The Top Digital and Social Media Marketing Trends in 2025
As we close off another year, it’s a great time to reflect back on what has happened in the digital marketing and social media space.
2024 saw a rise in Artificial Intelligence, greater focus on community, personalization became more important to consumers than previous years, the boom of personal branding, and so much more.
We’ll discuss what trends stood out for 2024 and our predictions for 2025.
The Trends of 2024
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Short-form content VS long-form content
The age-old battle between the content formats continues to rise as TikTok and Instagram fight over their audiences’ attention.
While TikTok has increased length time to ten minutes following YouTube shorts strategy, Instagram allows users to record up to 90 seconds.
Despite both platforms increasing the recording time, short-form content still continues to win.
31% of the marketers believe that short-form videos offer the highest ROI.
Long-form content does have the potential to generate ROI through correct ad placement and sponsorships but short-form content sparks intrigue and interest in the audience leading to more engagement.
Short-form content continues to reign over long-form content because of the potential to provide value in a short amount of time. We don’t see long-form content taking the lead anytime soon in the near future.
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Generative AI:
Artificial Intelligence has been around since 2015 but it has grown in strength over the years especially in 2024.
Integration of Generative AI into digital marketing and social media platforms has enhanced efficiency and allows businesses and marketers to produce large volumes of content in a shorter amount of time.
From the latest Mckinsley Global Survey on AI, over 65% of businesses are using Generative AI, doubling the number than just a few months ago.
We don’t see it stopping there. As more and more businesses adopt Generative AI into their business, we can see it evolving more each time.
Take for example, Instagram.
Instagram always had artificial intelligence capabilities but in recent years, it has been integrated into the platform from AI-generated influencers to chatbots to AI-generated content.
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Influencer Marketing Vs UGC (User-Generated Content)
Influencer marketing rose in the early 2000s with many brands investing their budget into influencers to reach a wider audience.
Many saw the advantage of influencing because they already had built a strong following that engaged with their content and had influence over their community.
However in the last few years, the rise of influencer marketing has slowed down as many people are moving more towards authenticity and relatable content.
Many influencers display an idealistic lifestyle that many aren’t infatuated with anymore.
Influencers are paid to talk about the businesses product or services which most people are moving towards relatable and more authentic content.
Enter a new player… UGC has become a fan favorite with brands in the last few years and it’s clear to see why.
User-Generated content is an easier way for people to get started in the content creation world as they don’t need to build a following first to sell to.
User-Generated Content is created by customers or fans of the product which feels more relatable and authentic.
It also is a better choice for those who don’t have a big following and who don’t want to shine light on themselves on the internet.
Instead they create content for businesses and they own the content you produce. For brands, UGC content is much cheaper for the business compared to influencers.
Depending on the type of influencer whether it’s a nano, micro, or macro influencer, the price can range from 100 euro to nearly 10k for one reel.
The platform, number of followers and engagement rate is highly dependent on how much you get paid for a reel.
Compare that with UGC where your audience and engagement rate doesn’t matter as much, the focus is on producing relatable and authentic content.
This starts to build a positive association with the brand as they come across as relatable and authentic.
In influencer marketing, influencers tend to already have a “warm” audience that’s ready to buy while UGC creators have less pressure to build connections with an audience. It’s up to the brand to have that warm audience already.
However, UGC isn’t simply taking a video about how much you like a product. If that was the case, everyone would be making bank.
Instead, UGC creators need to have a deep understanding of the psychology behind selling and what captures people’s attention along with skills such as copywriting and understanding the brand’s target audience.
Despite this, we predict UGC will become the bigger player compared to influencer marketing because of the authenticity and relatability.
Download GoVirals Top Digital and Social Media Predictions for 2025
-
Short-form content VS long-form content
The age-old battle between the content formats continues to rise as TikTok and Instagram fight over their audiences’ attention.
While TikTok has increased length time to ten minutes following YouTube shorts strategy, Instagram allows users to record up to 90 seconds.
Despite both platforms increasing the recording time, short-form content still continues to win.
31% of the marketers believe that short-form videos offer the highest ROI.
Long-form content does have the potential to generate ROI through correct ad placement and sponsorships but short-form content sparks intrigue and interest in the audience leading to more engagement.
Short-form content continues to reign over long-form content because of the potential to provide value in a short amount of time. We don’t see long-form content taking the lead anytime soon in the near future.
-
Generative AI:
Artificial Intelligence has been around since 2015 but it has grown in strength over the years especially in 2024.
Integration of Generative AI into digital marketing and social media platforms has enhanced efficiency and allows businesses and marketers to produce large volumes of content in a shorter amount of time.
From the latest Mckinsley Global Survey on AI, over 65% of businesses are using Generative AI, doubling the number than just a few months ago.
We don’t see it stopping there. As more and more businesses adopt Generative AI into their business, we can see it evolving more each time.
Take for example, Instagram.
Instagram always had artificial intelligence capabilities but in recent years, it has been integrated into the platform from AI-generated influencers to chatbots to AI-generated content.
-
Influencer Marketing Vs UGC (User-Generated Content)
Influencer marketing rose in the early 2000s with many brands investing their budget into influencers to reach a wider audience.
Many saw the advantage of influencing because they already had built a strong following that engaged with their content and had influence over their community.
However in the last few years, the rise of influencer marketing has slowed down as many people are moving more towards authenticity and relatable content.
Many influencers display an idealistic lifestyle that many aren’t infatuated with anymore.
Influencers are paid to talk about the businesses product or services which most people are moving towards relatable and more authentic content.
Enter a new player… UGC has become a fan favorite with brands in the last few years and it’s clear to see why.
User-Generated content is an easier way for people to get started in the content creation world as they don’t need to build a following first to sell to.
User-Generated Content is created by customers or fans of the product which feels more relatable and authentic.
It also is a better choice for those who don’t have a big following and who don’t want to shine light on themselves on the internet.
Instead they create content for businesses and they own the content you produce. For brands, UGC content is much cheaper for the business compared to influencers.
Depending on the type of influencer whether it’s a nano, micro, or macro influencer, the price can range from 100 euro to nearly 10k for one reel.
The platform, number of followers and engagement rate is highly dependent on how much you get paid for a reel.
Compare that with UGC where your audience and engagement rate doesn’t matter as much, the focus is on producing relatable and authentic content.
This starts to build a positive association with the brand as they come across as relatable and authentic.
In influencer marketing, influencers tend to already have a “warm” audience that’s ready to buy while UGC creators have less pressure to build connections with an audience. It’s up to the brand to have that warm audience already.
However, UGC isn’t simply taking a video about how much you like a product. If that was the case, everyone would be making bank.
Instead, UGC creators need to have a deep understanding of the psychology behind selling and what captures people’s attention along with skills such as copywriting and understanding the brand’s target audience.
Despite this, we predict UGC will become the bigger player compared to influencer marketing because of the authenticity and relatability.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve and be two steps ahead of your competitors, download our Top Digital and Social Media Trends of 2025 predictions below.
The New Google: Voice Search Optimization
There’s been a wide variety of trends in 2024 but one that’s recently emerged is voice search optimization. Voice Search Optimization is the process of improving your online presence so you can appear for voice search queries.
With many voice assistants implementing into our day-to-day lives such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, or Google’s Assistant, it’s no wonder voice search it’s becoming more popular.
We’re going to dive into the background of voice search, benefits, its impact on user behaviour and search, and the potential drawbacks. Businesses primary goal is to get selected to be read aloud by voice assistants when users perform a voice search.
Don’t worry, as always we’ve got you covered in this blog so you’re ready to take on 2025.
How Voice Search Technology Actually Works
Dating back to 1925, research on the concept of automatic speech recognition (ASR) started that had a limited capacity around understanding words.
In the last two decades, we’ve seen a massive leap in voice recognition technology, largely driven by Artificial Intelligence and deep learning.
Nowadays, the systems can understand context, recognize emotions and even comprehend tones of voice and accents. It’s crazy how fast it’s developed and we can only imagine it will continue to grow in 2025.
Voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistants, and Apples Siri are commonly used worldwide and are continuously learning each day, improving their predicative capabilities and enhancing the user experience.
We’ve started to move away from traditional text-based searches as there’s been changes in how we phrase our queries. If you’re looking for a restaurant or a store near you, traditionally you would search “restaurants near me”.
But asking a question phrased in a voice search query sounds more like “Hey Siri, can you find me a restaurant nearby?”.
It takes on a more conversationalist tone, longer questions, and aligns more with how we naturally speak.
We have started to see a shift in user behaviour and how we search and interpret information.
There’s over one billion voice searches taking place. There’s so much potential for businesses to increase their visibility online to a broader online, achieving better results and more opportunities to attain new clients.
This shift in user behavior to voice search queries is down to efficiency, speed, and convenience. Over 56% of users turn to voice search on smartphones to gather business information, emphasizing the vital role of optimizing for voice search.
Key Players in the Voice Search Ecosystem
Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri are in the top three in the voice search ecosystem but Google is currently taking the lead with Amazon’s Alexa not far behind.
Google’s assistant has been around since the launch of it in 2016, is praised on its natural language processing capabilities and understanding of complex queries, making the interactions more human-like.
Its compatibility and easy integration into apps such as Gmail, calendar, maps and much more makes day-to-day tasks easier to implement, offering the user an easier and more efficient experience.
Amazon’s Alexa, currently in second place, has started to integrate their Anthropic’s Claude AI into Alexa, enhancing its conversational capabilities and making it more responsive.
By integrating Claude, it will be able to handle larger queries and provide more context-based responses, much like Google’s Assistant.
After becoming a household name, its integrated itself into home speakers and devices worldwide.
Alexa has the ability to recognize different voices and personalize each response based on the individual’s preferences.
In third place, Apple’s Siri is a favorite for Apple users because of its easy integration into Apple’s ecosystem. Iphones, Ipads, Macs, Apple watches, Siri is there to answer any question you have.
Allowing you to create custom voice commands that trigger specific actions or workflows, say goodbye to repetitive tasks that eat up your time.
While Apple is making big strides in its natural language processing capabilities, it just falls short of Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Google will maintain its position, or will Amazon finally take the lead in 2025.
Optimizing Content for Voice Search Queries
User behavior has changed so by understanding user intent, you’ll be able to optimize your content to achieve better results while reaching a wider audience.
It all comes down to convenience and efficiency as people are consistently on the go.
Think of the everyday lifestyle of each person. If you’re driving and need the nearest gas station, you’re not going to pull over to type out your query. You’ll use voice search to find the one closest to you.
People use voice assistants for simple tasks such as a to-do or shopping list.
Many will use voice search to find the closest supermarket with Christmas puddings (did you know it’s Christmas soon?) or the nearest store to pick up last-minute groceries before the big day.
The more convenient something is, the more likely you are going to use it. Before creating a voice search SEO strategy, keep these seven things in mind.
Longer Phrases
If you’re in a rush, we generally type out short, simpler phrases to get the answer quicker.
But with voice search, there isn’t a limitation and people will use longer phrases just as they would in a conversation.
Before creating content, think about the way you speak with a friend.
It’s conversational, natural, and more relaxed. This will help outline what questions you need to create content around.
Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords are much harder to rank for while long-tail keywords tend to get less search traffic.
Long-tail keywords have a higher conversation rate compared to short-tail because of the specificity of the question, showing the users intent behind the search.
Spend time researching long-tail keywords over short-tail to help you rank higher and incorporate them onto your landing page or site to help you get picked over your competitors.
Local and Nearby Information
If we’re on the go, we aren’t using voice search to find our next holiday (well maybe you are!).
Normally we are looking for a supermarket or hairdressers nearby that is the most convenient to us. Remember, convenience is what we are aiming for.
Pay more attention to local SEO to help you rank first in the voice search results. Make sure you have submitted your site to the local directories.
Understanding your target audience
If you understand and speak the language of your target audience, it’ll help you craft a voice search marketing strategy that’s tailored to their behaviours and preferences.
Tracking and measuring what keywords direct people to your site will help refine your strategy and focus more on the tactics driving the audience to your site.
Optimize for Different Devices
Voice search is more commonly carried out on mobile devices so it’s important to optimize your site for screen-first and smart devices to help in your content strategy.
Searches are more natural so read your content aloud to see if it sounds like a conversation you would have with a friend.
Featured Snippet
Voice search is more competitive compared to traditional search as only one result will appear which means a huge chunk of your strategy should be focused on creating featured snippets.
Featured snippets are short chunks of text featured at the top of Google’s search results in order to answer a search query quickly. Convenient, right?
They are chosen based on how accurate and close to the question the person asked.
Review your current content and see what sections can be optimized for voice search to help gather valuable traffic to your website.
They are mostly informational so ask a relevant question and answer between one to three short sentences.
“How-to”and “Best” are often used in featured snippets more than anything else. Lists are also the most common format to rank compared to paragraphs or text.
Lists are easy to read and quick to follow so by combining the best words, using them in a list format, you’ll have a higher chance of reaching that top spot.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Answering the most common questions on your site is the best way to rank especially for the featured snippers.
Make sure to make it search-friendly and natural in tone and stick with short sentences.
Tracking Voice Search Performance
Like anything, tracking how well your voice search is doing is important to understand your content and SEO strategy is working.
Unlike text-based searches, voice searches are often delivered in direct answers through voice assistants making it harder to track clicks and engagements.
Despite this, there are still a number of ways to track and analyze what’s working and where there needs to be improvement.
Previously we mentioned long-tail keywords, featured snippets, and optimizing your site for mobile devices to increase your chances of ranking on Google.
Track how often you secure a featured snippet for a search query as this can boost your visibility immensely.
Monitor what pages the snippets are coming from and optimize the rest of your content to increase your chances further.
Using Google Search Console is a great tool to track what search queries are driving traffic to your website.
Long-tail keywords and questions are the best to monitor for deeper insights into how you’re ranking.
Optimizing your site for mobile devices is important because they are more likely to rank well for voice search results.
Monitor how people are interacting with your site by analyzing three key metrics on Google Analytics.
Bounce rates, average session duration, and pages per session will indicate whether your site needs further optimization for mobile-site users.
Using tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, AHREFS, and SEMrush can help determine if your efforts are paying off.
GoViral Conclusion
The world of digital marketing is changing fast and it’s important for businesses and brands to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements to not fall behind.
By implementing a voice search SEO strategy into your content strategy, the higher the chances of your site being viewed by the right audience.
There’s been many trends emerging this year but we see voice search becoming even more important for 2025 as user behavior and intent changes.
Start creating your strategy now and you’ll be one step ahead of your competitors.
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Case Studies: How Top Brands Nailed their Christmas Campaigns
Christmas is just around the corner and as we near the end of the year, we think it’s a good time to reflect back on past Christmas campaigns and do a deep dive into WHY they nailed it.
Christmas is a time full of nostalgia, childhood memories, warmth, gift-giving, and a reflective period of the year just gone.
We’ve all seen campaigns that have gone above and beyond but sometimes it’s the simplest campaigns that pull on our heart strings.
Ever wondered about the psychology behind Christmas Ads? We’ll dive into what tactics brands use to draw you in emotionally and break down the top three Christmas campaigns in our opinion as well as the controversy around Cola-Cola’s latest Christmas Ad using AI.
The Psychology behind Christmas Ads
Retailers save up their budget all year to go all in on their Christmas campaigns and they have good reason to do as the market is extremely competitive.
Ads are emotionally and tug on your heartstrings to make us emotionally connected in a feel-good way with the brand – fostering brand loyalty and driving sales.
But what draws us in?
We’re emotional creatures, we want to belong and crave connection even more so since the pandemic.
Every advert you watch, it’s normally followed with a dynamic relationship such as grandparents, families, and children along with a storytelling element. It takes us on a journey and the magic that follows on Christmas Day.
When you can see yourself in a story, you feel more emotionally connected to it and build an association with the brand.
Branding of Christmas
Christmas is a jolly season and there are many brands we can think of off the top of our heads that we associate with Christmas.
Cola-Cola being the top (however, who knows for how long after the stint they pulled this year), with John Lewis coming second.
If we break down what a brand means, it’s a “concept” broken down into a collection of associations that we organize in our brain to make sense of information.
When you’re exposed enough times to something, we start to begin to understand a “concept”.
In an article on Psychology Today, they use the example of learning the concept of a dog. We weren’t explicitly told what the exact features of a dog were when we were younger but we grew up seeing them in movies, books, and in real life.
When we think of a dog, a big dog like a labrador might be easier for us to use as a “prototype” of dogs compared to a small chihuahua.
Brands utilize Christmas as their broader prototype and build their whole strategy around it.
The packaging, commercials, and the iconic tune of Cola-Cola, no wonder we associate Christmas with the famous coke bottles dressed as Santa.
John Lewis on the other hand is tied to family, traditions, and wholesomeness which ties into the broader concept of Christmas.
Brands that play the long-game throughout the year increase their sales massively when the time arrives.
Boots: ‘The Christmas Makeover’ by VML
Boots’ Christmas campaign has caused quite a stir among viewers, causing many people commenting it’s too “woke” and complaining that they won’t buy from boots anymore.
It released its 2024 festive marketing campaign, “The Christmas Makeover”, unleashing the magic of beauty with actor and Bridgerton star, Adjoa Andoh as Mrs. Claus in a wonderland of Boots beauty.
Its campaign brings us on the story of Adjoa as she leads her squad of beauty elves in “Mrs Claus Werkshop” on packing presents for beauty enthusiasts.
With a swipe of the famous No7 lipstick, which is iconic to Boots, and a swift outfit change, Mrs Claus takes charge of helping the elves pack up presents for the big day.
We catch glimpses of the viral brands that are showcased such as Elf, Bubble, Sol de Janerio, and Lanegie.
Along with the amazing Adjoa Andoh, this short film also features two renowned beauty social media influencers who work with Boots on an ongoing basis, helping Mrs. Claus tests out the products before they get sent on their way.
If we compare other campaigns where Mr. Claus is normally at the forefront of the tale, this twist on Mrs. Claus taking control is a reality many mothers experience leading up to the big day, ensuring everything goes smoothly.
The witty ending of Adjoa as Mrs. Claus saying “You thought it was all him?”” and a playful wink puts a different spin on the normal tale of Mr. Claus and his elves.
This campaign empowers women and shines light on the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
Women tend to do twice as many festive chores compared to men and are always thinking of the smaller details that go into the festive day.
Boots target audience is between the ages 22 to 55 years old, covering Gen Z and Millennials which care about authenticity, transparency, and most importantly, self-expression.
In a report titled “The Future of Consumer Behavior in the Age of Gen Z,” Mintel, a market intelligence agency, reports that 54% of Gen Z adults trust online beauty influencers and makeup artists.
Since the rise of UGC and influencers, Gen Z is more likely to buy from content creators who they trust which brands will need to implement into their strategy for 2025.
Although this campaign rustled some feathers, it hit the mark and spoke directly to their target audience who favor self-expression, inclusivity, and diversity.
Sainsbury’s: ‘Sainsbury’s Big Christmas’ by New Commercial Arts
In Sainsbury’s 2024 Christmas campaign, the retail giant masterfully tapped into our collective nostalgia by reimagining Roald Dahl’s beloved classic, “The BFG” (Big Friendly Giant).
This choice not only entertains, it weaves in a narrative that resonates deeply with the audience.
The campaign’s parallel between the BFG’s journey across the UK sourcing the finest ingredients and our own familiar Christmas traditions.
Just as families head out on a quest to gather the perfect ingredients for the big day, the BFG’s adventure mirrors this relatable holiday ritual.
It’s a shared experience of Christmas preparations that brings households together across the nation.
The juice, “Phizzwizard” serves as a great metaphor for the Christmas magic that happens. This captures that magic that makes ordinary moments into extraordinary memories.
Sainsbury’s has created a campaign that not only captures the imagination but also reflects the true essence of Christmas in 2024.
The Family Portrait by JD Sports
JD Sports has got us in our feels as they redefine family during their Christmas campaign titled “Family”.
JD Sports take on Christmas is different but simple as it showcases different forms of families that make the festive season special across the country.
A change from the usual families around dinner tables and exchanging gifts, it’s more an embracement of spending time with friends.
While Christmas dinner and gift-giving is the conventional acts throughout many campaigns, this campaign focuses on the simple joys in life.
Meeting friends, getting their favourite food from the local kebab shop.
This is a huge sense of community and belonging felt throughout this campaign as it showcases the different realities of communities felt across the country.
Everyone has their own unique experience of Christmas and what it means to them.
JD Sports is celebrating not just family relationships but the connections and friendships you make along the way.
It opens up another insight into the lives of many and how they celebrate the big day.
It honors authenticity and relatability and feels more down-to-earth in comparison to other campaigns.
JD Sports is the leading sports fashion and trainers company in the UK that offers limited edition collections and exclusive designs from the best brands around the world.
The usual dressing up glam for the festive season is toned down with many sporting JD sports casual wear pointing towards a more relaxed feel at Christmas.
Many well-known names such as Central Cee, Maya Jama, and members from the Beta squad can be spotted throughout, showing different traditions and the connections they have.
Aside from well-known names, it’s the cast of real people that show their traditions.
From two friends sharing a sandwich while fishing, the playful fights in the kitchen with your siblings, to the late-night shifts.
There’s a sense of togetherness, belonging, and inclusivity felt through every scene that makes us feel warm inside.
Representation is important to viewers and JD Sports stepped away from the conventional and moved more towards the reality.
Controversy at Christmas
Coca-Cola’s “Holidays Are Coming” 2024
The iconic tune, the red van, the excited faces, and gathering of families as they wait for the Coca-Cola truck to go through their town.
Once their campaign hits the telly, we know it’s officially Christmas, it’s time to get into the full swing of the festive season.
However, this year they used an AI version for their campaign, labelled as “Real Magic AI”, which hasn’t gone down too well with their audience.
Some have labelled it inauthentic and eerie compared to its normal human connection and personal touch advertisements that bring families together.
In comparison to other campaigns where families rush to catch a glimpse at the Coca-Cola truck, this time it felt animated and emotionless as the AI-generated animals and people watched on in anticipation.
Cola-Cola has associated itself with Christmas for many years with different campaigns throughout the year focused on giving and sharing, a feeling felt specifically at Christmas.
Its red and black color makes it easy to associate to the familiar colors Mr. Claus dresses himself in.
The 1995 iconic “Holidays is Coming” that started it all contrasts dramatically with this year’s campaign compared to the usual story of the red truck driving through the snow, lighting up lights on the streets and homes as it passes by, igniting that sense of magic we all feel at Christmas.
The spirit of togetherness is missing here, as we don’t see those heartwarming moments of friends hugging or families coming together that we often expect in holiday ads.
Although there has been some support towards the AD, calling it creative and innovative especially with the advancement of AI this year, others feel it lacks the magic it once had.
Many consumers are still distrustful of AI especially when it comes to data, privacy, and transparency.
While Cola-Cola did disclose it was created with AI, it’s hard to distinguish between what’s human content and AI-Generated as AI gets more advanced.
People buy from people, not AI-Generated figures.
This could have a massive blowback on brands that choose to switch out real people over generated images.
We connect with a brand through an emotional connection seeing real people use their products and services.
It’s why UGC has blown up in the last few years, it’s created by real people who we can relate to.
When people don’t know whether the content they are seeing is real or fake, it creates a sense of distrust.
A study published in the Journal of Hospitality Market and Management, customers are less likely to purchase if a product is labeled as “AI”.
Participants were shown two products with a description with the only difference being one was labeled AI-powered and the other not.
After being asked about their willingness to buy the product, those who saw AI in the product description were less likely to buy.
Consumers are still distrustful of AI and brands need to be aware how it impacts their reputation and the purchasing decisions of their audience.
Is this the start of AI Christmas campaigns for the foreseeable future?
GoViral Conclusion
It will be interesting to see next year whether many follow in Cola-Cola’s footsteps and integrate AI into their campaigns despite the impact it can have on consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Authenticity, community, and belonging are feelings that consumers are valuing more and more each year.
When brands capture these emotions and create a narrative that sparks the magical spirit of Christmas, customers are more likely to purchase and brand sentiment increases.
Not to mention, awareness of your brand can skyrocket and continue past December into the New Year.
If you need help creating an effective campaign, Contact us!
The Ultimate Christmas Guide to Holiday-Themed Marketing Strategies
While the holiday season is seen as a time for rest, festivities, and family time, businesses know it’s the busiest time of the year.
From personalized email campaigns to deciding the ad spend for your PPC, there are plenty of decisions to be made ahead of the end of year reports.
Don’t worry because we’ve put you on the nice list this year and are giving away our holiday themed strategies to maximize your businesses efforts this Christmas.
We’ll look at the best practices and tactics you can use like influencer marketing and UGC as well as optimizing your PPC during the holiday season for you to deck the halls of Google.
Spreading Christmas Cheer: Three Christmas Strategies for Businesses
Christmas is a hectic time for businesses and we want to guarantee your efforts are not only effective but productive.
We’ve outlined the top strategies and ideas for you to spread Christmas cheer and achieve your businesses goals. The best present to end the year.
First off….
Influencer Marketing and UGC (User-Generated Content)
In the last few years, influencer marketing and UGC has exploded as an industry that will continue to dominate in 2025.
So how can you use it within your strategy?
2024 was a year where customers embraced authenticity and relatability more than polished images and videos discussing features.
UGC and Influencer marketing has the ability to connect with an audience on a much deeper level.
This could include sponsored posts or providing products to be reviewed.
Christmas gift guides do extremely well on social media. Invest in influencers or UGC creators to create their own and showcase your product.
After analyzing market trends, short form content still wins against long form content and investing time in this will go a long way this December.
While Google is still the number one search engine, many shoppers will take to social media like Instagram or TikTok to find products to buy for their loved ones.
The introduction of Instagram and TikTok shop has made it easier for brands to sell directly to their customers through one video.
With Black Friday looming and it being one of the busiest weeks for businesses, it’s important to produce content that’s engaging and creative to capture your audience’s attention.
We’ll discuss email marketing campaigns below but adding timers and countdowns to your campaign can add a sense of urgency.
That FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) will push your audience to take action.
Paid Ads and PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
Paid Ads give you the opportunity to stand out and beat your competitors during the whirlwind of frenzied shopping.
Most businesses will review historical data for previous campaigns and set aside a budget. It’s always best to plan for a bigger budget as due to the competition, your budget can run out quicker than you’d like.
Reviewing past campaigns of previous Christmases will give you a better insight into what worked and what could be improved.
Those top performers you have?
Break them into smaller ad groups and smaller campaigns to have more control over specific budgets and the opportunity to adjust for the best return possible.
Optimize your ad with holiday-themed copy and have your creative team create an eye-catching image that’ll grab your customers’ attention.
Our last tip for PPC is to be realistic about your bidding tactics as it’s not just traffic you’re fighting for.
There’s going to be competition as CPC (Cost-Per-Clicks) will rise over the coming months for popular products and keywords.
Budget and Bidding should be one of your biggest focuses this Christmas.
Festive Email Marketing Campaigns
Creative and personalized email marketing campaigns can go a long way at Christmas.
With the email list you’ve built throughout the year, now is the best time to send special offers and discounts to those who have shown brand loyalty.
Email is a permission-based channel meaning subscribers have opted-in to your email list because they want to hear from you and are more likely to buy.
Offering exclusive deals and special offers to the nice surprise of 20% off puts a smile on anyone’s face.
As we mentioned, Christmas is a time of giving and customer loyalty deserves a reward.
Planning your email campaigns ahead of time ensures an easy flow into the holiday season.
Make sure it’s aligned across all channels to ensure the message is received well and captures your customers attention.
Divide your email lists by preferences and past purchase history to send out relevant content.
Offer exclusive deals and create a sense of urgency with timers and countdowns.
The classic FOMO (fear of missing out) kicks in and prompts customers to take action.
All I want for Christmas is…. ROI
Following holidays throughout the year is important for businesses but especially at Christmas.
Your content calendar should feel more festive and a bit more cheerful than your normal content calendar.
Investing in UGC content, product promotions, and behind-the-scenes of how your team is preparing for Christmas is a great way to build brand affinity.
When creating content, think of the feeling you want to invoke.
Tap into those childhood memories of Santa Claus, giving gifts, and spending time with loved ones to invoke the emotional connection.
Coca Cola is a signature brand that takes the crown of Christmas marketing because of the nostalgia surrounding its advertisements.
Once you see the Coca Cola ad appear on the TV, you know it’s Christmas.
Another key thing to remember is optimizing your content for SEO.
We would hate to see you create fun and creative content only for no one to see it because it’s not properly optimized.
The competition during the festive season is well… competitive so applying all tactics can make you stand out.
Investing in software like SEMRUSH or Ahrefs to get a more detailed insight into the type of content to create based on people’s search intent.
The Psychology Behind Christmas Buying
If you ever wondered what the craze was behind gift-giving around Christmas time compared to other times of the year, we’re here to let you in on what goes on behind the scenes.
The psychology of spending and buying during the Christmas season is interesting to discuss because of the interplay between consumer behavior, emotional triggers, and societal influences.
Many associate Christmas with positive emotions, triggering an emotional reaction like joy, nostalgia, togetherness during the holiday season.
Once Halloween is over in October, the pumpkins and trick ‘o’ treat sweets are replaced with mince pies and shiny Christmas decorations.
Because of the positive associations surrounding Christmas, businesses and brands leverage this feeling during the busiest time of the year.
Brands and businesses using heartwarming scenes of a family sitting around a fire opening presents in advertisements gives you a sense of nostalgia and evokes an appreciation of those around you.
Intentionality Behind Gift Giving
Gift-giving is more sentimental around this time of the year compared to others because of intentionality.
We want to be intentional with what we buy for our loved ones to give them thanks for all they have done throughout the year.
The choice of buying a cheap bottle of wine compared to putting thought into buying your father’s favorite case of Jameson because he loves having a glass before bed feels more intentional and sentimental.
The Reciprocity Effect
We all know the concept of “reciprocity” in marketing and the same applies at Christmas.
Gift giving is integral to the holiday season and people feel compelled to reciprocate gestures of reciprocity.
There isn’t anything more awkward than not getting someone a gift that bought you something.
The power of reciprocity has a huge impact on social behavior and retailers tap into this psychological principle by promoting special holiday offers, discounts, and exclusive deals that encourage people to buy.
Social Influence
Group bias always has an influence on us as when we see others purchase gifts, we also feel the need to participate.
We are social creatures and want to fit in.
On average, people spend over two hours and 24 minutes on their phone which we are exposed even more to the Christmas cheer.
Christmas guides, Santa check list, and now the implementation of Instagram and Tiktok shop amplifies excitement around Christmas purchasing.
The FOMO behind Christmas
Scarcity is a marketing strategy many businesses use throughout the year but it’s more prominent at Christmas because limited editions of products, exclusive holiday collections and time-limited promotions cause a sense of urgency for customers to buy.
This psychological tactic rooted in Robert Cialdini’s work uses the fear of missing out (FOMO) and activates impulsive spending.
The use of scarcity drives sales and enhances the perceived value of products during this period.
We love gift giving at GoViral but we encourage you to always take a breath before adding to cart.
Christmas Rituals and Traditions
Lastly, every individual has specific traditions and rituals they carry out as soon as they hear “all i want for Christmas is… YOUUU” on the radio.
Research shows that traditions and rituals create a sense of social connection, belonging and community. As soon as the Christmas lights turn on, our brain signals that this period of the year is significant.
That nostalgia you feel around the cheery season isn’t unintentional.
The sensory overload creates lasting recollections of those occasions and marks them in our memory as special events worth cherishing.
GoViral Conclusion
Even though it’s the busiest time of the year, don’t forget it’s also a time to rest before heading into the new year with a clearer focus and energy for the New Year.
By leveraging the marketing strategies in this blog, you can prepare yourself ahead of time before the frenzy of Christmas.
If you need someone to help organize your Christmas campaigns next year, contact us!
A Guide to Email Marketing Campaigns That Convert
Earlier this month, we spoke about the importance of lead generation for events to get the best results.
Email marketing is considered one of the most effective ways for digital marketing because of its cost effectiveness, ability to customize and analyze results quickly and build relationships with your customers over time.
In this blog, we’ll discuss why email marketing should be implemented into your strategy, the different types of email campaigns and the top features each one should have.
Why Should You Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is a series of scheduled emails used to nurture leads and turn audiences into customers.
Each series of emails has a specific call to action that will correlate directly to your goals.
While social media campaigns can be effective for reach and attracting a large audience, email marketing campaigns are what keeps them interested.
When you subscribe to a businesses email list, it’s clear that the interest in your products or services is there. The trick is to nurture them and build customer loyalty. Email marketing is integral to inbound marketing which is a huge part of GoVirals strategy.
Email marketing campaigns are most effective for
- Building Brand Awareness
- Creating Customer Loyalty
- Owning your Email List
- Customizing your Outreach
- Measuring your results
If all the social media platforms disappeared tomorrow, what would happen to your audience? It’s never been more important than to have other forms of communication like email lists to build a deeper relationship and ensure you never lose them.
Type of Email Marketing Campaigns
There are many different types of email marketing campaigns you can send like:
- Welcome Emails
- Email Newsletters
- Promotional emails
- Informational emails
- Abandoned cart emails
- Drip email campaigns
Welcome Emails
Make a good first impression with automating a welcome series. This is the time to introduce yourself, set expectations, and encourage engagement. The welcome series should be tailored and personalized to the new customer.
Email Newsletters
Send out a regular newsletter filled with company news, updates on blogs to drive traffic to your website, or company wins of the month. This keeps you top of mind for your audience and generates brand awareness.
Promotional Emails
Focused on highlighting specific products, services, and special offers, these campaigns are focusing on getting your email list to convert and generate revenue. Offering limited offers and special discounts for your subscribers builds stronger customer loyalty.
Informational emails
Informational emails are exactly what you think. They are emails with information about your company and allows your audience to get to know who you are. Rather than drive conversions, it’s main goal is to build awareness and inform them about you.
Abandoned cart emails
You spot a sweater that’s perfect for you and add it to your cart. The phone starts to ring. Your friend you haven’t spoken to in weeks is calling and you hit answer. After an hour, you end the call and have completely forgotten about the sweater.
An email comes in saying “don’t forget about your sweater!”. It’s a slight nudge to customers to remind them about their abandoned cart. The main goal is focused on converting the customer and directing them back to the website.
Drip email campaigns
A drip campaign is a series of automated emails sent to people to take a specific action on your website. Depending on the campaign’s goals, you choose the number of emails sent and at what rate. These campaigns are triggered by an event or action performed by the customer and are set to go out at predetermined intervals.
The Best Features of an Email Campaign
Using intent data for email marketing can help to increase the effectiveness of your campaigns by allowing you to target the right people at the right time.
By segmenting your email list and personalizing your emails, you can improve engagement and drive more conversions.
1. Set specific and clear goals with a strong idea of your target audience
Regardless of the email campaign, each one needs to have a clear goal and target audience.
You need to know who you’re speaking to and what specific action you want them to take when they read your email.
On the leadup to GITEX Africa, we created a campaign with the goal to encourage attendees to get involved with an activity at Jabra’s booth.
This campaign was targeted at attendees who had already shown an interest in Jabra. To encourage them to come to the booth, we created a fun activity. Think of an easter egg hunt but with stickers! Gamification is a great way to build brand awareness and keep customers coming back.
2. A strong subject line to increase open rates
How many times have you subscribed to an email list only to forget why you signed up? Your email will get lost in the thousands of other emails if it doesn’t have a strong subject line that makes people want to open. Make sure to A/B test different subject lines that have the most open rates.
3. Copy that Converts
If you’re getting open clicks, well done! Your subject line is enticing enough for people to open.
However, if you find nobody is clicking on the links within the email for example to your website, the copy isn’t jumping out at them.
Review your copy and see how it can be more aligned with your audience. Don’t forget the copy needs to reflect the action you want them to take.
Don’t overcomplicate the copy. Define each area and have clear call to actions throughout.
4. Sending Best Practices
The only way to find out the best time to send your emails is through testing. Localization is important because if you’re targeting US citizens but you live in Spain, the timezone is different.
Once you’ve figured out the best time for your emails, stick to a schedule. Maintain this consistency because people love consistency. Failing to send it out consistently will start to damage the relationship. Trust is built, not bought.
5. Segmentation
If you’ve got a large email list, all your subscribers won’t be interested in the same email campaign.
Segmenting your audience based on behaviors, purchase behavior, and general psychographics ensures you target the right people at the right time.
Your subscribers or customers will enter your email list at different times of the funnel.
Sending an email marketing campaign that’s focused on driving sales wouldn’t land well with a new subscriber.
Segmentation allows you to understand your customers preferences and tailor for the future.
6. Mobile Friendly and Responsive Design
1.7 billion people read their emails on their phone compared to their computer.
There’s nothing more annoying than receiving an email that’s hard to read. It’ll go straight into the delete folder or worse, into spam.
Responsive email design will adjust its size across different devices to maintain style and usability, which means subscribers have a great experience on any device.
Some email marketing platforms have the option to choose a responsive design so make sure to text your emails before beginning a campaign!
GoViral Conclusion
Implementing email marketing campaigns into your overall strategy is the way forward to attract new customers and reinforce customer loyalty.
Remember, social media could disappear in the morning. Setting clear goals for each campaign is extremely important because it allows you to measure the effectiveness and adjust for the following campaigns.
If you need help creating an effective email marketing campaign, Contact us!
How to Use Lead generation to Get the Best Results for Events
Many of our clients at GoViral come to us to help with lead generation for their big events they’re attending. Over the last four years, we’ve worked with our long-term client, Jabra, getting them the best visibility and capturing leads pre-, during, and post events with our strategies.
In this blog, we’ll unveil how to use lead generation to get the best results for your events and give an insight into how we plan out our campaigns with Jabra.
Every year we always go bigger and better so that our clients attract the customers they’re looking for, making lead generation easier for them.
What is Event Lead Generation?
In simple terms, lead generation is the process of attracting new clients to your business that might be interested in your products or services through different methods of marketing and sales.
On the other hand, event lead generation uses business or networking events like conferences, summits, webinars, and exhibitions.
It’s a great way to interact with potential prospects, showcase your products and services, and convert a warm audience.
If people attend the event, they already have an interest in who you are and this is a great opportunity to pitch your product and brand.
If done correctly, you can collect contact information and have your sales and marketing team follow up with them post-event.
During this blog, we’ll be discussing the best way to map out an event and the key aspects you need to consider pre-, during, and post events to guarantee success.
At GoViral, we use a combination of methods to ensure our clients get seen and attract new leads that will eventually turn into customers.
Throughout we’ll be focusing on the strategies we’ve carried out with our clients, specifically Jabra as an explanation and show the process in action.
Lead Generation Before the Event
- Set objectives and goals for attending the event
- Map out a roadmap and strategy to hit your goals.
- Plan a social media campaign to build awareness and excitement
- Leverage social media, email marketing, and industry leaders to build hype
- Invest in sales kits and PPC to drive traffic and reach a wider audience
- Use social media to drive traffic to the landing page to collect leads
- Offer limited-time promotions or exclusive giveaways to increase attendance
Understanding your businesses objectives in attending an event is important because it helps to create clear goals and a strategic plan.
Our client, Jabra, attends events like GITEX Global where they attend to exhibit their products and attract new customers.
When B2B and B2C customers attend these events, it’s a great opportunity for you to network and nurture them as they’re already interested in your product and brand.
Planning out a social media campaign a minimum of six weeks out can maintain a consistent and clear pathway to success at the event. By leveraging social media, you increase your visibility, start to build hype, and attract potential customers.
At GoViral, we create a landing page specifically for the event to capture leads through an offer. Jabra’s offer is focused on booking a demo or a booth tour at the event.
Lead generation strategies are useful to capture leads that will be attending the event but also those who can’t attend but are interested in your business.
You can leverage social media to drive traffic to your landing page eventually leading to qualified leads which the sales team can then follow up with.
Limited-time offers and giveaways are a fantastic way to get potential customers involved as urgency marketing is a tactic where businesses use phrasing around scarcity, immediacy, or timeliness to compel consumers to make a purchase.
By offering a lead magnet pre-event like a brochure download or an e-book, it gives an insight into the audience you’re attracting and whether your messaging is correct.
Having an email list is great to be able to send out personalized emails to inform them about everything that you’ve planned for the event.
Setting up automated email campaigns 2 weeks, 1 week, and 24 hours before builds up excitement and keeps you top of mind.
We recommend investing in a sales kit that’ll make your business stand out amongst the crowd.
For our clients, we create a sales kit that includes email signatures, LinkedIn banners, invitation email assets, LinkedIn posts, and videos.
If every person on the sales team has their own personalized sales kit, it can generate more leads for the event and reach a much wider audience.
LinkedIn is the easiest way to reach a wider audience when done correctly so having a sales kit specifically for the event means more eyes and more brand awareness.
Before you even attend the event, people will already know you are because of your consistent branding and messaging.
To generate even more visibility leading up to the event, we launch a PPC campaign to target audiences that’ll be attending the events.
By gathering, segmenting, and organizing qualified leads, we maximize the value of our clients’ campaign efforts from beginning to end.
For you to achieve the best results, the pre-event production needs to be well thought out and requires more preparation than during and post events.
Lead Generation During the Event
- Maintain a consistent brand identity across all promotional materials and at the event
- Post updates from the event, using event-specific hashtags to build hype and encourage people to check out your booth
- Live-stream activities and interesting talks at the booth.
- Implement fun and engaging activities to attract people
Just like your brand’s presence at the event is the visual representation of your identity and values, it’s important to have consistent branding across all promotional materials from booth designs, digital assets, and promotional materials.
Creating an eye-catching booth reflecting your brand identity will make you stand out amongst others in the exhibition space.
The last thing you want is someone not remembering who you are because your branding wasn’t consistent.
Get people involved in the fun by using event-specific hashtags and encourage people to share experiences such as winning a giveaway, attending tech talks by industry thought leaders, and the fun activities at the event.
Create valuable content during the event and live-stream if you have the resources to do so. This increases visibility and reach and instills the “FOMO” effect which will build hype for the event for the following year.
This year we worked with Jabra on bringing nostalgia to their area.
We wanted to add a playful and interactive aspect that would incentivize people to come check out their booth. Introducing the vending machine.
This not only brings back childhood memories but they have the opportunity to win grand prizes like their Evolve2 65 and smaller prizes like teddy bears and sweet treats.
To play, they need to explore their booth and learn about their products, where they’ll then receive coins to play.
Implementing a fun activity is a great way to get customers to stay longer at the booth and learn more about your products and business.
Lead Generation Post-Event
- Create recap video of the highlights and post onto social media channels tagging the influential people you met
- Send out a thank you email to leads captured
- Offer additional content to nurture the relationship
The event is over so the marketing must be over? Nope, not just yet!
The leads you collected at the event and those who couldn’t attend but still wanted to learn more about your products need to be nurtured.
Having a CRM (customer relationship management) is important because you can determine the quality of the leads collected and see where they are in the funnel. Some leads may need more nurturing before they convert more than others.
You don’t want people to forget you so sending out a thank you email post-event and a recap of what happened is a great way to remind people of the fun they had at the event.
Relationship-building is important at this stage. Offer additional resources and exclusive offers to thank them for attending and visiting your booth at the event.
GoViral Conclusion
Attending events to showcase your business is exciting as you can increase your brand awareness, open up more opportunities, and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
Planning for an event doesn’t need to be stressful. At GoViral, we’ve worked with Jabra for the last four years and each year we continue to exceed expectations because we know what works by analyzing and measuring metrics pre-, during, and post-event.
If you need help mapping out a successful roadmap for your next event, Contact us!
7 Proven Techniques to Improve Your Conversion Rates
We’re entering the last quarter of the year which means it’s the last push to get the numbers up before the end of reports. Increasing brand awareness is important for your business but if you’re getting ghosted when people check out your website, there’s a disconnect along the way. We’re here to help you. Whether it’s to increase conversions on your website or for social media campaigns, we’ve researched the best techniques to improve your conversion rates and thrown in one or two of our own techniques.
Why Your Conversion Rate Matters
Apart from the obvious reason as to why conversions matter (hello, sales!) It’s important to think about WHY you’re not converting.
Oftentimes, there’s friction or resistance along the buyer’s journey which stops customers from making the purchase.
No one likes friction.
Much like a journey from your home to a holiday destination, we want everything to be a smooth journey.
When something happens along the way, we get frustrated and end up being in a foul mood.
The same applies to your website or social media campaign. We want to make the journey as smooth as can be. We’ll dive into parts of the journey where people fall off and how to fix it going forward.
Conversion Pitfalls
Before we look at the seven techniques that’ll improve your conversion rate, we need to mention the common pitfalls that happen in the buyer’s journey that prevent you from making that all important sale.
When people search for the solution to their problem, they have expectations.
If they land on your website and the loading time takes longer than two seconds, that customer will immediately press the return button and choose your competitor.
We’re impatient humans since the introduction of technology so the term “slow and steady” wins the race doesn’t apply here.
If you’re loading time isn’t the problem, the next pitfall is your messaging or your website design.
Every touchpoint that the customer lands on needs to have a consistent message and navigation on your website should be easy to follow.
These are some of the common mistakes that with a slight change, your conversion rates can improve.
Now it’s time to learn our techniques for improving them.
7 Techniques To Improve Your Conversion Rates
We’re finally at the part you’re waiting for.
The techniques.
These are the techniques we use at GoViral that allow us to get amazing results for our clients time and time again.
Let’s go.
1. Remove Distractions
Less is more. You might want to answer every single question your potential customer has and add more information but if there’s too much going on, it can get overwhelming.
Focus on
- The headline and subheadings
- The offer and the benefits
- The CTA
- Testimonials and reviews
- The visual aspect that shows what you’re offering.
Anything else is secondary and just adds more confusion than clarity.
Site speed is extremely important for both the customer and google so less really is more.
2. Have strong CTA’s (Call to Actions)
Your CTA’s should be strong but don’t be afraid to play around with them to make them more enticing. Instead of just writing, “buy course here”, you could write “Yes, I want to buy the course”.
Starting a CTA with a yes can be effective psychologically because we’re setting the offer in a positive light.
Remember to A/B test different CTA’s and design elements to see what works best with your customer’s.
Have fun with them but also be clear with what you want them to do.
3. Build trust and credibility
Social proof like reviews and testimonials are the most effective ways to help conversion rates.
No one wants to be the first person to use a product or service.
The reason why testimonials and reviews work is because of the psychological aspect of social proof. We rely on others to survive and look to others to see “what’s in”.
If we see someone else liked the product and had a positive experience, we also assume it must be good.
4. Customer Service
It seems simple but if a customer gets to your page, navigates smoothly, sees the testimonials, but just has ONE more question they need answered before they convert but can’t find anyone or anything to help them, they aren’t going to hand over their money.
There’s different buyer types and all of them have a need that must be satisfied before they convert.
Make sure your website answers each need or make it super easy for them to contact you.
5. Add callouts or sitelinks to increase conversions
Callouts are highlighted snippets of text that appear alongside a search result, often containing information like prices, features, or special offers.
Sitelinks are additional links that appear below a website’s main search result, providing more specific options for users to click on.
The reason why these are effective for conversion rates is because they make search results stand out and easier for the customer to find what they’re looking for.
Remember we said friction is the LAST thing you want in the buyer’s journey?
6. Your keywords aren’t strong enough
We hear a lot about keywords and SEO but why is it important?
Keywords are the words your customers are searching for to fulfill their need.
They bridge the gap between your customers intent (what are they looking for) and your businesses’ offer.
Optimizing your website with the correct keywords can also improve your search engine rankings, making your business more visible.
To avoid targeting everyone, add negative keywords so that you’re including only relevant searches.
7. Audience targeting
If you’re struggling to get your landing page or website in front of your ideal audience, you mightn’t be targeting correctly.
Not only should you be targeting based on your audience’s demographics but also psychographics, what are their interests and hobbies, and behaviors.
By tailoring your content and messaging to them and using segmentation to divide them into smaller groups based on shared characteristics, you have a higher chance of conversion.
GoViral Conclusion
Sometimes, it’s the smallest part in the buyer’s journey where people drop off but with a simple fix, your conversion rates can increase.
When viewing your overall strategy, think of all the touchpoints your customer comes into contact with. By implementing this seven techniques, your customer will flow much easier to your offer.
If you need help developing an easier buyer’s journey, Contact us!