Marketing is evolving, and many of the tactics that worked in the past are becoming less effective. In a recent seminar, experts 

 (Co-founder of SparkToro) discussed trends and key shifts happening in digital marketing.

zero-click marketing, changes in search behavior, and why traditional attribution models are no longer reliable

 (if they ever were). Below is a summary of the most important insights and what they mean for marketing strategies in 2025.

Many businesses are experiencing declining website traffic despite maintaining strong brand awareness, and the prevailing data suggests that 

Zero-click marketing refers to a strategy where brands prioritize visibility and engagement within digital platforms rather than driving users to external websites. This shift might be necessary because digital platforms are increasingly designed to keep users inside their environments rather than directing them elsewhere.

, they might find an AI-generated summary, a featured snippet, or a Google Business Profile—allowing them to get the information they need without clicking through to a website. Similarly, platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok promote content that keeps users engaged within the platform, making outbound links less effective.

 instead of trying to drive traffic elsewhere.

 that provides value without requiring a click. An example is Ben Wilson's recent Strategy posts on 

 to maintain an owned channel of communication.

Attribution Models Are Becoming Less Reliable (if they were ever reliable in the first place)

Referral data is often missing due to "dark traffic" from sources like Slack, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn DMs.

Many conversions are influenced by multiple touchpoints, but last-click attribution often gives credit to search engines.

, analyzing overall business growth instead of individual traffic sources.

branded search volume and direct traffic growth

Use a mix of qualitative and quantitative data to assess marketing impact.

Audience Research Matters More Than Keyword Research

SEO remains important, but focusing only on ranking for keywords is no longer enough.

where your audience spends time and seeks information

communities, podcasts, social platforms, and forums

how and where your audience consumes information

Treat SEO as part of a broader audience engagement strategy, not as a standalone effort.

Social Media Should Be Treated as an Engagement Tool, Not a Traffic Driver

Social platforms are prioritizing content that keeps users engaged rather than encouraging clicks to external sites.

Simply posting links to blog content is no longer an effective strategy.

 rather than relying on passive posting. 

We recently argued why AgoraPulse was a good tool for this work

Consider short-form videos, interactive posts, and community-building efforts as primary tactics.

email provides a direct line of communication with an audience

An engaged email list is more valuable than ever as platforms reduce organic reach.

Offer exclusive insights, reports, or webinars to encourage subscriptions.

Personalize and segment emails to improve engagement and retention.

How to Apply These Marketing Trends in 2025

Businesses and marketers should focus on strategies that prioritize 

brand visibility, audience engagement, and long-term growth over short-term traffic metrics

 Use branded search volume, direct traffic, and conversion rate as indicators of success.

Engage audiences where they already spend time.

 Be active in communities, discussions, and non-traditional content platforms.

Shift marketing strategies to focus on business outcomes.

 Position services around revenue growth and customer retention rather than tactical execution.

One of the most important takeaways from this seminar was the idea that 

declining traffic does not necessarily mean declining revenue

, which have both seen decreases in organic traffic but have reported 

success is measured in customer engagement, conversions, and long-term business growth—not just website traffic.

Marketers and brands will need to adapt to these shifts by 

focusing on visibility, engagement, and credibility in key digital spaces

. Those who continue to rely on traditional traffic-based metrics may find themselves falling behind.

Would you like to explore how these trends apply to your business? 

audience research, AI search optimization, and zero-click content.

Marketing Strategy

Social Media & Audience Development

Learnings from Fire & Spark's "Zero Click" Marketing Seminar

Over the years, VIA Studio has worked with various social media publishing tools, including 

, and more. However, two tools have truly stood out and won our hearts — 

. These tools have consistently delivered exceptional results, making us confident recommending them to our clients and partners.

Social media posting tools allow marketers to manage their social media profiles and accounts through one central hub. Their primary function is scheduling and posting content directly from the tool. Managing social media profiles individually can be time-consuming and make reporting difficult, as metrics, features, and capabilities can differ across social media platforms.
Beyond that service, they can offer additional functions like content and graphic creation, social listening, inbox/comment management, and more!

The first platform we have had a lot of success with for our clients is 

. Agorapulse has a streamlined and easy-to-use interface, and once all of your profiles are connected, the post calendar can clearly show everything that has been recently published, as well as what is scheduled for posting in the future.

Another benefit of Agorapulse is its social listening system. With social listening, marketers can understand how their brand is perceived on social media and the web. Users can create actionable searches to discover what their audience says about their brand — and competitors. Agorapulse listens and captures conversations from social networks, thousands of news websites, and millions of blogs.

In addition to its ease of use and social listening capabilities, Agorapulse’s reporting features are an excellent way to evaluate social performance and discover ideas for future content. We have found particular success with grouping our posts by content type (service offerings, holidays, direct marketing, etc.) using tags to get ideas on what platforms best support different types of content and what days/times are ideal for specific posts. Additionally, marketers using Agorapulse may discover that specific platforms are best suited for certain post types - Agorapulse makes these sorts of insights possible. Finally, all of this reporting can help provide marketers with ROI on their tactics to discover their right social strategy.

The base Agorapulse package costs $49 per user/month. Since the cost is per user, we recommend setting it up with a shared email if multiple team members need to use it. Otherwise, that cost applies to each user.

We typically recommend the Professional pricing plan for our clients ($79/month), especially since plans can be upgraded anytime if additional features are needed.

This is a huge benefit if a member of the creative team is managing your social media. You can easily create and schedule well-designed and well-branded posts using Creative Cloud Libraries and/or Brands, Adobe Cloud files, and Adobe Stock. Having creation and scheduling in one place is a huge productivity boost.

Even if you don’t fancy yourself a designer, 

 has A LOT of templates for you to use, which can give your postings a professional look.

Since Adobe is all about design and creative, the app is very good at developing content like video reels, stories, etc. Scheduling is also built into the mobile app.

Adobe Express allows you to collaborate with other team members on the same files and content.

Adobe Express currently allows up to 3 accounts per channel (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and Twitter)

The biggest downside is the lack of monitoring and response, which is why we also love AgoraPulse!

Adobe Express is less expensive than Agorapulse but also doesn’t have the “social listening” features. Pricing starts at $9.99/month per user.

Whether you are an agency, an in-house marketer, or a small business owner, a social posting tool can help elevate your social content and make your work more efficient.

VIA Studio also recognizes that some tools suit certain needs better than others. We would definitely recommend Adobe Express for users focused on content and graphic creation. Meanwhile, Agorapulse is a better option for marketing-oriented users who are concerned about performance, market share, and ROI. If you need both, they can even be used together!

If you are interested in onboarding a social posting tool but don’t know where to start, 

! We can get you started on social media marketing, create a social media strategy specific to your business and needs, and even provide social graphics art direction to elevate your social presence.

Boost Your Social Media Game: Agorapulse vs. Adobe Express

Graphic Design

Marketing Campaigns

ScholarRx

Art Direction

Non-profit Marketing

Develop Louisville

marketplace for this century. But how do you cut through the noise and find the audiences that want to hear you, and want to become your customer? Beyond that,

 holding onto an interested customer can seem difficult. With our experienced staff trained in the latest-and-greatest digital marketing audience targeting tools and development techniques, we can not only help you develop but help you greatly expand your audience of interested consumers.

Social Media & Audience Development

Social Media & Audience Development: Case Studies

01

ScholarRx

02

Develop Louisville

Social Media & Audience Development: Blog Posts

Learnings from Fire & Spark's "Zero Click" Marketing Seminar

Boost Your Social Media Game: Agorapulse vs. Adobe Express