Digital marketing in 2025: definition, strategy & trends

Introduction

Digital marketing has long gone from being a nice-to-have to being the beating heart of almost every successful business. Customers live, buy and compare online, and your company must be present there. But what exactly does digital marketing mean anno 2025, and how do you get the most out of your efforts? From smart strategies to powerful tools and trends such as AI and privacy-first marketing: this article helps you get a step-by-step grip on digital marketing, so you can confidently reach and convince your target audience.

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing includes all marketing activities that take place through digital channels to promote products, services or brands and reach target audiences online (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

In other words, it's about using digital technologies such as websites, social media, search engines, email and mobile apps to attract, convert and retain customers.

Importantly, digital marketing is interactive. Unlike traditional media such as television or print, it offers a direct dialogue with the customer. This allows companies to respond more quickly and effectively to changing customer needs and behaviors (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019).

Why is digital marketing essential?

Consumers are spending more and more time online-an average of more than 7 hours a day (We Are Social, 2024). As a result, digital presence has become crucial for brand visibility and revenue growth. Digital marketing techniques also allow you to accurately measure and optimize, allowing you to use your marketing budget more effectively and achieve better results (Ryan, 2020).

The difference between digital and online marketing

Although the terms digital marketing and online marketing are often used interchangeably, there is a subtle but important difference (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019):

• Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts through digital technologies. This means not only online activities, but also marketing through, for example, mobile apps, digital displays in stores, interactive kiosks and SMS marketing.
• Online marketing, on the other hand, is limited exclusively to activities on the Internet. This includes SEO, social media, content marketing, email marketing and online advertising (Ryan, 2020).

Concrete example:
Suppose a company sends a text message to customers with a discount code. This is digital marketing, but not online marketing. However, if the company posts ads on Instagram, this is both digital and online marketing.

Digital marketing examples

Although much marketing today takes place online, there are numerous effective examples of digital marketing outside the Internet. Here are a few examples:

1. SMS marketing

Clothing stores or restaurants regularly send text messages to existing customers with offers, discount codes or information about special events. This establishes direct contact without customers having to be online (Ryan, 2020).

2. Digital displays and billboards

Major brands are using digital screens in stores, malls and high-traffic locations such as airports to display dynamic, personalized messages. For example, consider Coca-Cola using interactive screens to challenge people to interact playfully (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019).

3. Beacons & location-based notifications

Retailers are using bluetooth beacons in physical stores to target customers via notifications on their smartphones once they are near certain products. This improves the shopping experience and increases the likelihood of purchases (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

4. Digital kiosks and interactive displays

McDonald's and other fast food restaurants are using digital order kiosks in their branches to serve customers quickly, efficiently and with additional options. Customers experience convenience, while businesses realize higher conversions and better upsell results (Pulizzi & Barrett, 2019).

Want to know more about online digital marketing? We wrote a separate article about that.

Defining digital marketing strategy

Developing a successful digital marketing strategy is all about clear choices and a thoughtful approach. Below are the key steps and practical tools to effectively set up and execute your digital strategy.

Step 1: Set goals (SMART goals)

An effective strategy starts with clear, measurable goals, such as:

• Increase brand awareness by 20% within six months.
• Generate 30% more leads per quarter.
• Reduce cost per lead by 15% within one year (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

Step 2: Target group analysis & buyer personas

Define who your ideal customers are through buyer personas. Create clear profiles of demographics, needs, preferences and behavioral traits. That way, you can tailor content and communication specifically to what appeals to them (Pulizzi & Barrett, 2019).

Step 3: Customer journey mapping

Map your customer's journey, from the moment of awareness to purchase and loyalty. Then define what type of message is relevant at what time and through what channel (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019).

Step 4: Select appropriate channels

Not every channel is equally relevant to every target audience. Make strategic choices from the many digital channels and methods available, such as SEO, social media advertising, email marketing, or offline digital techniques such as digital displays or text message marketing (Ryan, 2020).

Step 5: Content strategy and planning

Work out a clear content calendar, tailored to your buyer personas and their customer journey. Consider informative blogs, interactive videos, white papers, and periodic text updates to stay consistently relevant (Pulizzi & Barrett, 2019).

Step 6: Measure and optimize

Use digital tools and dashboards such as Google Analytics, HubSpot, or specific marketing automation platforms to continuously track performance and make adjustments as needed. By making data-driven decisions, you maximize your marketing budget and results (Ryan, 2020).

Digital marketing tools

Effective digital marketing depends on using the right tools. Below you will find a selection of proven and powerful digital tools that will help you optimize, analyze and improve your marketing activities.

1. SEO and content marketing tools

• Ahrefs: Ideal for in-depth keyword research, competitive analysis, and finding new content opportunities.
• Semrush: Comprehensive all-in-one SEO tool for keyword analysis, content optimization, and technical website audits.

2. Marketing automation & email marketing

• HubSpot: User-friendly tool for marketing automation, lead nurturing, CRM, and reporting to automatically guide leads to a purchase.
• Mailchimp: Suitable for personalized email campaigns, segmentation, and A/B testing to maximize conversions.

3. Analytics & dashboards

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Measure website traffic, user behavior, conversions and e-commerce performance with advanced capabilities for privacy-friendly analytics.
• Looker Studio (Google Data Studio): Build powerful and visual dashboards to provide real-time insight into marketing results.

4. Social media management

• Hootsuite: Plan and manage social media campaigns centrally through a single dashboard and get visibility into performance by channel and post.
• Buffer: Ideal for easily managing and automating social media postings and campaigns, especially suitable for smaller teams.

5. Digital campaigns

• Google Ads: For ad campaigns in Google search results, display network, YouTube and other Google channels.
• Meta Ads Manager: Effectively deploy ads on Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta platforms with detailed targeting.

Key KPIs

You can only determine the success of digital marketing if you define and measure the right KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Below are the key KPIs that will help you understand the return and effectiveness of your digital marketing strategy.

1. Website traffic and engagement

• Number of unique visitors: Indicates how successful you are in attracting new visitors.
• Bounce rate: measure how many visitors leave your website immediately without interacting.
• Average session length: The longer visitors stay, the more relevant your content is (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019).

2. Conversion Rate

• Conversion rate: What percent of visitors perform desired actions such as purchases, downloads, or newsletter subscriptions (Ryan, 2020).

3. Cost per Lead (CPL).

• CPL: The average cost to generate one new lead, essential for assessing the cost-effectiveness of marketing campaigns (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

4. Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS).

• ROAS: Shows the return per euro spent on ads. Allows you to optimize ad budgets and increase effectiveness (Ryan, 2020).

5. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).

CLV: Measure the total value delivered by a customer throughout the customer relationship. This KPI helps determine how much you can invest to win new customers and retain existing ones (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

6. Number of returning visitors

Measure the percentage of visitors who return to your website, an indicator of loyalty and content quality (Pulizzi & Barrett, 2019).

Trends and developments

Digital marketing remains constantly evolving, driven by new technologies and changing customer expectations. Here are the key trends you need to capitalize on as a marketer to remain successful in 2025 and beyond.

1. AI-driven personalization

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing the way you reach customers. Think hyper-personalized content, predictive analytics, and automated chatbots that improve customer interaction. This gives you a better understanding of customer behavior, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates (Kotler, Kartajaya & Setiawan, 2021).

2. Short-form video content

The popularity of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts continues to explode. Consumers increasingly prefer short, powerful and easy-to-consume videos. Companies therefore need to invest in catchy and creative short-form content to stay relevant and reach their target audience effectively (Statista, 2024).

3. Voice search & conversational marketing

Smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home are increasingly being used for search. This requires you to optimize content for natural language so that your business is more discoverable through voice searches (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019).

4. Privacy-first marketing

Stricter regulations (such as AVG) and the disappearance of third-party cookies require companies to change their approach. First-party data strategies, such as the use of serverside tracking will become more important. Investing in platforms such as Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which offer privacy-friendly tracking, becomes essential to leverage customer data safely and effectively (Ryan, 2020).

5. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

AR and VR technologies are gaining traction, especially in retail and e-commerce. Customers want to experience products virtually before they buy, opening up new opportunities for innovative and immersive marketing experiences (Kotler et al., 2021).

Getting started with digital marketing

Now that you know what digital marketing means, what strategies you can employ, and what the key trends are, it's time for action. But where exactly do you start?

Here are some ways to get started right away:

1. Schedule a free performance marketing scan
Curious about your current online performance? Request a no-obligation digital scan, with which our specialists will quickly provide insight into your opportunities and areas for improvement.

2. Request a personal consultation
Contact our experienced digital marketing specialists directly. They will be happy to help you clarify the possibilities and how you can effectively use digital marketing to achieve your goals faster.

Resources

Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019). Digital marketing: Strategy, implementation and practice (7th ed.). Pearson Education.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson Education.

Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2021). Marketing 5.0: Technology for Humanity. Wiley.

Pulizzi, J., & Barrett, N. (2019). Epic content marketing: How to tell a different story, break through the clutter, and win more customers by marketing less (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Ryan, D. (2020). Understanding digital marketing: Marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation (5th ed.). Kogan Page.