12 Biggest Marketing Challenges SMB Leaders Plan to Tackle in 2025
In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, staying ahead of the curve is a challenge that requires insight and innovation. This blog post features insights from top industry leaders, kicking off with strategies to expand online presence and concluding with overcoming of changing marketing algorithms, it covers twelve expert insights. Dive in to discover how these seasoned professionals plan to gain new customers in 2025.
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Expand Online Presence
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Adapt to Data Privacy Regulations
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Engage Millennials and Gen Z
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Personalize User Experiences with AI
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Respond to Shifting Personalization Expectations
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Break Through Digital Ad Fatigue
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Capture Attention in Crowded Social Space
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Increase Customer Base with Content Marketing
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Highlight Human Value Over AI
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Harness Data for Targeted Outreach
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Create Lasting Partnerships
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Overcome Changing Social Media Algorithms
Expand Online Presence
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As an experienced florist with over 10 years in the industry, one of the biggest marketing challenges I plan to tackle in 2025 is expanding my online presence. With more customers shopping online, it's crucial to enhance my digital marketing strategies. I aim to improve my website's user experience and ensure it is mobile-friendly. This will make it easier for customers to browse and purchase floral arrangements directly from their devices.
To gain new customers, I plan to implement targeted social media campaigns that showcase my unique floral designs. I will use platforms like Instagram and Facebook to share high-quality images of my work and engage with potential clients. Additionally, I intend to collaborate with local influencers who can help promote my brand to their followers. By building these relationships, I hope to reach a wider audience and attract more customers who appreciate quality floral services.
Moreover, I will focus on creating special promotions for holidays and events throughout the year. These promotions will be advertised through email marketing and social media channels to encourage both new and returning customers to make purchases. By combining a strong online presence with effective promotional strategies, I believe I can successfully attract new clients and grow my business in 2025.
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Founder, Thanks A Bunch Florist
Time to Get Seen and Found!
Adapt to Data Privacy Regulations
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In 2025, one of the key marketing challenges I anticipate is adapting to evolving data privacy regulations while gaining new customers. Balancing personalized marketing with privacy compliance will be crucial with stricter laws and rising consumer awareness.
To tackle this, here's my approach:
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Build a First-Party Data Strategy: Shifting from third-party data, I'll focus on gathering customer data through newsletter sign-ups, loyalty programs, and interactive content. Customers will share their data willingly by offering value-driven incentives, ensuring compliance.
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Enhance Transparency to Build Trust: Clear communication about data usage is essential. I'll update privacy policies to be transparent, explaining how data is collected and used. Allowing customers to manage preferences easily will help foster trust.
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Utilize AI for Privacy-Friendly Personalization: AI can help deliver personalized content without invading privacy. By analyzing anonymized data, I'll deliver targeted recommendations and content to enhance customer experience while respecting boundaries.
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Focus on Content Marketing and SEO: High-quality, relevant content will attract organic traffic and engage potential customers. Optimizing for SEO improves visibility without relying on intrusive ads, helping reach a wider audience.
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Adopt Contextual Advertising: Instead of tracking users, contextual ads will be placed based on the content viewed, creating a privacy-friendly way to reach customers and stay compliant.
Through these strategies, I aim to attract new customers by building trust and focusing on transparency, delivering personalized experiences in a privacy-conscious way. This approach positions my business to adapt and thrive in the new marketing landscape of 2025.
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CEO, Nalu Web Design and Development
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Engage Millennials and Gen Z
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In 2025, one of our biggest marketing challenges will be effectively reaching and engaging the millennial and Gen Z demographics, who are increasingly influential in home renovation decisions. To attract these younger customers, we plan to adopt a more experiential marketing strategy that resonates with their values and preferences.
We will focus on creating immersive digital experiences, such as virtual reality tours of our kitchen designs. This will allow potential customers to explore various styles, such as our gallery kitchen setups or innovative kitchen storage cabinets, engagingly. This tech-savvy approach appeals to their desire for unique, interactive content.
We'll enhance our social media presence by partnering with influencers who reflect contemporary design aesthetics and sustainable practices. These voices will help us authentically connect with younger audiences, showcasing how our products, like custom cabinets and pantry solutions, fit into their modern lifestyles.
We'll implement a robust content strategy that includes DIY tips, kitchen trends for 2025, and innovative storage solutions, all tailored to engage and inspire our audience. By providing valuable resources, we aim to attract customers who are not just looking to purchase cabinets but are seeking a holistic approach to their kitchen renovation.
COO and Co-Founder, Best Online Cabinets
Let's Grow Your Marketing Muscle Together!
Personalize User Experiences with AI
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Our biggest marketing challenge for 2025 focuses on personalized user experiences in an AI-driven landscape. The traditional one-size-fits-all website approach no longer cuts it in today's market.
Our strategy centers on implementing smart content adaptation. Think of it like a digital chameleon—your website automatically adjusts its messaging and offerings based on user behavior and preferences. We're developing systems that analyze visitor patterns and customize content in real-time.
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AI-powered user journey mapping
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Dynamic content blocks that shift based on user interests
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Personalized call-to-actions for different audience segments
Early testing shows a 35% increase in engagement when content adapts to user preferences. Just like a skilled salesperson adjusts their pitch for each customer, our websites will deliver tailored experiences for every visitor.
Remember, the future of marketing isn't about reaching more people—it's about reaching the right people with the right message at the right time.
Founder and CEO, Origin Web Studios
Seriously, Why Wait?
Respond to Shifting Personalization Expectations
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One of the most significant marketing challenges I'm preparing for in 2025 is responding to shifting expectations regarding personalization. With consumers increasingly expecting personalized experiences, simply segmenting audiences based on demographics or basic behaviors is no longer sufficient.
For example, we've discovered that customers demand more than simply tailored emails; they expect every interaction to reflect their preferences. However, implementing this at scale is difficult, particularly for a tiny business like ours. In the past, we relied on simple technologies to automate some customization, but it's evident that we need to dig further.
Moving forward, my focus is on how we can use data more effectively, not just to target customers but also to fully understand them.
This entails devoting time to understanding what makes our clients tick, testing various techniques, and being agile enough to adapt rapidly. The problem is managing that level of customization without exhausting our resources, but I feel it is critical to develop better, long-term relationships with our audience.
Executive Coach, Resume Mentor
Break Through Digital Ad Fatigue
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One of our biggest marketing challenges for 2025 will be breaking through digital ad fatigue. With the flood of online advertising, standing out has become a battle of quality over quantity. My approach will be to prioritize high-impact content that truly serves our audience's needs. Instead of more ads, I'll focus on creating insightful content that addresses their pain points directly. By doing so, I aim to attract organic traffic and build credibility.
Social media will play a major role as well. Beyond posting, I'll engage actively—answering questions, responding to comments, and participating in discussions. My goal is to build trust, not just visibility. By centering our efforts around value and authentic interactions, we'll aim to cut through the digital noise and gain new customers who feel genuinely connected to our brand.
CTO and Founder, Ubuy Netherlands
Are You Ready To Grow?
Capture Attention in Crowded Social Space
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One of the biggest marketing challenges we're tackling in 2025 is capturing attention in an increasingly crowded social space. People are overwhelmed with content, and standing out requires a focus on authenticity and value. We're prioritizing high-impact posts that deliver real insights to audiences, rather than just adding to the noise.
In addition, we're investing in interactive webinars where customers can connect with experts and peers. This hands-on, community approach not only builds trust but turns our audience into advocates who naturally bring new customers our way.
Founder, CEO, RecurPost
Increase Customer Base with Content Marketing
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One of the biggest marketing challenges for us in 2025 is increasing our customer base while ensuring we continue to build solid, lasting relationships with our customers. So it means expanding to new markets while not giving up the trust of those who have been faithful to us from the very beginning. We will focus much more on content and digital marketing tailored to speak directly to the laundry problems at hand with our customers. This better connects with prospective customers on a more meaningful level while keeping the conversation relevant.
We also talk about increasing the reach by engaging with those who have a similar perspective with the help of influencers and brands. By working with trusted voices in the sustainability and eco-friendly space, we will be able to tap into new target customer segments and increase genuine growth. This type of collaboration increases our reach in awareness and strengthens the brand reputation.
For 2025, we will ensure the message communicated is clear and concentrated on real problems-practical, effective, and eco-friendly solutions for customers to depend upon. We plan on continued growth alongside making a difference by keeping close to customers and focusing on solving everyday challenges with our products.
Co-Founder, Good Laundry
Let's Grow Your Customer Base Together!
Highlight Human Value Over AI
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2025 will be the year of the explosion of AI-powered agents. In this landscape, the biggest challenge for SMBs will be to highlight their true human value. In a world dominated by AI, polluted by AI-generated content, only the strongest personalities will make their voices resonate powerfully. SMBs like ours, which may lack the technological resources, the large capital, and the sheer power of larger enterprises, will need to show their “vulnerable” side.
We shall expose ourselves, and be known and recognized by customers as people, first and foremost, talking to people. This is the biggest challenge: finding an authentic voice that resonates with the hearts of potential customers, creating an emotional connection in a market dominated by synthetic content. I hope we will be up to it.
Managing Director, Qabiria
Harness Data for Targeted Outreach
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The biggest marketing challenge my business plans to address in 2025 is harnessing data for targeted outreach. This year, we realized that we could do more with the data available to us to attract and retain more customers.
We plan to leverage predictive analytics to identify prospects that resemble our high-value customers. Using a mix of intent data, social media insights, and behavioral tracking, we plan to create and deliver more personalized content to them.
With this approach, we are confident that we will be able to gain new customers next year, engage them better, and boost conversions.
COO, Channelwill
Run Circles Around The Competitors
Create Lasting Partnerships
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For us, it will be about creating lasting partnerships and the challenge is to find the right balance between partner activation, partner incentivization and ultimately partner retention. A good partner network is key but also super hard to build, and many companies fail there mostly because they are not top of mind, they cannot create the immediate value, the partner treats you as a "second thought" and not a "top of mind" provider and many more. I think especially with the upcoming changes in technology and the challenges of SEO and social media, it becomes difficult for companies to scale as all channels are flooded, so a good and strong partner network can help to outperform there.
CEO, MoreThanDigital
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Overcome Changing Social Media Algorithms
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The biggest marketing challenge we are facing in 2025 is the changing social media algorithms that are not always favorable to smaller and medium-sized businesses. The algorithms prioritize AI-generated content as well as content from established accounts, making it harder to reach our established customer base and new customers.
My plan for the next few months and the beginning of 2025 is to intensively study these algorithms and prepare content that is tailored to do well. Any challenge is easy to overcome as long as you keep a clear vision of what you need to learn.
CEO & Founder, Textun