Small businesses are the backbone of the global economy, but the landscape is rapidly evolving. Constant Contact’s latest Small Business Now report, based on insights from 1,600 small businesses across the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada, highlights how new entrepreneurs are adapting. The findings show a strong reliance on social media, growing interest in AI-driven marketing, and an optimistic yet realistic approach to economic challenges in 2025.

Findings from the Report

1. Optimism and Resilience Amid Economic Uncertainty

Despite economic headwinds, new SMBs remain confident about growth but acknowledge key challenges.

• 45% of new business owners feel very confident in their growth potential for 2025.
• 35% believe economic conditions will significantly impact their success.
• 52% identify customer acquisition as their biggest marketing challenge, followed by customer retention (28%) and learning new marketing technologies (27%).
• 95% of entrepreneurs say they would start their business again, with 71% feeling excited and 57% feeling proud to be small business owners.

2. Social-First Marketing, But a Push for Diversification

Social media dominates SMB marketing strategies, but many are now exploring other channels.

• 63% of SMBs rely on social media as their primary marketing channel.
• 54% plan to continue prioritizing social media in 2025.
• 33% see email marketing as an underutilized tool for converting leads and building long-term customer relationships.
• Only 15% leverage SMS marketing, despite its high engagement rates.

3. AI and Technology as Growth Drivers

New entrepreneurs increasingly turn to AI for marketing automation, personalization, and data analysis.

• 91% of new SMBs say technology has been essential to their business growth.
• 72% plan to integrate AI into their marketing strategies in 2025.
• 41% of the most confident SMB owners already use AI to analyze customer data.
• Top AI marketing use cases include:
  • Content creation & brainstorming (37%)
  • Customer data analysis (32%)
  • Personalized messaging (31%)
• 38% of SMBs plan to learn new marketing strategies and tools, while 28% will use AI/automation to overcome business challenges.

The 2025 small business landscape is defined by resilience, adaptability, and a tech-forward mindset. While social media remains the dominant marketing channel, SMBs recognize the importance of diversifying their strategies, embracing email and SMS marketing, and leveraging AI for efficiency and personalization. Constant Contact’s findings highlight that new entrepreneurs are not just surviving but actively redefining success in a changing economic environment.

The rise of aggressive adblockers has significantly impacted publishers, with 20-30% of total ad inventory now blocked—resulting in unmonetized impressions and lost revenue. To combat this challenge, Next Millennium, a leader in programmatic advertising, has partnered with Ad-Shield to help publishers recover revenue from ad-blocked traffic through its Full Stack Monetization Engine.

This collaboration enables publishers to serve ads to previously unreachable audiences, effectively addressing both traditional and brutal adblockers that bypass legacy recovery solutions.

Benefits of the Partnership

1. Addressing the Adblock Challenge

• 70% of blocked impressions come from aggressive "brutal" adblockers that traditional adblock recovery tools fail to counter.
• Ad-Shield's proprietary technology recovers lost ad inventory from both dark traffic (unmeasured ad-blocked impressions) and already addressable adblock traffic.
• Publishers using Next Millennium's Full Stack Monetization Engine can now serve high-quality ads to adblock users.

2. Proven Revenue Growth for Publishers

• Publishers leveraging this solution have experienced an 8-15% increase in daily ad revenue.
• Ad-Shield’s technology enhances conversion rates and ROI, ensuring publishers monetize previously lost impressions.
• The partnership allows publishers to focus on content creation rather than revenue recovery.

3. Seamless Integration & Premium Demand Access

• Next Millennium is a Google-certified partner, connecting publishers to premium demand sources through thousands of private deals and major ad exchanges.
• The Full Stack Monetization Engine integrates seamlessly into publishers' ad tech stack, optimizing revenue without disrupting user experience.
• Next Millennium functions as an extension of publishers' in-house teams, providing programmatic expertise and adaptable solutions.

Industry Leaders on the Partnership

"Through our partnership with Ad-Shield, we are empowering publishers with a sophisticated, all-in-one solution designed to manage every aspect of ad monetization."
— Lazar Rubin, CEO of Next Millennium

"Adblocked traffic represents a substantial challenge to publishers, but our technology has proven to effectively address and monetize the full range of adblock traffic, generating material revenue uplift."
— Dustin Cha, Co-Founder & CSO of Ad-Shield

The Next Millennium x Ad-Shield partnership is a game-changer for publishers looking to combat adblockers, reclaim lost revenue, and optimize their ad monetization strategies. By integrating Ad-Shield’s cutting-edge technology, publishers can serve ads to previously blocked audiences, improve ROI, and future-proof their advertising revenue streams.

Violet PR, PRSA’s "Best Boutique Agency" of 2024, has unveiled a bold new rebrand, reinforcing its expertise in economic development and real estate PR. The New Jersey-based agency's refreshed website, logo, and social media presence highlight its data-driven and creative approach to securing high-impact media coverage for cities, states, and global organizations.

"Our refreshed brand and 'We Write the Future' tagline reflect the resilience and innovation that define our work," said April Mason, President and Founder of Violet PR. "It’s a promise to the communities, businesses, and organizations we serve that we are committed to telling their stories to the world."

Why the Rebrand Matters

1. A Clear Focus on Economic Growth & Talent Attraction

• With 2024's shifting global priorities, AI advancements, and policy changes, economic development messaging has never been more critical.
• Violet PR is doubling down on its role as a key strategic partner for cities, states, and countries seeking to position themselves for growth, investment, and innovation.

2. Industry-Leading PR Results

• In 2024 alone, Violet PR secured 1,679 earned media placements for its clients.
• The agency’s media outreach reached an estimated 33 billion people worldwide, amplifying economic development success stories on a global scale.

"Few public relations agencies understand how to bring complex economic and real estate development narratives to market as carefully and as effectively as we do," said Christina Forrest, Vice President of Violet PR.

3. High-Profile Clients & Geographic Reach

• Violet PR represents states such as Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
• The agency also works with leading metro areas, including:
  • Buffalo, NY
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Lehigh Valley, PA
  • Newark, NJ
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • Lincoln, NE
  • Topeka, KS

Recent Media Highlights

Violet PR’s storytelling expertise has led to major media placements, including:

• Forbes: Featured Newark’s surging tech scene, vibrant arts sector, and infrastructure growth.
• Nasdaq TradeTalks: Interviewed Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. CEO Lindsay Greene on the evolving energy industry landscape.
• POLITICO Tech Podcast: Hosted Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, positioning the state as a leader in technology, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

With its revitalized brand identity, Violet PR is reinforcing its role as a top PR partner for economic development and real estate organizations. As cities and states compete for talent, investment, and innovation, the firm remains committed to delivering strategic storytelling that shapes the future of economies and communities worldwide.

As digital marketing agencies struggle with declining lead flow from traditional directories, a new player is rewriting the rules. Moonfruit.com, a high-authority platform (DA 83) relaunched in fall 2024, is rapidly gaining traction as a top directory for marketing agencies looking to improve SEO rankings, visibility, and lead generation.

With traditional directories experiencing traffic declines and rising costs, Moonfruit is positioning itself as the next evolution—offering agencies a fresh, growth-focused alternative with real, measurable benefits.

"The digital directory landscape has become stagnant, overpriced, and ineffective for many top digital marketing agencies," said Jason Porter at Moonfruit. "We built Moonfruit to be the fresh, aggressive alternative—one that's designed for growth and early adopters who recognize the power of getting in at the right time."

Why Digital Agencies Are Choosing Moonfruit

1. High-Authority SEO Benefits

• Agencies listed on Moonfruit receive instant high-value backlinks, improving search rankings and domain authority.
• With a domain authority of 83 (DA 83), Moonfruit is rapidly gaining search visibility, helping agencies outperform competitors.

2. Early-Bird Pricing & First-Mover Advantage

• Founding members lock in the best rates before prices increase with demand.
• Agencies that join early secure premium placement, ensuring maximum visibility before competitors flood in.

3. Growing SEO Momentum

• Moonfruit is already ranking well on Google and climbing toward dominance in key search terms.
• The platform is actively investing in SEO, making it a stronger alternative to directories with declining traffic.

4. A Better Alternative to Outdated Directories

• Traditional directories charge high fees with diminishing returns—Moonfruit is designed for long-term growth.
• The platform focuses on lead generation, exposure, and measurable marketing success, rather than just listings.

How Moonfruit is Changing the Game

Unlike generic directories, Moonfruit isn’t just a listing service—it’s a strategic SEO powerhouse designed to elevate digital marketing agencies.

"We’re shaping a platform that delivers real value," said Porter. "Moonfruit isn't about just listing your agency; it's about positioning your business for success in an evolving digital landscape."

For digital marketing agencies looking to boost visibility, improve SEO, and gain sustainable leads, Moonfruit offers a powerful, first-mover advantage. As the directory landscape evolves, agencies that adapt early will reap the benefits of high-authority exposure, better rankings, and long-term growth.

OpsGuru has announced its achievement of the AWS Small and Medium Business Competency, a designation that recognizes its expertise in helping SMBs leverage AWS solutions for growth and innovation. This distinction highlights OpsGuru’s ability to address SMB-specific challenges with customized cloud, AI, and modernization strategies.

"OpsGuru is incredibly proud to achieve the AWS Small and Medium Business Competency," said Ryan Smyth, President & CEO of OpsGuru. "This achievement underscores our commitment to delivering tailored cloud solutions, including AI-powered tools, that empower SMBs to thrive."

How OpsGuru Helps SMBs Succeed on AWS

The AWS Competency Program identifies best-in-class AWS Partners with deep industry expertise. With this recognition, OpsGuru provides specialized solutions tailored to SMB needs, including:

1. Data Modernization & Generative AI

• Helps SMBs harness AI and modern data tools to extract insights, enhance decision-making, and drive business innovation.

2. Cloud Migration & Modernization

• Moves beyond traditional “lift and shift” strategies by modernizing applications and infrastructure for security, agility, and cost efficiency.

3. Cloud-Native Development

• Enables development teams to build, deploy, and manage scalable applications using modern AWS technologies and best practices.

4. Managed Cloud Operations

• Provides 24/7/365 monitoring and cost optimization, allowing SMBs to focus on their core business while ensuring cloud security and performance.

Customer Success: Driving Business Growth with AWS

OpsGuru’s expertise has delivered real business impact for SMBs.

"OpsGuru has been a true partner in our cloud journey," said Troy Heibein, Chief Commercial Officer of StellarAlgo. "Their proactive support and expert guidance keep us ahead of the curve. We're thrilled to see them recognized for their outstanding work with SMBs."

With its AWS SMB Competency, OpsGuru reinforces its position as a trusted cloud partner for small and medium-sized businesses. Whether it’s leveraging AI, optimizing cloud operations, or modernizing infrastructure, OpsGuru empowers SMBs to scale efficiently and innovate confidently in the AWS ecosystem.

Soft2Bet, a leading provider of turnkey B2B solutions, has unveiled how its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) has transformed operations—accelerating product delivery, enhancing user experiences, and reducing operational costs. The AWS case study highlights Soft2Bet’s successful cloud integration, positioning the company as an industry innovator in gaming and casino infrastructure.

Challenges Before AWS Migration

Before migrating to AWS, Soft2Bet faced several operational bottlenecks, including:

• Fragmented data sources limiting real-time insights.
• High infrastructure costs due to inefficiencies.
• Slow product rollouts delaying market expansion.
• Latency issues affecting user experience.

To address these challenges, Soft2Bet prioritized real-time analytics, cost optimization, and enhanced scalability to support its cutting-edge casino server solutions.

How Soft2Bet Optimized Operations with AWS

By collaborating with AWS Partner Snowflake, Soft2Bet implemented a scalable, cloud-powered data ecosystem utilizing:

• Amazon S3 for secure, high-capacity data storage.
• Amazon RDS for efficient database management.
• Snowflake (via AWS Marketplace) for seamless, scalable data integration.

This tech stack eliminated scaling limitations, providing faster data access, reduced infrastructure costs, and improved agility for Soft2Bet’s operations.

Game-Changing Results & Performance Boosts

The AWS-powered transformation delivered tangible business benefits:

1. Operational Cost Reductions

• 55% reduction in compute costs, enabling better resource allocation.

2. Faster Time to Market

• 200% improvement in product rollout speed.
• 70% reduction in partner onboarding time, streamlining collaborations.

3. Superior User Experiences

• Lower latency and smoother interactions boost player engagement.
• MEGA, Soft2Bet’s proprietary gamification platform, benefits from AWS-powered infrastructure, delivering industry-leading retention rates.

Driving Future Innovation in Gaming

"The collaboration with AWS has transformed our operations," said Yoel Zuckerberg, Chief Product Officer at Soft2Bet. "We now have the agility to draw business insights quickly, connect to as many data sources as needed, and most importantly, drive better results for our clients."

With real-time data access, scalable cloud infrastructure, and enhanced cost efficiency, Soft2Bet sets a new benchmark for gaming and casino providers seeking next-generation cloud solutions.

Soft2Bet’s AWS-powered digital transformation showcases the impact of cloud-driven innovation. With faster product rollouts, reduced costs, and improved user engagement, the company remains at the forefront of B2B gaming solutions, continuously enhancing its tech capabilities to meet evolving market demands.

Social media veterans Kevin Rose (Founder of Digg) and Alexis Ohanian (Founder of Reddit) have acquired Digg with a bold new vision—to create an AI-enhanced, community-driven platform that restores the internet’s original spirit of discovery and connection. Their mission is to address the toxic, cluttered, and exhausting nature of modern social platforms by blending human moderation with AI-powered support.

Why Now? The State of Online Communities

Today’s social media landscape is plagued by:

• Misinformation & spam, making content discovery difficult.
• Hostile interactions, reducing meaningful engagement.
• Overburdened moderators, struggling to maintain quality discussions.

The new Digg aims to fix these issues by combining lessons from Digg’s past, Reddit’s evolution, and modern AI innovations.

The History & Evolution of Digg

Launched in 2004, Digg pioneered the crowdsourced voting model, allowing users to upvote (“digg”) or downvote (“bury”) content. It became the "homepage of the internet", peaking at 40 million monthly users before declining and being sold in 2012.

Rose, who previously declined opportunities to repurchase Digg, now sees AI as a game-changer that can revolutionize content moderation and user experience.

What’s Different About Digg 2.0?

Rose and Ohanian’s vision for the new Digg includes:

1. AI-Powered Moderation & Discovery

• AI as a co-pilot, assisting human moderators without replacing them.
• Enhanced filtering, reducing spam and misinformation while promoting valuable content.

2. More Control & Transparency for Users & Moderators

• Better community tools to reward engagement and improve discussion quality.
• Decentralized moderation, allowing users to shape the content they see.

3. Mobile-First & Creator-Friendly Approach

• Optimized mobile experience to encourage engagement on-the-go.
• Incentives for community managers & content creators, ensuring sustainable growth.

Leadership & Backing

The relaunch is backed by True Ventures and Seven Seven Six, with a leadership team deeply rooted in product innovation:

• Kevin Rose (Board Chair, Investor, Advisor)
• Alexis Ohanian (Co-Owner, Board Member)
• Justin Mezzell (CEO, former design leader at Google, Facebook, and Twitter)
• Tony Conrad (True Ventures Partner & Board Member)

Additionally, Rose’s recent revival of "diggnation" with Alex Albrecht has reignited enthusiasm for Digg, proving that now is the right time for a comeback.

The reimagined Digg isn’t just a return—it’s an evolution. By leveraging AI to empower, not replace, human interaction, Rose and Ohanian are creating a platform that values transparency, community, and genuine discovery.

With invites rolling out in the coming weeks, the internet is about to welcome back a smarter, more community-driven Digg—one built for the digital age.

Datonics, a leading audience data company, has become the first data provider in the advertising industry to achieve CarbonNeutral® enterprise certification. This milestone underscores Datonics' commitment to corporate sustainability and serves as a blueprint for the ad tech sector to reduce its carbon footprint.

How Datonics Achieved CarbonNeutral® Certification

To attain CarbonNeutral® status, Datonics:

• Conducted a 2023 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report, following ISO 14064-1 standards and the GHG Protocol.
• Partnered with Alpine Project for climate consultancy.
• Underwent third-party verification by Cameron-Cole, accredited under ISO 14065 by the American National Institute of Standards (ANSI).
• Invested in verified carbon reduction and removal projects via Climate Impact Partners.

Investments in Carbon Offset Projects

As part of its sustainability efforts, Datonics contributed to global climate action projects, including:

• Kulera REDD+ Forest Conservation (Malawi) – Project ID: VCS1168
• Five States Solar Power Project (India) – Project ID: VCS1851
• Ecofiltro Clean Water & Cooking (Guatemala) – Project ID: GS1321
• Mississippi Valley Reforestation (United States) – Project ID: ACR114

Beyond Certification: Datonics' Long-Term Sustainability Commitments

In addition to its carbon neutrality efforts, Datonics has:

• Joined The Climate Registry, a global non-profit tracking corporate GHG emissions.
• Partnered with Ad Net Zero (US Chapter) to support emission reductions across advertising operations.

Industry Recognition & Leadership

John Osborn, Director, Ad Net Zero:

"Datonics is setting a great example of sustainability leadership and making significant contributions to decarbonizing the advertising, media, and data ecosystem."

Michael Benedek, CEO, Datonics:

"We are proud to be the first audience data provider to achieve CarbonNeutral® certification. Sustainability is a core value for us, and we will continue focusing on reducing our industry's environmental impact."

Datonics' achievement in carbon neutrality paves the way for sustainable transformation in the advertising industry. By leveraging verified climate investments and transparent emissions tracking, Datonics sets a new industry benchmark for corporate responsibility.