The media landscape in 2025 is complex with the rise of social media platforms, evolving content preferences, and unprecedented access to data.
Gone are the days when brands could rely solely on billboards and television commercials to get consumer attention.
Today’s consumers are spread across digital platforms from Instagram and LinkedIn to TikTok and Twitch. Each platform has unique user preferences, content formats, and algorithms that brands need to monitor closely. While this offers brands the ability to target audiences more precisely than ever before, it also requires resources and expertise to maintain a cohesive presence.
People value relatable, intentional content that aligns with their own beliefs and experiences. Brands may struggle to cut through the noise and differentiate while remaining genuine.
How can marketing professionals and business owners get through the clutter of digital and real-world channels to quickly and effectively connect with their audience across platforms?
The McGuinness Media & Marketing team took a closer look at how the new media landscape is shaping brand behavior, demanding crisp strategies to stay ahead.
The Key Challenge for Brands in 2025
The biggest challenge for marketing professionals and business owners in 2025 is reaching individuals in order to create meaningful connections in a busy world of over saturation and short attention spans.
The average consumer sees thousands of ads and marketing messages daily. Capturing attention in an overloaded digital market has never been harder. Couple that with shrinking attention spans, and brands are left scrambling for creative ways to deliver their message in mere seconds.
In her 2023 book “Attention Span”, Dr. Gloria Mark writes that we are living in a transitional time with very modern issues like media fatigue and smartphone dependency.
She writes that her 2004 study found the average attention span on any screen to be two and a half minutes on average. In 2012, the average was 75 seconds. More recent research shows our attention span averages 47 seconds on a screen.
Impulsive multitasking may also be related to short attention spans, according to Dr. Roberto Olivardia, clinical associate in psychology at McLean Hospital and lecturer in psychology at Harvard Medical School.
When people claim they’re multitasking, “they really mean task-switching, which involves moving our attention between multiple tasks in a similar time frame,” Olivardia told Today.
Mark’s research further supports this. She told the American Psychological Association that switching your attention to too many things at the same time results in more errors.
“We also know that performance slows. Why? Because there’s something called a switch cost,” she said. “So every time you switch your attention, you have to reorient to that new activity, that new thing you’re paying attention to, and it takes a little bit of time.”
While we can’t go back in time, society is not doomed to mindless scrolling – individuals can still be productive and social media professionals will have to be open to new ways to stand out among seemingly never-ending notifications.
The solution is simpler than one may think. Trace your steps back to the heart of digital marketing: using storytelling to build relationships, leveraging visual content, and building interactive content.
Visual storytelling is your secret weapon for both catching and holding your audience’s attention. Maximize your brand’s visual content by keeping it short and sweet:
Videos
Try short-form videos like Instagram Reels and TikToks. A Wyzowl study found that 84% of people are convinced to purchase a product after watching a brand video.
Infographics
These deliver dense information in an easily digestible format. Use tools like Canva to create eye-catching designs.
Thumb-Stopping Imagery
Whether it’s on Instagram or LinkedIn, your imagery needs to stop viewers mid-scroll. Bold colors, intriguing visuals, and strong contrast work wonders.
Brands may also consider taking some extra time to personalize their content – think of how radio hosts connect with their listeners, addressing them as “you” so each viewer feels like they’re having a one-on-one conversation.
Speak directly to your audience – use language like “How are you spending your Sunday?” and, when applicable, create a sense of urgency. Use phrases like “Enter before midnight!” to boost participation.
Exclusivity is a powerful tool. Create FOMO – fear of missing out – to drive engagement.
Time-Limited Offers
“Hurry! Only 24 hours left.”
Exclusive Content
“Download our free eBook available to subscribers only.”
Sneak Peeks
Give followers early access to a new feature, product, or trend before the general public.
Brands who go above and beyond with seemingly small details will see results. Time spent engaging with your content leads to higher brand recall, better conversion rates, and increased loyalty.
How to Build an Effective Multi-Platform Strategy
Digital marketing is about meeting your customers where they are. With countless platforms at your disposal — from social media channels like Instagram and TikTok to search engines and email marketing tools — businesses have more opportunities than ever to connect with their audience.
Maybe not every platform will be right for your brand; instead of spreading yourself thin, focus on the platforms used most by your target audience. Create tailored strategies for each channel, leveraging the unique native features that resonate with users — like Instagram Stories or TikTok trends.
For example, Starbucks has specific uses for each platform:
- They use Instagram & Facebook to share mouthwatering visuals of lattes, complete with hashtags to encourage customer content.
- Their Twitter/X serves as a customer service tool, resolving issues in real-time.
- Through email newsletters, they reward customers with personalized perks tied to their loyalty app.
- On LinkedIn, they position themselves as an employer of choice by showcasing corporate culture.
By connecting with their audience at multiple touchpoints, Starbucks ensures ongoing engagement and loyalty.
Creating your own multi-platform strategy may sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some steps crafted from the McGuinness Media & Marketing team:
Define Your Objectives: What’s your ultimate goal? Whether you’re aiming to increase brand awareness, boost sales, generate website traffic, or improve customer retention, your objectives will shape the foundation of your strategy. Be specific and set measurable goals.
Know Your Audience: Gather as much data as possible to increase your relatability to your audience. Use tools like Google Analytics to study your website visitors, social media insights to learn who engages with you, and customer surveys for additional information about your audience.
Where does your audience spend their time online? Is your target demographic hanging out on YouTube, binge-scrolling Instagram, or reading blogs? Gather these insights to strategically allocate your resources.
Choose Your Platforms Wisely: You don’t need to be everywhere, all at once. Focus on platforms that align with your company’s goals, your audience demographics, and your internal capabilities – time, budget, and expertise.
For example, a beauty brand may focus more on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for visual storytelling.
Repurpose Content: Creating original content for every platform can drain resources. Instead, repurpose content across channels. Examples include turning a blog post into a video for LinkedIn, or repurposing highlights from a podcast into Instagram Reels.
It’s important to tweak your tone and format for each platform. A witty remark may thrive on Twitter/X, but look out of place in an email newsletter.
Ensure Branding Consistency: From your logo to your messaging style, consistency is key. A brand that feels jarring between platforms risks losing trust.
- Use the same visual elements across platforms (colors, fonts, imagery).
- Maintain consistent tone and language–whether professional or conversational.
To ensure branding consistency, create a brand guidelines document to ensure everyone on your team stays aligned.
This week, the McGuinness Media & Marketing team set time aside to create a fun and engaging reel to mark the first day of March Madness in Providence.
It features some of our team members enjoying some friendly competition as the city kicked off the NCAA Tournament.
Brands that succeed in 2025 lead with authenticity. Brands should show behind-the-scenes processes, highlight real people, and support causes that align with your core values. Building trust with your audience is paramount to long-term success.
How to Succeed with Real-Time Engagement
Real-time engagement is not just a trend; it’s a pivotal strategy that enables brands to connect, communicate, and engage with audiences in meaningful ways exactly when it matters.
For marketers, mastering the art of real-time engagement can make the difference between being just another brand in the noise and the one that truly resonates with its customers.
Consumers no longer passively consume media; they interact, engage, and expect quick responses. Different social media platforms serve different functions and content is quickly circulated.
Real-time engagement refers to the art of interacting and responding to your audience in real time, whether it’s through live streams, social media interactions, or customer service chats. It’s the ability to connect with your target market at precisely the right moment, addressing needs, questions, or interests without delay.
This immediacy isn’t achieved by luck. Real-time engagement relies on various tools and techniques, often powered by advanced technology such as chatbots, social media monitoring, and customer relationship management software. When done right, it’s one of the most effective ways to build trust, improve engagement metrics, and foster long-term relationships with prospects and customers alike.
Real-time engagement matters for several reasons, including meeting customer expectations. According to HubSpot, 90% of customers rate an “immediate” response as essential or very important when they have a customer service question. Whether on social media, live chat, or during an in-store interaction, meeting these expectations can define how your brand is perceived.
Real-time interactions feel personal and authentic. For example, a brand replying to tweets or comments during a product launch shows they’re actively listening.
Live webinars or Q&A sessions provide unique opportunities to build rapport with audiences, proving your brand is accessible and genuine.
Always aim for a conversational tone. Real-time engagement on social media often resembles casual communication, not corporate announcements.
The Road Ahead
Keeping the art of storytelling close while creating content will help marketing professionals and business owners reach their audience how they want to in 2025.
Capturing your audience’s attention is more important than ever – brands need to be open to change and be ready to put in extra effort to stick out to consumers before they scroll. Brands are challenged to adapt swiftly while maintaining authenticity and trust.
Using a one-on-one conversational approach fosters intimacy with the audience. Using personalized language will enrich existing relationships and will ultimately result in new ones.
Marketing professionals should be motivated to adapt to algorithm changes. Staying informed about changes to algorithms is critical for maintaining visibility.
Brands that adopt real-time engagement are better equipped to meet modern-day customer expectations, address challenges, and foster an emotional connection with their audience.
Start implementing your personalized, real-time engagement strategies across different touchpoints today, and watch as your brand’s relevance and loyalty grow stronger over time.
Follow the McGuinness Media & Marketing team on social @mcguinnessmedia for more insights from our award-winning team making BIG waves in the smallest state!