It’s been another roller coaster of a ride this year for small business.

There’s been plenty of growth, and plenty of challenges, and the year has somehow flashed before our eyes.

So, it’s that time again – for my annual predictions hitting you with my list of top trends we’re going to see in Brand, Marketing and Content for small and medium businesses in the year ahead.

In past years I’ve called out the downfall of Twitter (tick), how YouTube will become an increasingly important channel for your marketing (and it still is – so get onto that if you haven’t already) and how your brand (and brand story) is going to be more important than ever before as technology continues to speed up changes in the marketing industry.

But this year, I’m not going to give you a list.

This year, I have just ONE thing I think is going to be important to your brand in 2025.

That’s right.

Just one thing.

One thing you need to focus on in 2025 to help you grow a brand that both you and your audience will love.

And it’s not Artificial Intelligence – though that definitely comes into play.

In fact, it’s Artificial Intelligence that makes my trend prediction so important.

The rise of A.I and what that means for SME marketing

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is changing the way we market.

But at the moment, people are mostly using it to create content that they don’t have the time or motivation to create.

A.I. is a brilliant tool for writing. It can help you research faster. Help you overcome the blank page challenge.

The problem is, that it can only learn from what we teach it.

It’s not capable of original thought. It’s not capable of storytelling.

The catch of generative A.I. is, that the more of the same we put into it, the more of the same we ask it, the more it’s going to create more of the same.

ChatGPT won’t turn you into a skilled marketer.

It won’t show you how to tell great stories. It won’t build your brand for you. It can’t do thought leadership. It cannot be creative. It cannot employ critical thinking. It does not have an opinion that’s its own. And it won’t create unique content – the type of content your audience actually wants to read.

A.I. is great.

But it’s not enough.

If you want to be able to leverage A.I., create a sustainable business, stand out in your market and build something worth building, you’re going to need more.

You’re going to need to lean in to your Authentic Intelligence.

2025 will be the year of Authentic Intelligence

If you want to attract and keep your tribe you’re going to need to lean into the things that make you unique.

You’re going to need Authentic Intelligence.

What is Authentic Intelligence?

Authentic Intelligence is the term I’ve coined to describe what it will mean to show up as genuine, authentic, thoughtful and connected when it comes to marketing and building your brand.

Being authentic is going to matter.

You’re going to need to work out what makes your brand strong and true.

You’re going to need to be clear and consistent about it.

You’re going to need to know where you’re going, what you stand for, and why that should matter to the people you wish to serve.

It’s possible you’ve heard all of this before.

But if you want your business to survive, you’re going to need to actually do it.

It’s time to make authenticity part of your strategy.

To be deliberate about it.

To use Authentic Intelligence.

Why Authentic Intelligence will matter for your brand in 2025 and beyond

Artificial Intelligence is blurring the lines between what is real, and what is not.

Fake voices and fake images. Repetitive content that’s being churned out and put on every other website.

How can we trust that everything a brand says is from the brand? How can we trust content? How can we know what we’re seeing, reading or hearing is true?

Your customers are learning to question everything they see and everything they read.

They’re learning to doubt.

While everyone has been talking about how awesome Artificial Intelligence is going to be for businesses one thing that’s being talked about much less, is the issues A.I. creates with TRUST.

The job of showing our clients that they can trust us will be more important than it ever has been before.

If we trust a brand, we’re much more likely to do business with them.

Authentic Intelligence is the answer.

And the time to start is now.

How to achieve Authentic Intelligence for your brand.

Now that you know that your Authentic Intelligence is the way forward, you’ll be wondering how you can build Authentic Intelligence into your brand.

What does authenticity actually look like? How can you show up as authentic?

How can you “be real” without overdoing it?

There are five key elements you’ll need to implement – they are Connection, Care, Consistency, Leadership and Storytelling.

Here’s how to do it.

Connection

Building connection is key to authenticity.

And at the centre of connection, is understanding your customer.

You need to know how they think. Their thoughts, fears, beliefs and motivations.

Then you need to link how they see the world, and themselves, with your brand.

How are you connected through shared values? How can you make your customer feel as though they’re in the right place? That they belong?

Creating connection doesn’t mean you have to share everything about yourself on social media. It doesn’t mean the absence of boundaries.

It means knowing how you fit into the world of your customer, and showing up in ways that help them feel seen through the connections you choose to create.

Care

If you want to really be connected, you’re going to have to care.

When you care enough about your customer, your product, your vision, your mission and the change you want to see in the world (whatever that looks like for you and your brand), your customers will see it.

You need to take the time to really understand how you fit into your customers world. You need to care about them. And this needs to show up in your marketing.

Caring is a human emotion.

Artificial Intelligence can’t do it. But your Authentic Intelligence can.

Consistency

Authenticity isn’t about being sporadic and acting on every whim.

Sure, being real can sometimes be messy. But being authentic and trustworthy is really about being consistent.

And I don’t mean the number of times you post on your social channels each week, or how often you write your blog.

It’s about being consistent in your message. It’s about doing what you believe in. It’s about showing up for your customers and being true to your vision.

Leadership

One of the challenges of Artificial Intelligence is that we’re all just starting to copy each other into a repetitious black hole.

But if you have an opinion, a vision and a clear path forward then your content will be yours.

It’s time to stand for something.

And you can’t do that if you’re not willing to lead.

It’s time to back yourself. It’s time to lead. It’s time to have an opinion that cannot be replicated by A.I. (and then share that consistently).

Storytelling

“No matter how good A.I. gets, storytellers will be the hardest thing for it to replace.”

— Joe Lazauskas

Great storytelling comes from real, lived experiences.

It comes from our desire for the connection and care that comes from other humans. It comes from leadership. And great storytelling supports the consistency that real authenticity requires.

You will need to learn to create stories that your audience would choose to read, listen to or watch.

And the good news, is that storytelling is a skill, not a talent.

If you want to leverage Authentic Intelligence, then you’ll need to build your storytelling skills.

The fastest way to Authentic Intelligence is Brand Story Strategy

Artificial Intelligence is great. It’s an amazing and powerful tool.

But that’s all it is. A tool. A tactic.

Authentic Intelligence is a strategy.

And A.I. is its most powerful when you leverage it with your Authentic Intelligence.

When you show up as true to your brand (and to yourself) you’re going to build more connection, create a bigger tribe of ideal clients who will love what you bring to their world.

The fastest way to build every element of Authentic Intelligence for your business next year, is with Brand Story Strategy.

If you aren’t clear on your brand vision, brand mission, brand values, points of difference, tribe and brand personality, then it’s impossible to be consistent, be a leader, show you care, create connection and tell the right stories – all the things you need to have to leverage Authentic Intelligence.

As you start to set goals and make plans for what 2025 looks like in your business, make sure that building your Authentic Intelligence with Brand Story Strategy is at the very top of your list.