The digital marketing landscape is evolving rapidly, and 2025 presents a wealth of opportunities for Kiwi businesses to stand out and thrive. Whether you’re a tradie or an accountant, or you run a café or an e-commerce store, there are simple yet powerful tactics and strategies to connect with your audience and drive growth. Below are key opportunities to explore this year:
1. Collaborations
Collaborating with other small businesses or influencers can help to amplify your reach and create a win-win scenario where you reach mutual audiences. In 2025, partnerships that align with shared values will be especially effective as innovative businesses, charities and other community groups look to rebuild after a tough year in 2024.
Look for partners whose audiences complement or grow your own, and brainstorm creative ways to work together such as cross-promotions, shared content, and even bundled offerings.
Example: A local pilates studio could partner with a health food store to co-create digital content such as blog posts, newsletters or videos on topics like nutrition and mindfulness.
2. Local SEO
Local SEO remains a fundamental but simple strategy for small businesses across NZ, and its importance will only increase in 2025. With more people relying on “near me” searches and voice assistants, being visible in local search results is crucial.
The key is to regularly update your Google Business Profile, ensure your contact details are consistent across all online platforms, and remember to always encourage customer reviews. Don’t have the time or expertise? Consider outsourcing to local seo experts who can handle these updates for you.
Example: A bakery can enhance its online presence by updating its Google Business Profile with high-quality images, accurate opening hours, and encouraging customer reviews. Including search terms like “best pies near me” in online content can further improve local visibility.
3. Social Commerce
Social media in recent years has transformed into a direct sales channel that many small businesses and start-ups are utilising. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook allow customers to shop without leaving the app, making social commerce a more accessible and powerful tool.
A great starting point is to identify where your audience spends time online, it might be older women on Facebook or school leavers on TikTok. Then set up a shop on the appropriate platform and test things like live shopping events to engage directly with your customers.
Example: A fashion boutique can use Instagram Shopping to showcase its latest collection, collaborate with influencers, and leverage user-generated content to build trust and drive sales. We’ve seen small businesses make significant sales from a single live shopping event.
4. Personalised Email Marketing
Email marketing continues to be a way of getting messaging in front of customers and sales leads, and in 2025, personalization is the key to success. Today’s customers expect useful content that aligns with their preferences and interests.
Tools such as Mailchimp offer automation to set up email campaigns based on customer behaviour, and they offer great diagnosis tools for refining your efforts.
Example: A fitness studio could segment its email list to deliver tailored content, such as workout tips for one group and nutrition advice for another. Having personalised subject lines and recommendations can significantly boost engagement too.
5. Short Form Video
Video content continues to dominate digital marketing – every year since at least 2020 it’s been near the top of the list of ‘top marketing tips for this year’. Short-form videos are a great low cost technique being used by many. Platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok offer small businesses a chance to create engaging, bite-sized content that’s shareable and can target different demographics.
As with all your interactions with audiences and customers, authenticity is critical. Don’t stress about high production values—raw unpolished content often performs better because many people prefer relatable videos over slick corporate productions.
Example: A local cafe can share quick clips of baristas crafting intricate latte art to capture viewers’ attention and build a loyal following. They could even interact with audiences to get suggestions for designs to make on their coffees.
6. Voice Search Optimisation
As voice-activated devices like Amazon Echo become relied upon in households across the country, optimising for voice search is a smart move. Voice search queries tend to be more conversational, so adjusting your website content to reflect this trend can give you an edge.
When creating this targeted type of content on your website, use long-tail keywords and natural language in your content. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly, as these factors can also influence voice search rankings.
Example: A home cleaning service could create a blog post titled “How To Get Red Wine Out Of Carpet” and include phrases like “How do I clean red wine spills on carpet?” to align with common voice search queries.
7. Sustainability & Ethical Marketing
Consumers in 2025 are increasingly drawn to businesses that care about their local community, ethical practices and sustainability. People are sometimes suspicious of large corporates advertising their social and environmental contributions as a PR exercise, whereas small businesses can demonstrate real authenticity and build trust with socially conscious local customers.
The key is to be transparent and back up any claims with evidence like certifications or testimonials. Showcase your impact through visual content and customer stories. If appropriate get involved with local charities or initiatives – word of your actions will spread.
Example: A craft beer company could use eco-friendly packaging and share their story through blog posts, videos, and social media campaigns. They can even partner with local environmental organizations to reinforce their commitment.
8. Interactive Content
Interactive content like quizzes and polls, or useful tools like cost calculators are a great way to engage your audience and seamlessly collect valuable data. These tools encourage participation and make your brand memorable, and you can run some directly through your site or on channels like Facebook.
Using interactive tools to gather insights about your customers can greatly help you with market research and product development.
Example: A local beauty studio could create a quiz titled “Find Your Perfect Skincare Routine” and recommend products or services based on the user’s responses.
The phrase ‘survive until 25’ became a bit of a cliché last year. Now that 2025 is here, the focus should be on how to ‘thrive in 25’. By trying some of these digital marketing tactics and strategies, you can jump-start your growth and get ahead of the competition. If you’d like a no-obligation marketing brainstorm then get in touch.
