If you’re wondering how marketing is changing in 2025, you’re not alone. Business leaders everywhere ask: How do we earn trust and stay visible in a world where search engines, AI tools, and customer expectations are shifting faster than ever?
That’s exactly the question the 2025 Impact Live Digital Conference set out to answer.
Built on the ideas from Marcus Sheridan’s bestselling book They Ask, You Answer (now rebranded as Endless Customers), the conference delivered bold ideas and practical advice for connecting with customers online in this new landscape. From AI search to website design to video selling, the message was clear: how people purchase has changed, and your digital presence has to keep up.
DW Creative helps home service businesses grow by building strong connections between their brands and the homeowners they serve.
By reading this article, you will learn the top five takeaways from the Impact Live 2025 event and how to apply them to your business.
1. You’re Not Just Being Recommended by People or Google Anymore—Now It’s AI
In the past, you might have been found through customer referrals or a Google search. But today, AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and others influence how people discover businesses.
AI is quickly becoming one of the top ways users get answers. It pulls from websites, reviews, social media, and online authority signals to decide which businesses to recommend.
So, how do you make sure AI recommends you?
- Make sure your website is strong, clear, and up-to-date.
- Create helpful content that answers real customer questions.
- Build your reputation—post on social media, get mentioned on forums like Reddit, and stay active in your industry.
- Don’t ignore basic SEO. While AI is newer, it still relies on strong SEO signals to trust your content.
No one fully understands how AI chooses its sources and what to show users, but it’s clear that visibility, authority, and helpful content matter more than ever.
2. Don’t Build Your House on Google Alone
For years, most marketing strategies focused on getting to the top of Google. But that’s changing fast.
Now, when you search for something on Google, you’re met with:
- Paid ads.
- Sponsored posts.
- “People also ask” boxes.
- Forum threads (like Reddit).
- And finally, organic search results.
It’s hard to stand out. And most users won’t scroll far enough to find your website.
Here, we decided to ask Google how much we could expect to pay for a new A/C unit. After the AI summary, we have several sponsored websites before we get to an actual provider website.
Meanwhile, AI tools skip all that noise. They give direct answers and include the sources they pulled from. That means AI might send people to your content without them ever landing on your site.
This is the answer we received when we put the same query into ChatGPT with the sources on the right-hand side:
Which user experience more quickly and smoothly answered the question and easily showed us sources?
When users receive an answer without clicking a link, it’s called “zero-click” behavior, and it is drastically increasing.
This shift toward “zero-click” answers means businesses must think beyond Google.
Ask yourself:
- How can I get mentioned in AI answers?
- What do I offer online that’s worth quoting or referencing?
Your website and content still matter, but how users interact with it and find it is changing.
3. Disruptive Content Builds More Trust
With so much content online, safe and simple isn’t enough. If you want to stand out and be seen as trustworthy, you need to create disruptive content.
What is disruptive content? It’s the honest, bold content that other businesses in your industry avoid. It’s the stuff that might make you nervous to say or that, if you do say it, you worry about backlash. However, it’s information your potential customers desperately want.
You might talk about concerns or issues within your industry. Maybe you discuss products or services that aren’t helpful or aren’t a good fit for a certain customer base. You’re tackling complex, difficult topics, but you’re also answering real questions.
For example:
- If you service appliances, are you willing to say which brands break the most? Or which ones not to buy?
- If you sell pools, are you honest about who shouldn’t buy the kind of pools you offer?
By addressing hard questions, your content stands out. Because these topics might be considered “taboo” by your industry, most websites will not create content revolving around this content. So, when a user poses a difficult query, where will search engines send them? Where will AI pull its answer? If you’re one of the only businesses creating this content, all arrows will point to you.
In addition, disruptive content works because it shows your honesty. It builds trust with your audience. And that trust can turn into better leads and faster sales.
4. One-to-One Video Is Changing Sales and Email
Personal, one-to-one videos in the sales process are a game-changer.
Email is a great tool, but it’s easy to lose nuance and miscommunicate, especially if the topic is complicated. A brief video can communicate processes, answer questions, and offer explanations. The chances of miscommunication drastically decrease with one-to-one video use.
Instead of long emails, imagine sending a 30-second video where you:
- Greet a potential customer by name.
- Answer their exact question.
- Show your face and personality.
- Possibly give a demonstration or walk-through of your service or product.
It’s faster, clearer, and more personal.
Companies using one-to-one video are:
- Closing deals faster.
- Meeting new prospects more easily.
- Avoiding miscommunication before and after sales.
You don’t need fancy tools. A webcam or smartphone and a short message are all it takes to make a big impression. They’re proven to shorten the sales cycle and close deals more quickly.
5. Make Your Website Work Without a Salesperson
Today’s buyers want to move through the buying process on their own. They want to explore, compare, and decide without booking a sales call.
So, how can your website appeal to the independent buyer? Does your current website help users make smart decisions without needing to talk to anyone?
Your website should boast tools, resources, and even quizzes to help educate, equip, and empower potential customers.
Does your site offer:
- Self-evaluation tools or quizzes that guide people to the right service or product?
- Transparent content, like side-by-side comparisons—even with options you don’t sell?
- Pricing tools, so customers can understand the cost upfront?
- Scheduling options, including timelines or even the ability to choose a specific salesperson?
These tools don’t just help your customers. They build trust, save time, and improve your chances of getting the right leads.
How Can My Marketing Partner Help?
Updating your online marketing strategy may feel overwhelming. Between AI changes, website upgrades, and new content strategies, how do you know which to choose first? Which changes will make the biggest impact on your business?
That’s where a marketing partner comes in. The right partner can:
- Spot the gaps in your current strategy.
- Help you decide what changes matter most.
- Break big updates into small, doable steps.
This keeps your marketing focused and effective.
Next Steps for Implementing 2025 Impact Live Takeaways
The digital world is changing fast. AI is drastically altering the digital landscape and how users interact with information and websites. Businesses must adapt to remain relevant. But where can you begin? How do you evaluate your current content and website?
Here are four key questions to ask as you move forward:
- How can we use AI to our benefit? Are we showing up in AI search results?
- Are we relying too heavily on Google?
- Are we creating content that stands out or blends in?
- Are we utilizing video (particularly one-to-one video) in our sales process?
- Does our website inform and empower our users without a sales call?
These five takeaways help you build trust with customers and users at large. That trust leads to sales and loyal customers.
Sometimes, small changes can make a major impact. You can talk with your marketing partner to create a marketing strategy and prioritize effective changes. The businesses that keep learning, keep testing, and keep showing up with honesty and helpfulness will be the ones that earn trust and stay ahead.
DW Creative is an agency committed to empowering homeowner-focused businesses. If you want help creating a marketing strategy or brand designs, schedule a fit call with our team to see how DW Creative can help.
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