It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to David Roberts, owner and founder of Derby digital marketing agency JDR Group.
2024 has been a pivotal year for the marketing industry, particularly for SMEs.
More business owners are recognising the importance of digital marketing, not just to attract customers but to streamline operations, align marketing and sales and improve decision-making through data-driven insights.
The ability of CRMs to automate processes, track KPIs, and predict outcomes is becoming a fundamental part of business strategy and companies which invest in CRMs and AI-driven platforms are reaping the benefits.
Both these technologies had a significant effect on SMEs during 2024.
Demand for marketing agencies remains strong, but there’s a noticeable trend of businesses attempting to bring marketing in-house. While this can provide a sense of control, it often leads to challenges in managing marketing and sales effectively, resulting in missed opportunities.
Marketing agencies that stay ahead of technological advancements, especially in AI, and demonstrate their value to clients will continue to thrive.
Agencies will need to demonstrate they can deliver better results faster, which requires constant upskilling and investment in technology, and they will need to clearly communicate their value and show measurable results to retain clients.
We are confident and optimistic about 2025, because we have experienced downturns before and this experience gives us a strong foundation to navigate whatever 2025 brings.
The biggest factor influencing businesses in 2025 will be uncertainty, particularly regarding the new government’s policies, taxation, and economic trends. New employment laws, rising taxes, and energy policy changes are all likely to affect SMEs.
These factors could have a knock-on effect on smaller businesses in their supply chains or local economies, so businesses will need to plan ahead, understand their ideal customers and implement systems to attract and retain those customers.
Marketing agencies will need to be proactive in helping them with this, while they will need to also be mindful of new technology which will affect the marketplace.
We know about the effect of AI, which will continue to transform marketing, but also we are looking at driverless cars in the USA, where the technology is advancing rapidly and where Tesla is looking to launch innovations, and blockchain.
Companies will need to stay informed about all of these innovations to ensure they do not miss out on any opportunities they’ll bring during the next 12 months.
