights for Marketers
The rise of micro- and nano-influencers marks a seismic shift in the marketing landscape. As influencer fatigue grows—52.1% of marketers report diminished returns from mega-influencers—brands are turning to smaller creators who authentically embody their values. With 69.2% of marketers prioritizing alignment with brand values, the future of influencer marketing lies in campaigns that focus on trust, relatability, and storytelling. Micro-influencers aren’t just a cost-saving measure—they’re the key to unlocking deeper engagement and loyalty in a market that demands authenticity like never before. If you’re not leveraging their power, you’re missing one of the most impactful opportunities of 2025. The era of performative marketing is coming to an end. Consumers are demanding more from brands, holding them accountable for their claims and actions. In 2025, the defining question will be: does your brand truly stand for ethics, or is it merely posturing? From avoiding greenwashing to embracing diversity and protecting data privacy, the stakes for brands have never been higher. The shift toward authenticity, transparency, and purpose-driven strategies is no longer optional—it’s essential. Take for example greenwashing—when brands exaggerate or falsify eco-friendly claims. It remains one of the fastest ways to alienate consumers. The infamous example of Delta Airlines (2023) illustrates this perfectly. Delta touted itself as “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline,” a claim heavily reliant on carbon offsets while still burning jet fuel. This backfired when lawsuits accused the company of misleading advertising, resulting in reputational damage and highlighting the need for stricter regulation in environmental claims. Delta has long claimed to be “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline,” but one of its passengers says the claim is nothing but a greenwashing sham. https://t.co/543adzZMIJpic.twitter.com/T6RBUcWJEF — CBS News (@CBSNews) June 1, 2023
It’s crucial nowadays to prioritize genuine sustainability. Consumers can see through superficial claims. Instead, back up statements with measurable actions, certifications, and consistent transparency. Just check some of these stats: Despite telling customers not to buy, Patagonia’s sales skyrocketed. Patagonia’s revenue increased by 30% year-over-year, and the ad generated $10 million in sales. Patagonia’s honesty resonated with its core audience. pic.twitter.com/3JB7wzmfHv — Jeremy Kuo (@jeremykuoo) November 21, 2024
Steps every brand should take now: Ben & Jerry’s brought their commitment to activism to life with their “Justice ReMix’d” flavor, a partnership with the Advancement Project. This limited-edition flavor wasn’t just a clever name—it was part of a larger campaign to highlight the urgent need for criminal justice reform. By using their product as a platform for advocacy, they turned every scoop into a conversation starter, reinforcing their values and inviting customers to join their mission for change.
Ethics isn’t just a “nice-to-have” anymore—it’s the foundation for sustained brand success. By prioritizing genuine sustainability, safeguarding consumer trust, and fostering inclusivity, brands can navigate the challenges of 2025 while strengthening their consumer relationships. As 39.7% of marketers highlight privacy and data security as their top challenges, and more than 69.2% of marketers prioritize alignment with brand values, one thing is clear: the brands that will thrive are those that embrace ethics, not those that merely sell out. The time to act is now. Will your brand lead the charge for a better, more ethical future? Digital marketing is at a crossroads. The SEO strategies that once dominated the field are undergoing dramatic shifts, driven by zero-click searches, voice search, and the growing move toward a cookieless world. For marketers, this means rethinking how to capture attention and maintain engagement in an ecosystem where traditional clicks and cookies are becoming relics of the past. The rise of zero-click searches is reshaping user behavior on search engines like Google. According to a SparkToro study, 58.5% of US Google searches and 59.7% of EU searches end without a click, highlighting a monumental shift in how users interact with search engines. Nearly 30% of clicks in the US go to Google-owned properties like YouTube, Maps, etc creating challenges for marketers aiming to drive traffic to external sites. Only 1% of all searches result in paid clicks, emphasizing the need for organic visibility on SERPs. As we mentioned earlier Rand Fishkin, has often via his company emphasized the need of building authority as a go-to-brand directly instead of via Google. Rand Fishkin is almost never optimizing for clicks, but rather extremely good video content and LinkedIn posts, that allow him to build authority by educating instead of selling, in order to get followers to use his company SparkToro for everything SEO related. As we mentioned in the SEO section Google is rolling out many changes including AI Overviews. In May 2024, Google launched AI Overviews, appearing on 12.7% of queries. While initially promising, adoption rates fell below 15%, indicating that users remain wary of AI-generated summaries. However, their presence underscores the need for marketers to create content that thrives within Google’s ecosystem. We believe that this will lead to much less Top of Funnel traffic getting lost, and marketers have to leverage channels in different ways such as making videos on top of funnel content that will create brands not just gain clicks. The future of cookies is anything but simple. While Safari and Firefox have already kicked third-party cookies to the curb, Google recently hit the brakes on its plan to follow suit. Originally set to phase out cookies in Chrome by 2024, the company has now decided to keep them—at least for now—while it refines its Privacy Sandbox initiative. This decision reflects a delicate balancing act between privacy concerns, advertiser demands, and pressure from regulators like the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. But here’s the twist: users are about to take the reins. Chrome’s new features will give people the power to decide whether to allow cookies, shifting control directly into their hands. For brands, this isn’t just a challenge—it’s an opportunity. The more transparent you are about how you handle data and what consumers get in return, the more likely they’ll trust you enough to opt in. At the same time, the shift away from third-party cookies underscores the growing importance of first-party data. Brands that focus on building direct relationships with their audiences—through loyalty programs, email lists, and interactive experiences—will not only future-proof their strategies but also gain richer, more reliable insights. It’s a chance to ditch the creepy, covert tracking and embrace a straightforward, trust-based approach. If you can show your audience that data-sharing equals real value—think personalized offers, smoother experiences, and better recommendations—you’ll be building relationships that outlast any cookie. Actionable Insights for Marketers
To navigate these shifts, marketers must adapt their strategies to both zero-click trends and the cookieless future. Optimize for Zero-Click SEO: Gone are the days when marketing success depended on mastering a single channel. In 2025, thriving brands won’t just have a presence on multiple platforms—they’ll deliver seamless, unified experiences across every touchpoint. Cross-channel strategies have evolved from being “nice-to-have” to “non-negotiable,” becoming the foundation of impactful marketing. Omnichannel marketing is not just about showing up everywhere—it’s about delivering consistency, personalization, and connections across every platform and interaction. Unlike multichannel marketing, which often operates in silos, omnichannel marketing creates a cohesive narrative, ensuring that the customer experience flows smoothly across digital and physical touchpoints. For example,Disney’s omnichannel strategy integrates its website, theme parks, and apps into a unified ecosystem. Visitors can plan trips, track reservations, and even unlock hotel rooms with a single MagicBand. This seamless integration across touchpoints sets the gold standard for what modern consumers expect. With 38.5% of marketers striving for moderate integration in multi-channel efforts and 34.6% already achieving seamless experiences, the momentum is clear: the future belongs to those who can master cross-channel marketing. While multichannel marketing spreads a brand’s presence across platforms, it often lacks integration. This fragmented approach can lead to inconsistent messaging and disconnected experiences, leaving consumers frustrated. In contrast, omnichannel marketing prioritizes the individual customer journey, tailoring each interaction based on past behaviors and preferences. Starbucks has redefined the customer experience with itsRewards App. Customers can reload their balance, order ahead, and earn rewards seamlessly across in-app, in-store, and online experiences. This real-time integration not only boosts convenience but also fosters loyalty, resulting in higher customer retention rates. The global market for MMHs is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.7% through 2034. These platforms enable brands to unify their messaging across email, social media, mobile, and traditional platforms, ensuring consistency and scalability. These platforms centralize messaging, data, and analytics, making it easier for brands to ensure consistency and scalability across email, social media, mobile, and traditional platforms.Leverage AI-powered MMHs to predict customer behavior, optimize touchpoints, and maximize ROI. For example, a retailer could use predictive analytics to trigger personalized SMS offers based on in-app browsing behavior. Maintaining cohesive messaging across diverse touchpoints is a top challenge, with 41.6% of marketers identifying it as their biggest hurdle. Take the M&M’s Super Bowl LV Campaign It combined TV ads, social media teasers, and hashtags to drive engagement which maximized reach and maintained momentum through a mix of traditional and digital channels leading to a max-impact campaign. Actionable Insights for Marketers
Here’s how marketers can future-proof their strategies and thrive in the evolving cross-channel landscape of 2025: Cross-channel marketing is more than just being everywhere—it’s about creating cohesive, meaningful experiences that resonate with consumers. As multi-channel strategies evolve into omnichannel and cross-channel efforts, the brands that succeed will be those that adapt their messaging, invest in AI, and collaborate with authentic creators to create unforgettable journeys. 2025 isn’t just another year. It’s a turning point—a moment when marketers are called to redefine their craft. The rules we’ve lived by are crumbling. AI isn’t here to make us obsolete; it’s here to make us limitless, liberating us to connect, create, and inspire at levels we’ve only dreamed of. But let’s be honest: marketing today feels mechanical, transactional. It’s time we moved beyond campaigns designed to chase metrics and embraced strategies designed to create movements. Movements that speak to the hearts and minds of real people, with stories that aren’t just data-driven but deeply human. The problem with marketing today? It’s too safe. Too predictable. And in 2025, safe is a risk you can’t afford. This is the year to stop doing what everyone else is doing. The year to stop obsessing over average results from average strategies and start creating work that stands out. Let’s be bold: Instead, start chasing the extraordinary. Gen Z, especially, won’t tolerate mediocrity. They’re hyper-aware, authenticity-obsessed, and deeply engaged with brands that challenge norms and lead with purpose. If you don’t resonate with their values, their attention will vanish faster than you can say, “Our metrics look good this quarter.” The younger generations—particularly Gen Z—are rewriting the rulebook for how brands earn loyalty. They don’t care about your carefully crafted PR message; they care about how you show up when it matters. They’re not impressed by ads—they’re impressed by actions. Want to win their trust in 2025? Then show them you’re more than another voice in the noise: And most importantly, don’t try to blend in—dare to stand out. Here’s the harsh truth: the tools to succeed have never been more accessible. AI, data, platforms—it’s all there. The real challenge isn’t the tools; it’s the vision. 2025 will separate those who keep doing what’s easy from those who do what’s essential. The leaders will be the ones who refuse to settle for the status quo, who dare to push boundaries, and who refuse to compromise on creativity, connection, and authenticity. This isn’t just another year of digital marketing. It’s the beginning of a new era. The question is: will you rise to the challenge? The world doesn’t need more content—it needs better stories. It doesn’t need more marketers playing it safe—it needs more marketers who dare to take risks. So let’s stop chasing trends and start leading them. Let’s stop creating content that fills space and start creating content that fills hearts. And let’s stop being average, because in 2025, average will be invisible. Partnering with a digital marketing agency in Chicago is key for businesses aiming to… Agencies in Miami aren’t judged by their pitch decks—they’re judged by how fast… Digital marketing agencies in San Diego are essential in helping businesses navigate…
https://zoomyourtraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/wp-header-logo-323.png8401600Team ZYThttps://www.zoomyourtraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ZYT-1.pngTeam ZYT2025-06-26 05:05:142025-06-26 05:05:14AI & SEO-Driven Content Marketing: How To Calculate True ROI for B2B Companies in 2025 – Search Engine Journal
How to Increase Your Site’s Domain Authority in 2025 – Shopify
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As you apply search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to your website, you’ll find many of them are geared toward improving your domain authority. This metric is a helpful tool in planning for SEO success, but it is commonly misunderstood. Here’s how to increase your website’s domain authority.
Domain authority is a proprietary off-page SEO metric developed by Moz, an SEO technology company, to help predict how well your website is likely to rank for any given keyword. The domain authority metric primarily uses the quality and quantity of sources that link to your website to calculate the score. Websites are ranked from 0 to 100, with 0 being a site that will have a very difficult time ranking, and 100 being a site that will generally rank high among search engine results. Domain authority is a website-wide metric, associated with a domain as opposed to an individual page on a website.
Moz uses backlinks to calculate the domain authority of a website. If a website has a higher domain authority than yours, it’s probably because it has been linked to by more and higher-quality sources. Although Moz’s exact formula for calculating domain authority scores is proprietary, the company has released its scoring methodology in a white paper. Other SEO tools, like Ahrefs’ domain rating tool, now offer their own versions of domain authority calculators.
Both quantity and quality of backlinks matter. A website could have a strong domain authority with fewer than 100 high-quality backlinks if many of them are from very credible sources such as government websites, scientific journals, and mainstream news reports. By contrast, if a site has thousands of links, but they’re of low quality or from potential spam sites, it may have a much lower domain authority.
Moz occasionally updates its algorithm for calculating domain authority, so scores can fluctuate even without changes in backlink profiles. For this reason, domain authority is best used as a comparative metric (“Have I moved closer to or further ahead of my competitors?”) instead of raw (“How many points have I increased?”).
Domain authority is not provided or endorsed by search engines like Google. It is not an official ranking factor, and a higher domain authority score does not automatically mean your site’s rankings will improve. According to Vanessa Bellanti, SEO lead at Shopify, “SEOs should still care about domain authority because it is a good indicator of a website’s overall authority and trustworthiness in relation to providing information on a particular topic.” That’s right, domain authority does matter, for at least four reasons:
Moz’s studies, as well as third-party research, show that sites with high domain authority tend to rank higher and receive more organic traffic. This lends domain authority credibility—you can be reasonably confident as a marketer that increasing your domain authority is good for SEO.
Backlinks (links to your website from other sites) are a Google ranking factor. Domain authority provides a great shorthand reference for the state of your site’s off-page SEO.
When you’re trying to rank for a particular keyword, looking at the domain authority of the websites that currently rank for that keyword can help you understand how you stack up against your competitors. Websites with high domain authority are more difficult to rank against.
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As you implement SEO optimizations and build a strong backlink profile, your domain authority should increase. So, tracking your domain authority over time is a good measure of how your SEO efforts are paying off.
There is no one number that necessarily indicates a good domain authority score. If a site is brand new, it will have a domain authority of less than 10, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything inherently wrong with the website. It just hasn’t built up a backlink profile yet.
Domain authority scores also tend to vary by industry and content type. Some types of websites, such as those focused on recipes or software, have high traffic volume and many high-quality backlinks. On the other hand, websites focused on niche topics may face a less competitive search environment and thus require fewer backlinks to rank. To know what a good domain authority is for your website, use keyword research to determine which queries you want to rank for, then look up the domain authority of the websites already ranking for those terms. That will give you a rough answer.
Here is a rule-of-thumb reference for what different score ranges mean:
Increasing your domain authority requires a strategic approach focused on building a strong backlink profile and ensuring overall site health. Here are five steps you can take:
Focus on creating unique and authoritative content other websites will want to link to. These are often called “linkable assets” because they serve as valuable resources that attract backlinks naturally.
Colleen Echohawk, CEO of Eighth Generation, knows the importance of consistently creating content that attracts high-authority links. “We create new blogs pretty often, because we want to get SEO content out there,” she says. “When British Vogue searched for native artists, our content came up, and they reached out. We sent them all these products, hoping to get in the magazine. Instead of just including us, they put us on the cover!”
While creating great content is essential, you also need to actively work on earning backlinks from reputable sources. This involves focusing on getting links from domains that have higher authority than yours, as these links carry significant weight.
There are several ways to acquire high-quality backlinks:
It’s a good practice to regularly audit your backlink profile. This helps you spot any low-quality or “toxic” backlinks that could potentially harm your site’s authority and search engine rankings. Toxic links often come from spammy or irrelevant websites.
You can use SEO tools to find these, and if you can’t get them removed directly, look into disavowing them using tools like Google Search Console. Disavowing tells Google to ignore these specific links when they evaluate your site. Always prioritize quality over quantity; a few relevant, high-authority links are much more valuable than many low-quality ones.
Writing guest articles for other reputable websites in your industry helps get your content in front of a new audience and gives you opportunities to earn quality backlinks. A simple way to find opportunities is to search for industry keywords plus phrases like “guest post” or “contribute.” Once you find a good fit, reach out to the site’s editor with content ideas that you know will appeal to their audience.
Consider using digital public relations to earn mentions and links from authoritative news sites, prominent blogs, and industry publications. Send out press releases about company news, offer expert commentary on industry trends to journalists, or share unique data your company has gathered.
Mentions and links from highly respected media outlets can significantly boost your site’s authority.
While domain authority is primarily an off-page metric, strong on-page and technical SEO foundations are crucial for overall site health, user experience, and the ability to rank, which indirectly supports your authority.
Ensure your content is well-optimized for your target keywords. This includes using keywords naturally in headings (H2, H3, H4), the introduction, and throughout the body text. Write compelling meta titles and descriptions that encourage clicks from the search results. Ensure your content is easy to read and understand, using formatting like bullet points and short paragraphs.
Technical SEO focuses on optimizing your website’s infrastructure for search engine crawling and indexing, as well as user experience. Factors like site speed, mobile-friendliness, a logical site structure with clear internal linking, and a secure HTTPS connection all contribute to a positive user experience and signal to search engines that your site is high-quality and trustworthy.
JJ Follano, founder of Zero Waste Store, knows from experience the importance of technical SEO—especially when going through a rebrand. “A lot of brands aren’t redirecting their URLs from their old domain to the new one,” says Follano, “and you actually get a lot of dead links in Google search. You could potentially lose a lot of the traffic you’ve gained from your prior branding.”
A fast, secure, and easily navigable site is more likely to rank well, which in turn can support your perceived authority.
Even the best content won’t attract links and traffic if no one knows it exists. Actively promoting your content is key to increasing its visibility and potential for earning backlinks.
Share your content across relevant social media platforms to drive traffic to your website. Engaging with your audience and encouraging shares can increase your content’s reach and expose it to individuals and websites that may link back to it.
Beyond social media, consider promoting your content through email newsletters, online communities and forums, relevant industry websites, and even paid promotion if it aligns with your strategy. The more visibility your content has, the higher the chance of earning valuable backlinks.
Keeping your website’s content fresh and ensuring a great user experience show search engines that your site is valuable. Regularly update your existing content to make sure it’s accurate and still relevant. When people have a positive experience on your site, they’re likely to spend more time there and explore other pages, which signals value to search engines.
While domain authority is a helpful metric, Google uses E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) to figure out how trustworthy and authoritative websites are. To build E-E-A-T, your content needs to demonstrate real-world experience, showcase your unique knowledge and skills, and be recognized as a go-to source in your niche.
Domain authority is based on backlinks, so the types of websites with the highest domain authority are the ones that receive a high volume of quality backlinks. These are typically news sites and well-established sites, like Wikipedia, that offer a wealth of information.
No, Google does not directly look at a site’s domain authority. Domain authority is a metric generated by Moz, an SEO technology company. However, since Google’s algorithm factors in the quality and quantity of backlinks when determining a site’s SERP ranking, domain authority can be a helpful proxy for analyzing how Google views your site.
It typically takes at least one month to see improvements in a website domain authority score, though it may take a good deal longer, depending on the competitiveness of the keyword you want to rank for and the effectiveness of your link building and SEO efforts.
You can check your domain authority score using various SEO tools. Moz offers a free domain authority checker on its website. Other popular SEO platforms like Ahrefs (which uses Domain Rating) and Semrush (which uses Authority Score) provide similar metrics to evaluate a website’s authority based on its backlink profile and other factors.
A toxic backlink is a link from a low-quality, spammy, irrelevant, or potentially harmful website. These links can negatively impact your website’s authority and search engine rankings, potentially signaling to Google that your site is associated with low-quality sources. Identifying and disavowing toxic backlinks is an important part of maintaining a healthy backlink profile.
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5 Reasons Spotify Ads Deserve a Spot in Your Digital Marketing Strategy – Search Engine People
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Did you know that over 626 million people use Spotify every month, making it one of the most popular streaming platforms in the world?
Also, it isn’t just a platform for music and podcasts; it’s a goldmine for digital marketers. Beyond building awareness, it excels at driving engagement and conversions. With its powerful combination of audio and video placements, advanced targeting capabilities, and continuous innovation, Spotify Ads offers a unique edge in advertising. Oh, and did I mention? Spotify can even create audio ads for free! In this blog, I’ll share some of my favorite reasons why Spotify Ads should be a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy.
It’s More Than Just Awareness with Spotify Advertising
People often think Spotify Ads is only good for building awareness and generating listens. However, in my experience, Spotify Ads outperform other awareness-focused platforms, like Google Display Ads, in driving conversions.
For many of my e-commerce clients, using Spotify Ads “Clicks” objective has proven to be a game-changer. This approach not only drives users to a website but also ensures that the journey from hearing an ad to engaging with your product feels seamless. When your website has a clear intent and compelling offers, users are more likely to take action—whether it’s making a purchase or exploring further.
Spotify also provides a range of advertising objectives tailored to different campaign goals:
By selecting the right objective for your marketing goals, Spotify Ads can effectively guide users through the sales funnel, from awareness to conversion.
Boost Your CTRs with Spotify Ads
Spotify Ads consistently delivers higher click-through rates (CTRs) compared to other digital tactics, with CTRs ranging from 0.55% to 1.74%. These results significantly outperform other common advertising tactics, such as Google Display Ads (0.35% to 1%) and even YouTube (0.50% and 1.5%).
To maximize your CTRs on Spotify, focus on the following elements:
With these strategies, you’ll likely find your CTRs leaning toward the higher end of the range, making Spotify Ads an incredibly effective platform for your digital marketing efforts.
Free Audio Ad Creation with Spotify
If you’re worried about the cost of creating professional Spotify audio ads—especially with music and voice actors—it’s time to put those concerns to rest. Spotify offers an easy and cost-effective way to develop high-quality audio ads, and you don’t need a big budget to get started. If you commit to a minimum media spend of $250, Spotify Ads can create your audio ad for free. Of course, if you already have your own audio, you can simply upload it to the platform.
Spotify Ads provides two services to help you create the perfect audio ad:
I’ve personally used both of these services to help my clients get their foot in the door with Spotify Ads, and they’ve always been very satisfied with the results. In fact, some clients wouldn’t have even had the opportunity to run these ads without this service.
If you have a script ready, Quick Audio is the fastest option. However, if you’re looking to explore creative possibilities, Full-Service Audio offers a great opportunity to see how Spotify Ads can bring your vision to life.
Why Spotify Ads Offer a Unique Advertising Experience
What sets Spotify Ads apart from other social or search platforms when it comes to advertising? While many platforms reach users through visual stimuli—whether they’re scrolling, searching, or watching content—Spotify Ads taps into the power of audio advertising, and engaging users through their sense of hearing. Here are some key benefits of using Spotify Ads for your campaigns:
Additionally, Spotify Ads does offer video ad placements, which only appear when users are actively looking at their screens. This creates a dual opportunity: users experience your brand through both audio and visual content. By combining these formats, you can craft a more impactful and holistic campaign that reaches users across multiple touchpoints within the same platform.
The Future of Spotify Ads: Constant Innovation and Growth
Spotify’s ad studio, launched in 2017, is still a relatively new player in the advertising space compared to other platforms. However, its rapid evolution is something to watch closely. The platform is continually adding new features, releasing betas, and improving its capabilities, signaling that it’s far from reaching its full potential.
One of the recent updates includes the addition of 75+ new interest-based targeting audiences, expanding the precision with which you can reach your ideal users.
Additionally, Spotify Ads has rolled out the ability to install a pixel on your website, allowing you to track user actions and measure the effectiveness of your ads. This includes both the base pixel and conversion events, enabling more detailed insights into user behavior.
Spotify Ads consistent updates and new capabilities ensure that the platform will continue to evolve, giving advertisers more tools to refine their strategies. I personally can’t wait to leverage these new features as soon as they become available, and I strongly recommend you do the same.
In Conclusion: Spotify Ads is Your Next Big Ad Platform
There are countless reasons to make Spotify Ads a key part of your marketing strategy—far more than I’ve covered here. Whether your goal is to drive engagement, boost awareness, or increase conversions, Spotify Ads has the tools to help you succeed.
Don’t wait—start leveraging Spotify Ads to take your campaigns to the next level. The sooner you dive in, the sooner you’ll see the results—and trust me, you won’t want to miss out on the incredible potential this platform has to offer!
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Marketers Trust AI Too Much — And It’s Hurting the Brand – CMSWire.com
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10 Best AI Girlfriends Apps & Websites (June 2025) – Unite.AI
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In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the concept of AI girlfriends has emerged as a fascinating and, at times, controversial development. These digital companions, powered by advanced Generative AI, are redefining the boundaries of human-computer interaction, offering a blend of companionship and communication that was once the stuff of science fiction.
AI girlfriends are virtual entities created using sophisticated AI algorithms. They are designed to simulate human-like interactions, offering companionship through text and voice communication. These AI entities are not just programmed for basic responses; they are capable of learning, adapting, and personalizing their interactions based on the user’s preferences and behavior.
AI girlfriends are accessible primarily through two modes of communication:
Below we feature the top 10 current state of the art AI girlfriends.
Fantasy.ai is a next-generation platform that allows users to create and interact with fully customized AI companions, blending visual creativity, personality design, and immersive chat features. Users can build their ideal virtual partner by selecting from a wide range of physical traits, personality styles, and relationship dynamics. Whether opting for a realistic or anime-inspired character, the creation process is intuitive and deeply customizable.
What sets Fantasy.ai apart is its integrated video generation capability—a rare feature that enables users to receive personalized AI-generated videos of their companion, adding a uniquely immersive layer to the experience. In addition to video, the platform supports AI-generated images and offers rich communication modes through text and voice chat. These interactions are dynamic, emotionally responsive, and can be tailored to safe or mature content preferences depending on user settings.
With features like advanced customization, visual content generation, and lifelike communication, Fantasy.ai delivers a highly interactive and emotionally engaging AI companion experience.
Visit Fantasy →
Candy emerges as a groundbreaking platform in the realm of virtual companionship, offering users the unique opportunity to create their own virtual girlfriend. This innovative service allows for extensive customization, enabling users to shape not only the appearance but also the personality and relationship dynamics of their AI companion. With an emphasis on user-centric design, Candy.ai provides a seamless and intuitive interface, where crafting a virtual partner is as simple as making a few selections and clicking a button.
The result is a personalized, interactive digital entity that offers companionship and engagement, reflecting the user’s preferences and desires. Candy.ai represents a remarkable blend of technology and creativity, redefining the boundaries of artificial companionship and offering a glimpse into the future of personal AI interactions.
Candy.ai supports various communication modes, including text and voice chat.
Visit Candy →
OurDream.ai is a generative AI platform that allows users to design and interact with fully customizable AI companions. Users can choose from female, male, or trans characters, with the option of realistic or anime-style visuals. The creation process is intuitive and structured, guiding users through customization of appearance, style, and persona traits.
The platform features advanced tools including image and video generation, allowing users to create personalized outputs by selecting specific actions and matching them with character visuals. Video generation operates on a credit-based system. In addition to visual creation, OurDream.ai supports both text and voice chat, enabling dynamic and interactive conversations with custom AI characters. With features like chat, gallery management, and deep customization, the platform offers a highly personalized AI experience.
Visit Ourdream →
GPT Girlfriend emerges as an AI tool designed to effortlessly bring your dream characters to life. This app shines in narrative storytelling, allowing you to find yourself on dates with over 25,000 characters.
Creating a soulmate has never been easier or more realistic. Whether you’re looking to design the perfect AI character to chat with or customize an AI companion for online dating, GPT Girlfriend offers a full suite of interactive features. Users can engage in conversations via text or voice and truly personalize their experience with their AI friend. GPT Girlfriend excels in generating unique role-playing scenarios that best match your personality and dream scenarios.
Visit GPT Girlfriend →
Dream GF introduces an innovative AI-dating simulator that redefines the virtual companionship experience. This platform empowers users to create their own virtual girlfriend, complete with customized characteristics, personality traits, and style, all in a matter of seconds. Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, Dream GF allows for the generation of unique and fully customizable AI-generated dating profiles, offering a vivid reflection of the user’s imagination and personal preferences.
The experience is further enhanced by the option to interact with the virtual partner through both text and voice, adding layers of depth and realism to the interaction. Dream GF stands out as a testament to technological advancement in AI, providing a highly immersive and personalized companionship experience that caters to the diverse desires and tastes of its users.
Visit Dream GF →
Nectar is a generative AI platform that lets users create their own AI girlfriend through two main features: Image Creation and Roleplay. The Image Creator allows for the generation of high-quality, detailed images using advanced AI, while the Roleplay feature enables users to explore interactive stories and custom characters across various fantasies. Known for its fast generation speeds and multilingual support, including Spanish and Chinese, Nectar offers a unique blend of immersive storytelling and visual AI.
Users can get started for free with limited daily generations and messaging. Subscriptions unlock premium features such as HD images, advanced customization, and enhanced Roleplay quality. The highest tier, Ultimate, includes unlimited messaging, video generation, and even voice chat, along with access to the best models and over 350 customization options.
Visit Nectar →
Secret Desires is an AI-powered platform that allows users to create and interact with virtual characters in a highly personalized way. Users can design their ideal companions by customizing their appearance, personality, and interests, making each interaction unique. The platform offers both realistic and anime-style AI-generated characters, catering to a wide range of preferences. A robust search function enables users to find characters based on specific attributes, interests, and even relationship dynamics, enhancing the interactive experience.
Beyond text-based conversations, Secret Desires also provides voice chat options, allowing for more immersive and lifelike interactions. Users can engage with both official and community-generated characters, exploring different personalities and scenarios. The platform includes NSFW content for those who opt in, as well as tools for managing and customizing AI companions in a seamless and intuitive interface. Whether users are looking for casual chats or deeper AI-driven connections, Secret Desires offers a dynamic space for personalized virtual relationships.
Visit Secret Desires →
Nomi is an AI companion platform where users can engage in meaningful, unique conversations with AI companions, known as Nomis. Each Nomi has human-level memory and emotional intelligence, allowing them to remember personal details, preferences, and even past conversations, making interactions more personalized over time.
Nomis are versatile, offering features like real-time selfies, uncensored private chats, and the ability to create AI-generated art. Users can customize their Nomi’s backstory, engage in both text and voice chats, or even involve Nomis in group conversations. Nomi prioritizes freedom of expression and privacy, ensuring that all interactions remain confidential.
Visit Nomi →
Lovescape is a generative AI platform that empowers users to create fully customized virtual companions, offering deep personalization across appearance, personality, voice, and interaction style. Whether opting for realistic or anime-inspired visuals, users can define relationship dynamics, romantic preferences, and engage in immersive roleplay experiences, making each interaction uniquely tailored and emotionally engaging.
The Premium tier unlocks a richer experience with unlimited messaging, voice interactions, access to spicy content, and advanced AI image generation. With over 100 customization options and tools designed for emotional realism, Lovescape blends cutting-edge technology with human-like behavior to create deeply personal and interactive digital relationships.
Visit Lovescape →
As a cutting-edge platform, Kupid AI specializes in delivering a unique and immersive chat experience, driven by sophisticated AI algorithms. Users have the opportunity to interact with AI characters that are designed to simulate real-life conversations, providing a level of interaction that blurs the line between virtual and reality.
Whether it’s casual talk or deep, meaningful conversations, Kupid AI tailors the experience to user preferences, making every interaction feel personal and authentic. This platform is not just about advanced technology; it’s about creating a space where virtual companionship becomes a tangible reality, redefining the boundaries of human-AI interaction.
Visit Kupid →
Soulfun reimagines the concept of digital companionship, catering to those seeking AI-powered girlfriends with a personalized touch. The app’s sophisticated AI algorithms enable users to shape the personalities and appearance of their AI partners, crafting a unique connection that feels genuine and tailored to individual preferences.
Soulfun is dedicated to creating meaningful, emotionally rich interactions, where each conversation with an AI companion is as nuanced and dynamic as with a human. It’s an experience designed for depth, understanding, and a personal touch, offering a new dimension to companionship in the digital age.
Visit Soulfun →
Generative AI plays a crucial role in the functioning of AI girlfriends. This branch of AI focuses on generating new content, whether it’s text, voice, or even images, that is original yet realistic. In the context of AI girlfriends, Generative AI is used to:
These AI-driven entities are meticulously designed to offer engaging and addictive experiences, appealing to a wide range of emotional and social needs. However, as we delve deeper into this captivating world, it’s crucial to remember the irreplaceable value of human interaction.
AI girlfriends are engineered using sophisticated algorithms that are powered by the latest in Large Language Models (LLMs) that not only simulate conversation but also learn and adapt to individual preferences. This personalization creates a sense of connection and understanding, making interactions with these virtual companions highly appealing. The allure is further heightened by their 24/7 availability and the absence of the complexities often found in human relationships. From remembering important dates to responding in a consistently understanding manner, these AI entities are programmed to fulfill idealized companionship roles, making them particularly addictive.
However, this convenience and perfection come with a caveat. As engrossing as these interactions may be, they lack the genuine emotional depth and growth inherent in human relationships. Real-world interactions challenge us, foster empathy, and develop our ability to navigate the intricate nuances of human emotions and social cues. The spontaneity, unpredictability, and profound connections we form with other people play a crucial role in our emotional and psychological development.
Therefore, while AI girlfriends can be a source of entertainment and even comfort, it’s essential to maintain a balance. Engaging in the real world, nurturing human relationships, and experiencing the rich tapestry of human emotions and interactions are vital for our holistic well-being
The emergence of AI girlfriends raises important questions about the future of human relationships and communication. While they offer companionship and a form of interaction, it’s crucial to understand the limits of such technology. AI girlfriends can offer support and a semblance of companionship but cannot replace the depth and complexity of human relationships.
As technology continues to advance, the capabilities of AI girlfriends will likely become more sophisticated, offering more realistic and nuanced interactions. However, the ethical and social implications of such technology will remain a topic of ongoing debate and consideration.
In conclusion, AI girlfriends, powered by Generative AI, represent a significant step in the world of artificial intelligence, offering unique and personalized forms of interaction. As we navigate this new terrain, it’s essential to balance the excitement of technological innovation with thoughtful consideration of its impact on human relationships and society.
OpenAgents: An Open Platform for Language Agents in the Wild
EUREKA: Human-Level Reward Design via Coding Large Language Models
Daniel is a big proponent of how AI will eventually disrupt everything. He breathes technology and lives to try new gadgets.
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Move over SEO: How AI is rewriting the rules of digital marketing | Opinion – The Tennessean
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What Are SEO Services? Key Things to Know in 2025 – DesignRush
/in website SEO, Website Traffic/by Team ZYTWhat Are SEO Services? Key Things to Know in 2025 DesignRush
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The future of work is agentic – McKinsey & Company
/in website SEO, Website Traffic/by Team ZYTThink about your org chart. Now imagine it features both your current colleagues—humans, if you’re like most of us—and AI agents. That’s not science fiction; it’s happening—and it’s happening relatively quickly, according to McKinsey Senior Partner Jorge Amar. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Jorge joins McKinsey talent leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to talk about what these AI agents are, how they’re being used, and how leaders can prepare now for the workforce of the not-too-distant future.
The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
Lucia Rahilly: Jorge, welcome to McKinsey Talks Talent.
Jorge Amar: Thank you very much. Excited to be here.
Lucia Rahilly: Jorge, there was a great little piece in The Wall Street Journal called “Everyone’s talking about AI agents. Barely anyone knows what they are.” What exactly do we mean when we talk about agentic AI?
Jorge Amar: I’ll start where I think most people still are, which is generative AI. Gen AI is mostly a reactive type of AI focused on generating creative content, triggered by a prompt or an instruction from an individual.
Now if we continue the evolution of AI into agentic, we start to come to a very different reality. The first difference is we’re talking about AI that is not only generating content. It is executing on a task, on a mandate, on a particular instruction. An AI agent is perceiving reality based on its training. It then decides, applies judgment, and executes something. And that execution then reinforces its learning. It learns if what the agent did was good or bad and then feeds that back in.
Your AI agents could now be the evolution and the creation of a digital replica of the entire workforce of an organization.
So we’re getting into the next step: AI deciding what to do on its own. We start to get into this complete AI workforce. Your AI agents could now be the evolution and the creation of a digital replica of the entire workforce of an organization.
Lucia Rahilly: OK, Jorge. You’re scaring us. Let’s talk through some use cases that might help bring this to life a bit. What does agentic AI look like now in the wild?
Jorge Amar: It’s still the Wild, Wild West out there. But I’ll try. Right now, many companies are starting to experiment. Typically, the environments in which they are deploying agents are very deterministic, with a clear process to follow. Think of IT help desks, or software development, or customer service tickets: any environment where a customer asks for something and there’s a well-defined process afterward. The agent picks it up—decides what is the right process, the right content article to be retrieved, the right information to be gathered—and then triggers an action.
Bryan Hancock: In HR, we’re seeing agentic AI in talent acquisition. Agents clean records. They try to understand, “Of the vast universe of potential candidates, how do we clean the data and understand who the right candidate might be?” Then a separate agent goes through and scores those candidates and does the ranking and the sourcing process. A separate agent reaches out to gain contact and schedule interviews.
And then I’ve seen a coordinating agent that sits on top of the overall process, interacting with those underlying agents. Have you seen that kind of coordinating agent process? And how do you even create an agent that coordinates across some of those discrete subprocesses?
Jorge Amar: I have a client that is already doing the first screening of all candidates for the front line entirely with agents. And I have even seen one step further: AI agents being deployed for training.
Think of a call center or store environment. You generate an agentic customer, and you say, “This is a type of call. This is a type of customer. Record an interaction.” It’s not only simulating a real phone call. You’re also getting live, detailed scoring of how you, as a frontline employee, are doing in that interaction. Are you using the right words? Have you remembered every single step of the process? It gives you very detailed coaching instructions.
Probably before, a supervisor in a call center could listen to three, five calls per agent. Now you get a summary of every single call, with a detailed breakdown of all the things this human agent is doing well and could do better.
You can focus your coaching, your onboarding in a much more targeted way because you know exactly which skills to develop, which traits to emphasize. And it’s not only recruiting and training; you could even do the same thing for performance management.
Brooke Weddle: Jorge, it sounds like you’re pointing to examples where agentic AI has allowed companies to achieve greater levels of productivity. Recently, the Work Trend Index annual report came out, one of Microsoft’s flagship publications in workforce. And it found that a third of executives are considering using AI to reduce head count in the next 12 to 18 months. But nearly 50 percent said they were considering maintaining head count but using AI as digital labor to boost productivity—as complementary to human skills. What have you seen in terms of use cases?
Jorge Amar: It is still early days when it comes to what I call decoupling the creation of capacity—automating tasks that otherwise would have been performed by a human—and the monetization of capacity. The monetization of capacity is its own independent thing.
One of the potential paths can be, “I’m going to reduce head count.” More and more, some executives I’m talking to are interested in, “I might reduce head count, but I also might want to do things differently.” Suppose your competitive advantage was your call center agents. If AI brings everyone to the same parity level, how do you differentiate? What are the implications for your workforce when you can differentiate by having the best algorithm, the best agentic framework out there—but at the same time, how do you complement that with humans to do things that otherwise would have been cost prohibitive?
I’ll give you one example. Last week, I was talking with one of my travel clients—and you could pick the airline or cruise line of your choice. What if you now had your own personalized concierge looking at your travel, giving you very detailed recommendations on how to navigate the airport, suggesting the type of food you could pick up on your way and even creating the order for you, and then getting to the final point in which it helps you board the plane and makes sure you have space? The possibilities are endless when it comes to figuring out or creating new and different workflows, new processes, new ways to surprise and delight your customers that you couldn’t have otherwise.
Bryan Hancock: And I imagine you can also do some of the same toward your employees. How do you surprise and delight across the employee journey? How do these agents actually get created—and get created in a way that’s specific to processes in any one area?
Jorge Amar: We’re all still figuring out the best way. There was a quote recently along the lines of, “IT will be the HR of AI agents of the future.” I would divide the creation of an agent into a few different steps. This helps us understand who is doing what.
First, there clearly needs to be a rationale from the business: customer support, marketing, sales, HR. They would define, “What is the need for an AI capacity?” and decide, “What are the parameters of what this AI capability needs to perform?”
Then they would work with their IT or AI function to either develop or procure their agentic capabilities. In many cases, the specificity and complexity of these AI capabilities will require these companies to develop their agent capabilities in-house, because they cannot find them in the market. It’s going to be a hybrid situation.
Once that capability exists, you have to onboard and train that agent, which we call “tuning” an agent. Tuning the agent requires a number of things: a good articulation and understanding of the process you are trying to “agentize,” as well as a subject matter expert who really understands the ins and outs.
You also need someone who understands the available data—a content specialist who is saying, “These are the content articles, the corpus of knowledge you need to train your agent,” and who makes sure that knowledge is up to date. In one of my cases, we trained the agent, and the agent started to spit out a bunch of COVID-related policies that were no longer relevant. So you need to make sure the data is accurate, relevant, and up to date.
Last, you need a good, robust prompt-engineering skill set: someone who can teach, train, and tune the agent by saying, “When the customer or your employee says this, this is what they mean. This is what they are trying to accomplish. And therefore do X, Y, Z.”
Brooke Weddle: Jorge, you mentioned IT becoming the HR of AI agents. And, of course, it was Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, who said this recently. When you think about a digital workforce, whose job is it to ensure that digital workforce is reaching its full potential? Is it more in the realm of IT? Or is this a space where HR might have a few things to say, since for a long time, getting managers to reach their full potential has been more their purview?
Jorge Amar: Some pioneering companies in this space are expressing their org charts not only in number of FTEs [full-time employees] but also in number of agents being deployed in every part of the organization. So I think we are going into a world where you’ll have to think about your workforce as both agentic and human. And I don’t think IT will be able to do this alone. IT will be critical in enabling the foundational elements to train an agent—the data stack, the right procurement, the right platform for training and tuning the agents.
Now, the true missing pieces: one is the business. Nobody will be able to train an agent if you don’t know intimately the policies, the processes, what really differentiates you from a business perspective.
And then I think HR will play a key role—first, to really push the business on what can be done from a hybrid workforce perspective. Second, and we started seeing this in one of my clients, is where the technology is up and running, but the number of live interactions is not coming down. There is a big change management component that comes into play. HR will be absolutely critical there.
So I think we are going into a world where you’ll have to think about your workforce as both agentic and human.
How do you tell your 20-year-tenured employee in the call center, “Now there is this agent that is going to do the job much better than you”? This person would probably say, “How can this AI thingy that got trained yesterday replace my 20 years of experience?” And there is a big step toward driving the incentives for usage, role modeling communication, and creating the right change story for these employees to understand, “Look at all the great possibilities this unlocks for you.”
This tells me HR still will play a critical role in the adoption of this agentic workforce. Maybe HR will not be screening each resume, but it will be critical in driving the change management efforts in adopting an agentic AI workforce.
Bryan Hancock, Brooke Weddle, and other talent experts help you navigate a fast-changing landscape and prepare for the future of work by making talent a competitive advantage.
Lucia Rahilly: Jorge, it’s so interesting to hear the anthropomorphic terms you’re using to describe these agents—existing in the org chart, for example, or as a digital workforce. To be clear, are these agents being construed as tools or as a class of digital workers—neo-colleagues of some kind?
Jorge Amar: I do think of it as a workforce. This is a workforce that will conduct end-to-end processes, replacing many tasks being performed today by the human workforce. It will augment the tasks a human workforce is performing to help make it better, faster, more efficient.
Some companies out there are even promoting this notion of a zero-FTE department—an entire function fully performed by an agent. Then you have on the side humans in the loop controlling or monitoring what these agents are doing. Putting philosophical debate aside, I think we should think of agents as a parallel workforce for all intents and purposes.
Some companies out there are even promoting this notion of a zero-FTE department—an entire function fully performed by an agent.
Lucia Rahilly: You mentioned adoption, and we so often hear adoption cited as a primary challenge in realizing the value of AI. How do you see humans in the workplace taking to this notion of collaborating with AI agents?
Jorge Amar: It’s still a big challenge. I’ll give you one example. In some of the frontline environments where I spend a lot of time, some of the newer agents or the newer reps tend to embrace AI faster. Why? Because if you’re just coming into a frontline environment, the back office is where you need to learn all these things, and now AI is guiding you through the process. That’s great. It makes the job easier. But some of the more tenured employees resist AI quite a bit. It’s really challenging for them.
There are many of these elements that will be critical in cracking the code to adoption, because my fear is that we will end up with huge investments and very little value realized.
The other big element is that many employees tell us, “I cannot trust an AI black box out there that is doing this, so I will use the AI result, but at the same time, I’m going to have my own calculations.” Therefore, you’re now duplicating work. There are many of these elements that will be critical in cracking the code to adoption, because my fear is that we will end up with huge investments and very little value realized.
Bryan Hancock: Who do you think is going to lead the way in adoption?
Jorge Amar: First, there’s got to be a clear mandate from the top. Leaders should make sure they are role modeling and integrating AI into the way they speak and what they do.
Second, evaluate the performance of AI in a joint fashion. One of my clients sees the results of both the human and the agentic parts of the operation in the same dashboard. The business manager, the VP, and the SVP evaluate the joint performance of both their workforces.
Third, this space is changing week by week, day by day. You need to design an operating model, a set of processes, that allows you to adapt. The more flexible this operating model, the better, because otherwise you’re going to be making investments in a technology or a set of algorithms that three months from now are going to be different.
If you put all that in the mix, some of the smaller companies, start-up environments, have a little bit of an advantage. But the reality is that some of these LLMs [large language models] or agent platforms are not going to be trained on small companies. So it is critical to get to the larger companies and say, “Hey, I’m going to make the performance of these even better.” How to do that in an effective way in that environment is, to me, the crux of this issue.
Brooke Weddle: What skills are going to become more salient in human leaders to get the most out of agents?
Jorge Amar: First, HR will need to be at least business proficient in what an agentic workforce can do. How can you drive a change management program if you don’t know what your agentic workforce can and cannot do, or what will be possible in three years?
Second, I think HR will play an important role in reskilling human employees. Today, you can probably fully agentize the workload of a level-one support engineer. But you might want to repurpose that person to become a prompt engineer or to do content generation for AI training. An HR function that can do that at scale is another critical component and skill set that HR will need to develop if you think about the next three, five years: “What is the evolution of that role?”
Last is being really good at empathy, understanding the change story, helping employees onboard into their own AI journey, and making it happen in a way that is not threatening: “Look at all the other possibilities you might have in the future within the organization.” Articulating that very clearly and helping employees come along in that journey is going to be another critical component.
Brooke Weddle: The Work Trend Index annual report I mentioned earlier talks about the need to evolve from an org chart to a work chart.
Jorge Amar: Yes, and you probably saw that the CEO of Shopify released a memo saying something along those lines: “Before you ask for new head count, show me that AI cannot do the work.”
Brooke Weddle: That was almost positioned as a more radical stance. But in my conversations, it’s very much a part of the conversation already. I very much think that’s a now thing versus a future thing.
Jorge Amar: There are a couple of elements we also need to put on the table to say why now or not now. I would describe them in three broad categories. Number one is that to get an agent up and running, you do need a good technology stack and data stack. And there are many things being done to create new data, generate what we call synthetic data for training purposes.
Number two, there are a number of concerns about security and risks, from drift, hallucination, bias, and any of the challenges with some of these LLMs. For example, what if an agent is talking to your customer support agent, and they generate their own little dynamics and negotiation, and now suddenly you end up with a 90 percent discount on your product because you trained your agent into churn reduction and churn avoidance? How do you control that? Maybe you need to train a whole new set of agents that are monitoring the different negotiations and different discounts, and anything that touches your CRM [customer relationship management].
And the third is, “What is the cost? What are the different usability considerations from a UX [user experience] and UI [user interface] perspective?” It’s great that you might have a very conversational chatbot, but if it looks like the 1990s interface of how you were interacting on some of your most famous messaging platforms, customers are not going to use it. So I think it is a very now conversation, but it also requires us to tackle some of these issues around risk, data, usability. Because otherwise, it’s going to go into purgatory.
Brooke Weddle: That’s not where we want to go. Clear.
Lucia Rahilly: Obviously, it’s vital to be talking about this now, planning for it now. But acknowledging that predictions are freighted with uncertainty, what time frame do you think we’re talking about for agents really to take effect at scale in companies?
Jorge Amar: It depends on who you ask. Some of the hyperscalers and technology companies would tell you that they are already deploying it, and they are. Many of the other organizations I talk to are saying, “I need to understand this; I need to evaluate it.” And we’re probably looking at 18 to 24 months out before it reaches full scale. I believe that there are a few elements where it’ll take a little bit of time, making sure everyone is comfortable deploying them at scale.
Bryan Hancock: Jorge, I’ve got two college-age kids. What advice do you have for them as they’re thinking through their careers and how to engage in work in a future that is agentic?
Jorge Amar: I was having this conversation a few weeks ago with a friend’s son who asked me: “Maybe I should just drop out of college and become a prompt engineer.” And look, I think there are certain jobs that are going to be fully transformed by AI. These net-new roles, such as prompt engineer and content specialist, will become more relevant in organizations. I would expect this demand to be higher than what the market can offer when it comes to just college. Therefore, I think we will have to go through a reskilling at scale within the existing workforce.
On the other side, how do you differentiate? If you differentiate only by having the best prompt engineer, fine. I think that is a skill set that at a certain point you will catch up on, because you could even have an agent that does prompt engineering.
But if you think the most important element a company has is the trust of and the relationship with their customers, do you need a human workforce that is more empathetic? Because, again, you might be OK talking to a chatbot to reschedule an appointment. But if you were just in an accident, do you want to talk to a human, or do you want to talk to a bot?
How do you emphasize skills in the incoming human workforce that help a company establish relationships? This could be the source of differentiation for your company. This could be the competitive advantage: “I offer a superior service. I offer a more human touch and surprise-and-delight experience.”
You might be OK talking to a chatbot to reschedule an appointment. But if you were just in an accident, do you want to talk to a human, or do you want to talk to a bot?
For my friend’s son, I was opening his mind in terms of, “Hey, maybe prompt engineering is fine, but maybe my arts background will be valuable in tomorrow’s workforce because I will be able to understand human feelings in a way that no agent will be able to do.”
Brooke Weddle: Jorge, if I reflect on what you’re saying, I think it’s a good time to consider the broader cultural implications of having a digital workforce. And some of that relates back to the values of a company. As you think about incorporating and onboarding agents as part of an organization, how do you do that in a way that is consistent with your company values, where you might prioritize collaboration, psychological safety, or having difficult conversations? It’s a really interesting question to ask to get full value from the digital workforce.
Jorge Amar: A hundred percent. That’s why we are seeing more and more companies start to experiment with employee-facing agents more than just full end-customer-facing agents. Because how do you make sure that every interaction is in line with your corporate values, with your identity, with your brand standards, with the way you want to address a customer?
That’s why I think we’re going to go first through testing and scaling of an employee-facing agentic workforce. And then, over time, in certain discrete moments, you might want to do it with your end customer. You might want to do certain tasks that are mundane: customer authentication or verification or call summarization. But, again, you don’t want to outsource to an agent or a digital agent the core of the relationship with your customer—or not just yet.
Lucia Rahilly: I read the article you recently coauthored, Jorge, about agentic AI in the context of customer care. I found it fascinating that one of the findings was that almost three-quarters of Gen Z respondents to your survey believed live calls were quickest and simplest. Even younger cohorts seem to prefer human interaction. That points to the tremendous change management process that will have to happen for this to take hold.
Jorge Amar: So funny you mention that. Gen Zers would be bothered if they got a phone call from their parents, right? They would prefer to interact by text. I am sure anyone who has kids can relate to that. But for customer support needs, they prefer to talk.
So when we were digging a little deeper into why they prefer to talk to their provider, insurance company, telco carrier, bank, they all mentioned the same: “My situation is so unique, so important to me, that I just want to talk to a human who will give me that personalized and unique solution I won’t be able to get through a bot.” And the reality is maybe 80 percent, 90 percent of those interactions are the human giving them the exact same process, but still they felt they had a much more personalized solution by talking to a human.
So maybe that changes over time and customer support bots will just get true characters that enable a fully formed dialogue. To your point, the change management is not only with employees. It’s also customer education and building trust on some of these solutions.
Brooke Weddle: Jorge, when you think about the next three to five years, what are you most optimistic and excited about when it comes to the potential of agentic?
Jorge Amar: I am really looking forward to doing things in a way that we couldn’t have done otherwise. I am super optimistic about doing personalization at scale with customers. I am super optimistic about empowering humans to do tasks that are not repetitive, that are not going to create attrition levels of 50, 60, 100 percent per year, that create career paths for employees that are about connecting with humans—transforming the way we work on a daily basis, focusing on the change management elements we were just describing.
This hybrid workforce future should be a very uplifting environment for everyone—mostly for us as part of the workforce. It creates a new set of skills that were probably deprioritized in previous ways of finding efficiencies in companies—for example, trying to do things as repetitively and as fast as possible—and really opens the door to new ways of interacting with customers and employees.
Bryan Hancock: I have a fun question. Should we tell AI thank you?
Jorge Amar: I do because I think that when Skynet takes over, I want them to know I was very kind to them. It’s funny. I was reading the other day that OpenAI is spending tons of cycles—I don’t know if you’ve seen that news—on the use of “please” and “thank you.”
Brooke Weddle: I say thank you to Alexa. It’s just good behavior all around.
Jorge Amar: Of course.
Bryan Hancock: The article on OpenAI was saying, “We’re spending millions of dollars, pumping tons of CO2 into the atmosphere because of the energy used by the data centers because we’re saying ‘thank you.’”
Jorge Amar: Totally. But imagine your kids. You’re going to teach them not to say thank you to Alexa but say thank you to a human? Come on.
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Building a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy for 2025 – Influencer Marketing Hub
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A report, shaped by the lives of 900 marketers (not just surveys).
The dull way we approach digital marketing needs to change.
Not because AI is here to replace us, but because it’s here to free us, giving us the time to be human again and connect with people where it truly matters: their hearts and minds.
Take Volvo’s viral campaign last month – a touching story of a father raising his daughter, masterfully weaving emotion into every frame. It was definitely more than an ad for safety features. It had a narrative that made us feel, made us think, and most importantly, made us care. Unfortunately, this is rare nowadays.
Isn’t that what marketing is supposed to do?
Why does it feel so rare, so extraordinary?
Shouldn’t connecting to the human experience be the standard, not the exception?
In this report, we will explore, how AI amongst others, can be used to amplify our ability to tell these stories, to connect on a deeper emotional level.
It’s December, and marketers everywhere are battle-scarred from a year that tested our creativity, resilience, and adaptability like never before. Ads have never been more expensive. SEO, once the bedrock of digital strategy, feels increasingly outdated. And then there’s AI—not the distant promise of yesterday but the disruptive force of today, rewriting the rules faster than we can adapt.
This is not just another year of iteration. 2025 will be the year that separates the leaders from the left-behinds, the agile from the stagnant. It’s not hyperbole—it’s history in the making. We’ve arrived at the dawn of a new era, where traditional playbooks won’t just fail to give you an edge—they might fail to keep you in the game at all.
Think back to the challenges you faced this year. The creative ideas that stalled under pressure. The campaigns that felt more like survival than strategy. The budgets squeezed tighter than ever, where every click and conversion had to prove its worth. And yet, amidst the chaos, there was a glimmer of opportunity—a quiet realization that we’re sitting on the most advanced tools humanity has ever created. AI isn’t here to replace us; it’s here to liberate us from the cumbersome, the repetitive, the soul-draining tasks that steal time from where we’re needed most.
In 2025, marketers will face two paths: clinging to the comfort of “what’s always worked” or embracing the radical possibilities of “what could be.” It’s a year that demands audacity, clarity, and the courage to think differently. We can’t afford to tread water anymore.
This report is your guide—your blueprint—for navigating this moment of transformation. It’s not about tweaking your strategies; it’s about reimagining them entirely. We’ll unpack how AI is reshaping creativity, why the cookieless future isn’t the end but a chance to own your data, and how social commerce is replacing malls as the shopping hubs of the world. We’ll dive into actionable insights, cutting-edge case studies, and data that will help you not just prepare but thrive in a market defined by relentless innovation.
2025 isn’t just another chapter. It’s the start of a new book in the story of digital marketing. And it’s up to us to write it. So, let’s get to work.
Just imagine how liberating it will feel to spend less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time crafting campaigns that actually resonate. The days of playing it safe with tired, formulaic strategies are officially over. The marketers who lean into the chaos, embrace the evolving dynamics, and adapt with boldness won’t just survive—they’ll thrive.
From TikTok transforming your feed into a marketplace to zero-click searches rewriting SEO playbooks, the changes aren’t just significant—they’re seismic. Privacy is no longer a negotiable afterthought, trust and authenticity are the currencies of connection, and omni-channel marketing isn’t just nice to have; it’s non-negotiable. The dynamics are shifting fast, but here’s the silver lining: the tools you need to win have never been more accessible. What sets the winners apart isn’t the tech itself—it’s how they wield it.
In this report, we’re breaking down the six major trends that we believe will define 2025. These are the pillars that will shape how marketers adapt, innovate, and connect in this new era.
As AI-driven algorithms prioritize user intent, brand authority, and contextual relevance, traditional keyword-focused strategies are losing ground. The future of search is human-first and AI-optimized, demanding marketers adapt to stay relevant in this evolving landscape. Findings are based on our SEO Trends Report 2024:
AI is redefining how search engines interpret user queries. Instead of focusing solely on keywords, search engines now prioritize satisfying the intent behind queries. Thought leaders like Kevin Indig and Ross Simmonds emphasize that search behavior is fragmenting, with users increasingly seeking authentic, community-driven insights. 30% of AI Overviews differ significantly from live search results, reflecting the shift toward intent-based algorithms.
Only 6% of Google’s AI Overviews include the exact search query, underscoring AI’s shift toward intent over keywords.
A great example is Reddit’s surge in rankings for 26% of over 8,000 affiliate keywords demonstrates the power of user-driven platforms in satisfying intent.
Shift from keyword-centric strategies to comprehensive content that addresses user intent through detailed, actionable answers.
The emphasis on user intent reflects a broader shift in digital marketing: consumers crave relevance and authenticity. SEO isn’t just about showing up—it’s about showing up in the right way. To truly win in search, marketers must align with how people think, not just what they type.
Brand authority has become a cornerstone of SEO. AI algorithms reward sites with high branded search volume and trust signals, favoring businesses that consistently deliver value.
Building authority through trust and visible brand mentions is essential to maintaining algorithmic resilience.
While thought leaders like Rand Fishkin critique Google’s favoritism toward large brands, others see opportunity in human connection and storytelling.
AI values content depth and relevance over sheer volume. Cyrus Shepard highlights that pruning underperforming content rarely works, while Ross Simmonds advocates for repurposing high-performing content to maximize impact.
IMH increased article rankings by 43% in top SERP positions using Semrush’s Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD) metric and focusing on topic clusters.
AI is revolutionizing SEO workflows by automating repetitive tasks like audits and competitive analysis. However, human research and creativity remains critical.
AI optimizes efficiency but cannot replace strategic, human-driven insights.
AI-enhanced processes enable SEO teams to focus on 76% higher-value tasks, driving more impactful results.
Leverage AI tools for workflow automation while investing in human creativity for storytelling and strategy.
In a world where trust is earned in seconds, social proof may just be the decisive factor that sets your brand apart. By leveraging the behaviors and endorsements of others, businesses can create a ripple effect of credibility and confidence. But how can brands go beyond the basics and wield this tool with precision?
Types of Social Proof: Building Your Credibility Toolkit
To deploy social proof effectively, businesses need to integrate a mix of proven tactics:
Social Proof in the Digital Age: Google’s Perspective
In the digital ecosystem, social proof transcends human psychology to influence search algorithms. Google, for instance, integrates social proof signals to determine credibility and authority. These include:
A compelling example is Help a Reporter Out (HARO), which uses tangible metrics like “thousands of journalists served” to build credibility. This form of “raw quantity” social proof not only instills user trust but also aligns perfectly with Google’s ranking criteria.
The Double-Edged Sword: False Consensus and Naïve Realism
While social proof is an indispensable tool, it has its pitfalls. The false consensus effect—endorsing products simply because others have done so—can create a distorted reality. Over-reliance on consensus can lead to “naïve realism,” where perceptions become skewed, ignoring alternative perspectives or critical evaluations.
Insights for Harnessing Social Proof
To effectively employ social proof:
By understanding and leveraging these nuances, businesses can turn social proof into a cornerstone of their influence strategy—both for audience engagement and Google optimization.
Strategic Recommendations for SEO in 2025
As SEO continues to evolve, its principles spill into other critical areas of digital marketing. Whether it’s privacy-first strategies, social commerce, or omni-channel integration, the lessons of intent, trust, and relevance are shaping the entire ecosystem. And the brands that master these dynamics will be the ones that thrive in 2025 and beyond.
As we move from SEO to Privacy, the underlying theme remains the same—earning trust. Just as consumers demand intent-driven search results, they expect transparency and ethical handling of their data. Let’s explore how these dynamics overlap.
Let’s get one thing straight: AI isn’t new. It’s been quietly running the show behind the scenes for years. Every time you’ve searched on Google, scrolled your Instagram feed, or seen a highly-targeted ad pop up right when you needed it—AI was there.
For years, AI has been making decisions for us: which ads to show, which posts to promote, which search results to rank. But it was all happening passively, with marketers observing from the sidelines. The big shift for 2025? We now get to actively collaborate with AI. Think of it as moving from a backseat passenger to sitting in the driver’s seat, co-steering the creative and strategic process. It’s not about AI taking over; it’s about it taking the mundane off your plate so you can focus on what really matters—building stories that connect, strategies that inspire, and campaigns that leave a mark.
There are really 3 main areas where we foresee AI will truly leave a mark in 2025;
It is going to be much easier to deliver content (we didn’t say good content – many get this part wrong). Creating content will get faster—but here’s the caveat: speed doesn’t always equal quality. Take for example an influencer who on average spends 40% of their time on editing their content, to optimize it before posting, now can spend those 40% on actually creating creative briefs together with the brands, which usually is around 10% of their time according to our research.
Personalization has always been a goal, but hyper-personalization takes things to the next level. Thanks to AI, brands can go beyond “Hello, [First Name]” emails and dive into real-time, context-aware interactions that feel genuinely personal.
Imagine a shopper receives a discount notification right when they’re researching a product online. That’s not just marketing; that’s relevance at scale. AI-driven hyper-personalization can analyze browsing behaviors, predict needs, and deliver solutions that feel intuitive, not intrusive.
For example, Nutella collaborated with Ogilvy Italia to produce 7 million unique jar labels with AI. The campaign sold out immediately, proving the power of personalized, AI-driven creativity.
Personalization works when it feels natural, not engineered. Marketers must tread carefully—showing customers not just what is personalized but how it’s happening to maintain trust and transparency.
Let’s be honest: manual data crunching has always been a soul-sucking task for marketers. The great news? AI is finally advanced enough to take over much of the heavy lifting in analytics. Instead of spending hours deciphering spreadsheets, marketers can now focus on interpreting insights and crafting smarter strategies.
Buzz Radar recently wrote about how IBM Watson-powered insights reduced the need for large analyst teams while improving ROI reporting for social media campaigns, saving clients millions. While Bayer with their Predictive AI models built using Google Cloud ML improved their ability to forecast flu outbreaks, resulting in:
AI is redefining how we make decisions. Predictive AI can identify patterns we’d never see, simulate potential campaign outcomes, and guide strategy adjustments in real-time, which is more related to the autopilot era, but now we as marketers have an opportunity to prompt predictive analytics in many enterprise digital marketing tools. The days of relying on hindsight data are over; with AI, we’re looking forward.
Generative AI has ushered in a new era for content creation, making it possible to produce high-quality visuals and immersive experiences at lightning speed. According to our latest research, 42.2% of marketers have adopted generative AI for visual content, and 51.9% are likely to incorporate AI-generated avatars to enhance their brand’s presence across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Tools like Symphony AI are becoming increasingly attractive for 74.3% of marketers, and Runway’s Gen-3 have become indispensable, enabling brands to produce videos, images, and even 3D assets in a fraction of the time traditional methods require. Just as you will see it later in the Authenticity section with the Volvo Ad.
Another great example is Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday campaign reimagined its iconic 1995 ad using generative AI. Despite technical limitations, the campaign resonated with consumers, achieving ratings comparable to the original and showcasing the emotional impact of nostalgia-driven content.
We recommend that you augment creativity, not replace it, with AI. Use AI to push creative boundaries while ensuring oversight to maintain alignment with brand values and emotional resonance. AI is a tool—not a replacement.
As AI continues to transform marketing strategies, a critical question arises: why are consumers still skeptical? The answer lies in a complex interplay of trust, authenticity, and control. While AI promises unparalleled personalization and efficiency, it also raises ethical concerns that brands cannot afford to ignore.
To understand this dynamic, consider a key insight from our recent survey: 34.1% of marketers reported significant marketing outcome improvements from AI. Clearly, when used authentically, AI has transformative potential. But here’s the rub—47.6% of marketers are already leveraging AI to enhance targeting and engagement, yet skepticism among consumers remains high.
Why? Because the benefits brands see often contrast sharply with the discomfort consumers feel. This disconnect signals an urgent need for marketers to recalibrate their strategies, ensuring that trust, authenticity, and automation harmonize seamlessly.
A groundbreaking Cicek Study revealed that 58% of consumers feel uneasy about businesses using AI in their interactions. The primary reasons? A perceived lack of empathy, transparency, and the fear of losing human connection. It’s clear that the future of AI in marketing doesn’t just hinge on its capabilities but also on how it makes people feel.
Hyper-personalization is like knowing exactly what your friend needs before they even ask. With tools like predictive analytics and real-time data, marketers can hit that sweet spot of timing and relevance. Picture this: an email offering the perfect solution arrives the moment a customer is searching for it. That’s not just good marketing—it’s connection at scale.
Despite its promise, AI still faces skepticism. Our recent study revealed that 36.7% of marketers are concerned about authenticity in AI-generated content, while 19% worry about consumer mistrust of AI in marketing. The lesson here is clear: AI must not erode trust—it must reinforce it.
Consumers are stuck in a paradox—they crave hyper-personalized experiences yet distrust the tools that make them possible. AI’s ability to anticipate needs feels intrusive when its methods are hidden. It’s this sense of mystery that often turns convenience into suspicion. Transparency is the bridge marketers must build to align consumer expectations with AI capabilities, ensuring that personalization feels empowering rather than invasive.
The challenge isn’t about using AI but using it responsibly. Be upfront about what you’re doing with people’s data and make it easy for them to opt-out (or in). Test your algorithms for fairness. Treat customer data like it’s your best friend’s secret—not something to sell to the highest bidder. When people see you’ve got their back, they’ll trust you to deliver those oh-so-relevant moments without feeling spied on. It’s not rocket science—just good marketing with a human touch
For example, 69.1% of marketers use AI for dynamic personalization, showcasing its potential to create tailored experiences that resonate. But personalization only works when it feels earned, not manufactured. AI’s success lies in its ability to augment human empathy, not replace it. This means inviting consumers into the process—showing them not just what is being personalized but how it is happening.
Understanding why consumers hesitate is key to overcoming this barrier:
Consider Gemini AI, whose unsupervised application produced harmful responses, sparking widespread backlash. This incident underscored the need for robust safeguards and human oversight in AI systems. Without these, trust crumbles, and adoption stalls.
The Gemini AI debacle wasn’t just a tech problem; it was a cautionary tale for anyone leveraging AI in marketing. Gemini’s unsupervised AI went rogue, producing harmful and offensive responses that quickly spiraled into a PR nightmare. For marketers, the lesson is painfully clear: unchecked AI can destroy the very trust we work so hard to build.
What does this mean for marketers? First, recognize that AI isn’t some magical fix-it-all tool; it’s as good—or as dangerous—as the systems and people managing it. Think about where you’re deploying AI: Are you using it to engage with customers? Create personalized content? Analyze data? Each of these areas requires a level of oversight that Gemini clearly missed.
What to watch for:
Actionable Insights for Marketers
Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that demonstrate authenticity. AI must enhance—not replace—the emotional resonance of human storytelling. As we mentioned in the beginning, Volvo created one of the most viral ads this year, because they understood our fears, desires, and psychological factors overall and how to influence them.
On the other side Volvo’s Viral AI-Powered Ad (which is a different ad), combined cutting-edge technology with themes like Social Responsibility (growing greenery due to electric vehicle impact). The campaign resonated because it leveraged AI’s efficiency while preserving social depth. IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE AUTHENTIC AND USE AI!
2025 will be a pivotal year for AI in marketing, but its success hinges on brands’ ability to address consumer concerns head-on. Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the foundation of trust in an AI-driven future. And if you are really smart, then you do like Dove, use AI to challenge AI, to be both socially responsible and drive on a trend.
AI is not the enemy of authenticity; it’s the enabler. The challenge for marketers is to wield this technology responsibly, creating connections that are both meaningful and memorable.
The retail landscape has reached a pivotal juncture, with traditional shopping models fading into the background and social commerce emerging as the dominant force in consumer engagement and sales. Platforms like TikTok are rewriting the rules of retail, blending entertainment and e-commerce into a seamless, closed-loop experience. For marketers and brands, the time to adapt isn’t tomorrow. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to gain momentum because brands and creators are already building knowledge and legacy on social commerce platforms.
Before anything, Social Commerce is powerful because it adds an authentic layer which is more important than ever, as ads fatigue is on the rise.
Then take the AI technologies that are turbocharging the social commerce revolution. From AI Avatars which we mentioned earlier, to personalized recommendations. AI is reshaping how consumers interact with brands online via nano and micro influencers we all more or less trust more than brands.
Forget the traditional sales funnel. TikTok’s infinite loop model has turned the path to purchase into an uninterrupted cycle of discovery, engagement, and conversion. Users don’t need to leave the app to move from inspiration to checkout. It’s a frictionless ecosystem where impulse buying thrives, perfectly described in a Retail Economics report as a “closed-loop checkout” revolution.
Why does this matter? For marketers, TikTok and YouTube are more than just social platforms—they’re all-in-one shopping destinations. Our data shows that 43.3% of marketers have already reported enhanced product visibility by leveraging features like YouTube’s Shopping Collections, while 30% of marketers are actively using live streaming for direct sales.
Gary Vaynerchuk predicts that live social shopping will disrupt traditional retail, media, and even Amazon. He calls it the “only thing Amazon should worry about”, signaling TikTok’s unmatched ability to command attention and drive sales.
He also claims that influencers and brands are already making over $1 million per month through TikTok Live shopping, with categories like T-shirts, vitamins, and beauty products dominating the space.
Social commerce thrives on authenticity, and influencers are its cornerstone. Whether through live shopping events or user-generated content (UGC), influencers bring relatability and trust to the shopping experience. Yet, the challenge lies in striking a balance between authenticity and commercialization, ensuring that influencer-driven campaigns feel organic rather than scripted.
In a two-hour live shopping session, Gary Vaynerchuk sold $40,000 worth of T-shirts on Whatnot, illustrating the immense potential of live social shopping to convert attention into revenue. According to Gary, a similar effort using traditional social media ads would have generated $300,000 in sales, proving the scalability and profitability of this model.
Social platforms like TikTok take an 8% commission per transaction, plus a 3% processing fee—creating an ecosystem where both platforms and brands stand to gain.
Gen Z is increasingly using social platforms like TikTok as search engines, bypassing Google entirely. This shift underscores the growing importance of social search in product discovery, where engaging content doubles as a marketing tool.
37.7% of marketers found platforms like YouTube’s Shopping Collections effective for direct sales, underscoring the growing importance of social search as a marketing tool.
Brands must optimize their TikTok content for visibility in this emerging discovery-first landscape. Use strategic keywords and trending hashtags to increase discoverability, ensuring your products and campaigns show up exactly where Gen Z starts their journey. Actually, everything you used to do in SEO, do also for Social Search Optimization, just more authentically, otherwise you won’t survive.
Actionable Insights for Marketers
Traditional retail can’t compete with the immediacy and engagement of social commerce. Platforms like TikTok aren’t just reshaping shopping experiences—they’re rewriting the rules entirely. For marketers, the message is clear: success in 2025 lies in adopting a social-first strategy that leverages AI, partnerships with influencers, and discovery-focused content.
The brands that win won’t just be present on social platforms—they’ll transform every interaction into an opportunity to connect and convert. The time to act is now. Are you ready to embrace the future of retail?
The reign of mega-influencers is giving way to micro- and nano-influencers—creators who embody the authenticity, trust, and relatability that today’s consumers demand. This shift is no longer just a trend; it’s a strategic pivot, with 43% of marketers increasing their use of micro- and nano-influencers as they recognize the unmatched potential for meaningful engagement.
Historically, scalability has been the Achilles’ heel of influencer marketing. Managing 1,000 influencers is a logistical nightmare that most brands simply couldn’t handle without blowing up their budgets on administrative tasks. From vetting creators to negotiating contracts, executing campaigns, and analyzing performance, the process was highly manual, slow, and prone to errors.
Because of these limitations, brands defaulted to mega-influencers. It was easier to coordinate with one big-name creator than juggle a large number of smaller influencers. The result? Campaigns that often lacked authenticity and connection with niche communities, as mega-influencers catered to broad audiences that didn’t always align with specific brand goals.
The game is changing in 2025, thanks to AI and advanced technology platforms that make scaling influencer marketing efforts not only possible but efficient. These advancements are empowering brands to tap into the massive potential of micro- and nano-influencers without being bogged down by operational challenges.
Modern AI algorithms can sift through millions of influencer profiles across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, identifying the best matches for your campaign. These tools analyze metrics like engagement rates, audience demographics, content style, and even sentiment analysis, allowing brands to pinpoint influencers who align perfectly with their goals. Platforms like AspireIQ and Upfluence are leading this shift, enabling brands to build custom influencer lists in hours instead of weeks.
From outreach to performance tracking, AI-powered platforms now automate many time-consuming aspects of campaign management. For example, tools like Traackr and GRIN streamline the onboarding process, help manage deliverables, and ensure payments are processed accurately. This frees up marketing teams to focus on strategy and creative input rather than administrative tasks.
Previously, tracking ROI for hundreds or thousands of influencers was overwhelming. Today’s AI analytics tools provide real-time insights into campaign performance, breaking down data at an individual influencer level. Metrics like engagement rates, conversion rates, and audience growth are now easier to monitor, enabling brands to optimize campaigns on the fly.
Programmatic platforms now allow brands to purchase influencer campaigns similarly to how they buy digital ads. These platforms integrate seamlessly with ad networks and social platforms, offering real-time bidding, campaign optimization, and audience targeting.
Micro-influencers thrive because their audiences see them as peers, not polished celebrities. They foster intimate, community-based relationships, often sharing personal stories that resonate deeply with their followers. Unlike the glossy perfection of mega-influencers, micro-influencers embody authenticity, and that’s what audiences crave.
Dunkin’ Donuts “Sipping Is Believing” campaign leaned on micro- and nano-influencers in Philadelphia to promote their new espresso drinks. By showcasing relatable, localized content:
Smaller audiences mean closer connections. Micro-influencers engage in two-way conversations, actively responding to comments and messages, which fosters a sense of belonging. Their engagement rates consistently outpace those of mega-influencers.
A niche account documenting the journey of a diabetic cat exemplifies this trend. By authentically engaging with a small but loyal community, Lucy the Diabetic Cat has driven brand collaborations that feel organic and deeply connected.
Micro-influencers offer a budget-friendly alternative with a higher ROI. Instead of splurging on mega-influencers, brands can collaborate with several micro-influencers and achieve greater impact through cumulative engagement.
Glossier’s reliance on micro-influencers over traditional ads helped them establish a cult-like following. By leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and engaging smaller influencers, they achieved exponential growth, proving that authenticity trumps expensive reach.
Micro-influencers often cater to specific interests or industries, allowing brands to connect with hyper-targeted audiences. This precision makes campaigns not only more relevant but also more effective.
When launching Fenty Beauty, Rihanna prioritized micro-influencers from diverse communities to reflect the brand’s message of inclusivity. The campaign didn’t just sell products; it built a movement, with the brand surpassing $600 million in its first year.
Actionable Insights for Marketers
The rise of micro- and nano-influencers marks a seismic shift in the marketing landscape. As influencer fatigue grows—52.1% of marketers report diminished returns from mega-influencers—brands are turning to smaller creators who authentically embody their values.
With 69.2% of marketers prioritizing alignment with brand values, the future of influencer marketing lies in campaigns that focus on trust, relatability, and storytelling.
Micro-influencers aren’t just a cost-saving measure—they’re the key to unlocking deeper engagement and loyalty in a market that demands authenticity like never before. If you’re not leveraging their power, you’re missing one of the most impactful opportunities of 2025.
The era of performative marketing is coming to an end. Consumers are demanding more from brands, holding them accountable for their claims and actions. In 2025, the defining question will be: does your brand truly stand for ethics, or is it merely posturing? From avoiding greenwashing to embracing diversity and protecting data privacy, the stakes for brands have never been higher. The shift toward authenticity, transparency, and purpose-driven strategies is no longer optional—it’s essential.
Take for example greenwashing—when brands exaggerate or falsify eco-friendly claims. It remains one of the fastest ways to alienate consumers. The infamous example of Delta Airlines (2023) illustrates this perfectly. Delta touted itself as “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline,” a claim heavily reliant on carbon offsets while still burning jet fuel. This backfired when lawsuits accused the company of misleading advertising, resulting in reputational damage and highlighting the need for stricter regulation in environmental claims.
Delta has long claimed to be “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline,” but one of its passengers says the claim is nothing but a greenwashing sham. https://t.co/543adzZMIJ pic.twitter.com/T6RBUcWJEF
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 1, 2023
It’s crucial nowadays to prioritize genuine sustainability. Consumers can see through superficial claims. Instead, back up statements with measurable actions, certifications, and consistent transparency.
Just check some of these stats:
Despite telling customers not to buy, Patagonia’s sales skyrocketed.
Patagonia’s revenue increased by 30% year-over-year, and the ad generated $10 million in sales.
Patagonia’s honesty resonated with its core audience. pic.twitter.com/3JB7wzmfHv
— Jeremy Kuo (@jeremykuoo) November 21, 2024
Steps every brand should take now:
Ben & Jerry’s brought their commitment to activism to life with their “Justice ReMix’d” flavor, a partnership with the Advancement Project. This limited-edition flavor wasn’t just a clever name—it was part of a larger campaign to highlight the urgent need for criminal justice reform. By using their product as a platform for advocacy, they turned every scoop into a conversation starter, reinforcing their values and inviting customers to join their mission for change.
Ethics isn’t just a “nice-to-have” anymore—it’s the foundation for sustained brand success. By prioritizing genuine sustainability, safeguarding consumer trust, and fostering inclusivity, brands can navigate the challenges of 2025 while strengthening their consumer relationships.
As 39.7% of marketers highlight privacy and data security as their top challenges, and more than 69.2% of marketers prioritize alignment with brand values, one thing is clear: the brands that will thrive are those that embrace ethics, not those that merely sell out.
The time to act is now. Will your brand lead the charge for a better, more ethical future?
Digital marketing is at a crossroads. The SEO strategies that once dominated the field are undergoing dramatic shifts, driven by zero-click searches, voice search, and the growing move toward a cookieless world. For marketers, this means rethinking how to capture attention and maintain engagement in an ecosystem where traditional clicks and cookies are becoming relics of the past.
The rise of zero-click searches is reshaping user behavior on search engines like Google. According to a SparkToro study, 58.5% of US Google searches and 59.7% of EU searches end without a click, highlighting a monumental shift in how users interact with search engines.
Nearly 30% of clicks in the US go to Google-owned properties like YouTube, Maps, etc creating challenges for marketers aiming to drive traffic to external sites. Only 1% of all searches result in paid clicks, emphasizing the need for organic visibility on SERPs. As we mentioned earlier Rand Fishkin, has often via his company emphasized the need of building authority as a go-to-brand directly instead of via Google.
Rand Fishkin is almost never optimizing for clicks, but rather extremely good video content and LinkedIn posts, that allow him to build authority by educating instead of selling, in order to get followers to use his company SparkToro for everything SEO related.
As we mentioned in the SEO section Google is rolling out many changes including AI Overviews. In May 2024, Google launched AI Overviews, appearing on 12.7% of queries. While initially promising, adoption rates fell below 15%, indicating that users remain wary of AI-generated summaries. However, their presence underscores the need for marketers to create content that thrives within Google’s ecosystem. We believe that this will lead to much less Top of Funnel traffic getting lost, and marketers have to leverage channels in different ways such as making videos on top of funnel content that will create brands not just gain clicks.
The future of cookies is anything but simple. While Safari and Firefox have already kicked third-party cookies to the curb, Google recently hit the brakes on its plan to follow suit. Originally set to phase out cookies in Chrome by 2024, the company has now decided to keep them—at least for now—while it refines its Privacy Sandbox initiative. This decision reflects a delicate balancing act between privacy concerns, advertiser demands, and pressure from regulators like the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
But here’s the twist: users are about to take the reins. Chrome’s new features will give people the power to decide whether to allow cookies, shifting control directly into their hands. For brands, this isn’t just a challenge—it’s an opportunity. The more transparent you are about how you handle data and what consumers get in return, the more likely they’ll trust you enough to opt in.
At the same time, the shift away from third-party cookies underscores the growing importance of first-party data. Brands that focus on building direct relationships with their audiences—through loyalty programs, email lists, and interactive experiences—will not only future-proof their strategies but also gain richer, more reliable insights.
It’s a chance to ditch the creepy, covert tracking and embrace a straightforward, trust-based approach. If you can show your audience that data-sharing equals real value—think personalized offers, smoother experiences, and better recommendations—you’ll be building relationships that outlast any cookie.
Actionable Insights for Marketers
To navigate these shifts, marketers must adapt their strategies to both zero-click trends and the cookieless future.
Optimize for Zero-Click SEO:
Gone are the days when marketing success depended on mastering a single channel. In 2025, thriving brands won’t just have a presence on multiple platforms—they’ll deliver seamless, unified experiences across every touchpoint. Cross-channel strategies have evolved from being “nice-to-have” to “non-negotiable,” becoming the foundation of impactful marketing.
Omnichannel marketing is not just about showing up everywhere—it’s about delivering consistency, personalization, and connections across every platform and interaction. Unlike multichannel marketing, which often operates in silos, omnichannel marketing creates a cohesive narrative, ensuring that the customer experience flows smoothly across digital and physical touchpoints.
For example, Disney’s omnichannel strategy integrates its website, theme parks, and apps into a unified ecosystem. Visitors can plan trips, track reservations, and even unlock hotel rooms with a single MagicBand. This seamless integration across touchpoints sets the gold standard for what modern consumers expect.
With 38.5% of marketers striving for moderate integration in multi-channel efforts and 34.6% already achieving seamless experiences, the momentum is clear: the future belongs to those who can master cross-channel marketing.
While multichannel marketing spreads a brand’s presence across platforms, it often lacks integration. This fragmented approach can lead to inconsistent messaging and disconnected experiences, leaving consumers frustrated. In contrast, omnichannel marketing prioritizes the individual customer journey, tailoring each interaction based on past behaviors and preferences.
Starbucks has redefined the customer experience with its Rewards App. Customers can reload their balance, order ahead, and earn rewards seamlessly across in-app, in-store, and online experiences. This real-time integration not only boosts convenience but also fosters loyalty, resulting in higher customer retention rates.
The global market for MMHs is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.7% through 2034. These platforms enable brands to unify their messaging across email, social media, mobile, and traditional platforms, ensuring consistency and scalability.
These platforms centralize messaging, data, and analytics, making it easier for brands to ensure consistency and scalability across email, social media, mobile, and traditional platforms. Leverage AI-powered MMHs to predict customer behavior, optimize touchpoints, and maximize ROI. For example, a retailer could use predictive analytics to trigger personalized SMS offers based on in-app browsing behavior.
Maintaining cohesive messaging across diverse touchpoints is a top challenge, with 41.6% of marketers identifying it as their biggest hurdle.
Take the M&M’s Super Bowl LV Campaign
It combined TV ads, social media teasers, and hashtags to drive engagement which maximized reach and maintained momentum through a mix of traditional and digital channels leading to a max-impact campaign.
Actionable Insights for Marketers
Here’s how marketers can future-proof their strategies and thrive in the evolving cross-channel landscape of 2025:
Cross-channel marketing is more than just being everywhere—it’s about creating cohesive, meaningful experiences that resonate with consumers. As multi-channel strategies evolve into omnichannel and cross-channel efforts, the brands that succeed will be those that adapt their messaging, invest in AI, and collaborate with authentic creators to create unforgettable journeys.
2025 isn’t just another year. It’s a turning point—a moment when marketers are called to redefine their craft. The rules we’ve lived by are crumbling. AI isn’t here to make us obsolete; it’s here to make us limitless, liberating us to connect, create, and inspire at levels we’ve only dreamed of.
But let’s be honest: marketing today feels mechanical, transactional. It’s time we moved beyond campaigns designed to chase metrics and embraced strategies designed to create movements. Movements that speak to the hearts and minds of real people, with stories that aren’t just data-driven but deeply human.
The problem with marketing today? It’s too safe. Too predictable. And in 2025, safe is a risk you can’t afford. This is the year to stop doing what everyone else is doing. The year to stop obsessing over average results from average strategies and start creating work that stands out.
Let’s be bold:
Instead, start chasing the extraordinary.
Gen Z, especially, won’t tolerate mediocrity. They’re hyper-aware, authenticity-obsessed, and deeply engaged with brands that challenge norms and lead with purpose. If you don’t resonate with their values, their attention will vanish faster than you can say, “Our metrics look good this quarter.”
The younger generations—particularly Gen Z—are rewriting the rulebook for how brands earn loyalty. They don’t care about your carefully crafted PR message; they care about how you show up when it matters. They’re not impressed by ads—they’re impressed by actions.
Want to win their trust in 2025? Then show them you’re more than another voice in the noise:
And most importantly, don’t try to blend in—dare to stand out.
Here’s the harsh truth: the tools to succeed have never been more accessible. AI, data, platforms—it’s all there. The real challenge isn’t the tools; it’s the vision.
2025 will separate those who keep doing what’s easy from those who do what’s essential. The leaders will be the ones who refuse to settle for the status quo, who dare to push boundaries, and who refuse to compromise on creativity, connection, and authenticity.
This isn’t just another year of digital marketing. It’s the beginning of a new era. The question is: will you rise to the challenge?
The world doesn’t need more content—it needs better stories. It doesn’t need more marketers playing it safe—it needs more marketers who dare to take risks.
So let’s stop chasing trends and start leading them. Let’s stop creating content that fills space and start creating content that fills hearts. And let’s stop being average, because in 2025, average will be invisible.
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AI & SEO-Driven Content Marketing: How To Calculate True ROI for B2B Companies in 2025 – Search Engine Journal
/in website SEO, Website Traffic/by Team ZYTDownload your cheat sheet and checklist to start building content that works harder.
Large AI Overviews on SERPs are affecting visibility and causing a dramatic decrease in traffic.
Join us for a data-backed session where we break down how to detect, diagnose, and eliminate unnecessary branded ad spend.
Large AI Overviews on SERPs are affecting visibility and causing a dramatic decrease in traffic.
This template is your no-nonsense roadmap to a flexible, agile social media strategy.
Large AI Overviews on SERPs are affecting visibility and causing a dramatic decrease in traffic.
Delve into AI overviews that help connect your SEO initiatives to tangible revenue impacts and enhance your marketing strategies.
This post was sponsored by Heeet. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
How do you calculate the true cost of SEO content production?
Are you overspending or underspending on SEO compared to performance?
Can you connect SEO-driven awareness to pipeline and revenue?
How do you make SEO efforts more visible to your C-suite?
If you aren’t sure, that’s okay.
You may simply lack the tools to measure the actual impact of SEO on revenue.
So, let’s dive in and:
Yes, you can connect SEO to revenue.
SEO plays a large role in future conversions.
In fact, SEO helps prospects discover your brand, tool, or company.
SEO also helps provide easy-to-discover content with informational intent, which helps to nurture a prospective lead into a sale.
Your prospect’s journey:
The fact that informative content is found on SERPs is due to SEO.
But how is this tracked? How do you know which non-conversion pages are:
Luckily, your C-suite likely recognizes the need for SEO content.
They are prepared to invest in a strategy incorporating AI search.
However, you need tools that validate the investment and clearly showcase it for your higher-ups.
Gartner predicts that traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026 and flow directly to AI chatbots and agents.
As AI continues to accelerate the evolution of SEO, it’s critical to ensure that high-performing pages:
That’s why you need to understand why certain content is picked up by AI tools and the cost of generating the content to calculate the true ROI of your SEO.
With the shift in consumer search behavior, your first step is to create, optimize, and measure the ROI of content sourced by leading AI tools.
That means appearing in AI Overviews and AI Answers that contain list-based content and product comparisons.
That’s the first step to determining whether your content or your competitor’s stands out.
Give these prompts a try:
The next step is optimizing existing content and adjusting your strategy so that you write copy that gives AI the answers it’s looking for.
With that said, following traditional SEO strategies and best practices championed by Google should help.
Just like traditional search, AI tools also favor:
These factors give your content more authority in your industry, just like the content outside your website that Google and LLMs look for to find answers from, such as videos on YouTube, reviews on G2, and conversations on Reddit forums.
Publishing enough quality content for all those channels to optimize for AI and be visible in traditional search is no small task. It requires substantial human resources, SEO tools, and time.
SEO is a long game, especially in B2B, where the path from first click to purchase can span weeks or months and involve multiple touchpoints.
And now, with AI influencing how content is discovered, the cost of doing SEO well has increased.
To accurately assess the cost of SEO-driven content in 2025, you need to go beyond production budgets and organic traffic. Here’s how:
Start by identifying all the resources that go into content creation and maintenance:
Track the performance of each piece of content using more than just rankings:
Content doesn’t just convert, it nurtures. Tie content assets to specific stages:
Even if content isn’t the final touchpoint, it plays a role. Traditional tools miss this.
No single metric will tell the full story. Instead:
Without full-funnel attribution, even the most engaged content may look like a cost center instead of a revenue driver.
That’s why accurate measurement, aligned with total investment and the full buyer journey, is critical to understanding the real ROI of your SEO content in 2025.
However, we know that:
This is where the calculation gets difficult.
Now that we’re here, you’re beginning to understand how tricky it is to tie ROI to AI Overview responses that nurture your prospects.
How do you accurately determine the cost?
Some people are creating their own attribution models to calculate ROI.
Most people are using tools that are built specifically for this new calculation.
The only way to accurately calculate cost in B2B SEO is to capture the engagement with content throughout the buyer journey, which conventional attribution models don’t credit.
Another substantial blind spot in SEO measurement occurs when companies focus exclusively on pre-acquisition activities, meaning everything that happens before a lead is added to your CRM.
Consider the typical journey enterprise clients take in an account-based marketing approach:
Can your marketing team track how each channel (direct, paid search, and organic) influenced the deal throughout the sales process?
Multitouch attribution tools allow marketers to finally link SEO content to tangible business outcomes by tracking what SEO-driven content leads interacted with before a sale.
After years of wrestling with these challenges, we built Heeet to fill the void: an end-to-end attribution solution that connects SEO efforts and interactions generated from content marketing to revenue by highlighting their impact throughout the sales cycle within Salesforce.
Our proprietary cookieless tracking solution collects more data, ensuring your decisions are based on complete, unbiased insights rather than partial or skewed information.
Traditional SEO measurement often relies on first-click or last-click attribution, which fails to capture SEO’s entire influence on revenue. Heeet places SEO on a level playing field by providing full-funnel attribution that tracks SEO’s impact at every customer journey stage.
We help marketers determine whether SEO-driven content is the first touchpoint, one of the many intermediary interactions along the lengthy B2B sales cycle, or the final conversion leading to a sale to pinpoint SEO’s cumulative influence on your pipeline.
Heeet actively tracks every touchpoint, ensuring that the actual impact of SEO is neither underestimated nor misrepresented.
Rather than neglecting SEO’s role when a prospect converts through another channel, Heeet delivers a complete view of how different personas in the buying committee interact with each piece of content and where they’re converting. This empowers businesses to make informed, data-driven SEO strategies and investment decisions.
Measuring ROI is non-negotiable and hinges on precise revenue tracking and a thorough understanding of costs. Heeet streamlines this process by directly integrating SEO costs into Salesforce, covering all production expenses such as software, human resources, design, and other strategic investments.
Businesses can accurately evaluate SEO profitability by linking these costs to SEO-driven revenue. Heeet delivers a straightforward, unified view of previously fragmented data within Salesforce, empowering marketing and finance teams to confidently assess SEO ROI with a single tool.
SEO is more than ranking on Google; it’s about driving impactful engagement with quality content referenced in the multiple search tools buyers use. Heeet tracks which content prospects engage with and ties it directly to revenue outcomes, providing marketing and sales teams with critical insights that propel them forward. With our Google Search Console integration, we’re helping marketers draw more data into Salesforce to get the unified view of their content’s performance in a single place and connect search intents with business outcomes (leads, converted leads, revenue,…). This enables marketers to align ranking position with search intent and revenue, enhancing content strategy and tracking performance over time.
For B2B marketers pairing their SEO content with a paid strategy, our latest Google Ads update allows users to see the exact search query that prospects typed before clicking on a search result. This allows SEO experts and copywriters to gain the intel they need to reduce their cost per lead by creating content they know their audience is searching for.
Ready to enhance your marketing ROI tracking and connect every marketing activity to revenue?
From SEO to events, paid ads, social organic, AI referrals, webinars, and social ads, Heeet helps you uncover the real performance of your marketing efforts and turn revenue data into actionable insights.
Image Credits
Featured Image: Image by Shutterstock. Used with permission.
In-Post Image: Images by Heeet. Used with permission.
Romain Blanc is a Salesforce ecosystem expert and data specialist with 20+ years of experience. He has helped global brands …
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Free Keyword Rank Checker: Improve Your Rankings (2025) – Exploding Topics
/in website SEO, Website Traffic/by Team ZYTFree Keyword Rank Checker: Improve Your Rankings (2025) Exploding Topics
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