2025 – a big year, in a little package
At Oracle Tree, the last few months of the year are never a wind-down. They’re more like a well-timed sprint to the finish line. And 2025 was no exception. Between Black Friday promos and Christmas campaigns, we’ve been busy. We’ve also been helping clients set themselves up properly so they can take a break and really switch off over the holiday period. Behind the scenes, we’ve been keeping the marketing wheels turning. Not just for the holiday period, but so that the new year starts with clarity, not chaos.
If there’s one thing 2025 taught us, it’s that progress doesn’t always feel dramatic.
Sometimes it sneaks up quietly. You look back and realise: things have actually moved quite a lot! You’ve grown. You’ve evolved. Even if it didn’t always feel like it at the time.
So, before we sign off and head away for our end-of-year break, we’ve taken the time – as we do every year – to pause, reflect, and take stock.
2025 in Nut Shell
This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming some brilliant new businesses into the Oracle Tree family. Dalmatian Concreters, Flexiwell, Hardwood Projects, and Smoke Control New Zealand all came on board. While continuing to support long-time legends like Cobalt Construction, Enviro Waste Management, and Nebo Hotel.
A special shout-out to Jacki and Miles Astley from Astley Electrical, who hit a milestone with us in August: six years of working together! It’s been a privilege to play a small part in their journey since 2020. That journey has seen them grow to a team of 15+, put succession plans in place, and find the freedom they needed. Freedom to carve out the kind of life they always envisioned for themselves and their family.
We’re really looking forward to helping them celebrate 20 years in business in 2026 and look forward to many more.
One of the biggest shifts we noticed this year was renewed demand for more “traditional” marketing assets. Yes, technologies are still evolving quickly (and we’re using them smartly behind the scenes), but what’s really working for many of our clients right now are the classics. We saw renewed interest in beautiful printed brochures and high-quality business cards. Real human email nurture sequences made a strong return. Branded stationery and offline referral strategies also saw a welcome resurgence.
Why? Because people are craving connections that feel real – not just clever. Authentic, human-centred content consistently outperformed automated content across our client work this year. People are craving content that feels real – the kind that makes them feel seen, understood, or invited into something. The digital tools are still vital (and we’ll keep using them), but they’re landing best when they’re part of a more human, multi-touch approach.
Marketing strategies with roots and branches – not just leaves blowing in the wind.
A Few, Special Standout Moments
One of our proudest moments this year was the success of the 2025 Nebo Hotel Street Party – a regional event that’s grown from a local pub gig into a full-scale tourism drawcard. With over 7,800 attendees in 2025 and a 68% increase in event revenue since 2023, the numbers speak for themselves. We were behind the marketing strategy across digital, social, and campaign content, helping promote this event to a broader audience. The result? A sold-out weekend, 10,000+ social engagements, and more than $300,000 injected directly into the local economy. A huge win for our client, and a reminder of the power of good strategy, strong storytelling, and community connection.
Another highlight this year has been the results we’ve achieved for Dalmatian Concreters – a family run business in Adelaide, SA. By adding high-intent service pages and leaning into a storytelling-first social strategy, we’ve driven real traction. That includes a 149% increase in website users, a 204% lift in Facebook reach, and 158% more engagement on Instagram. Their total social following has more than doubled to nearly 2,000 across four platforms, boosting both visibility and share of voice in their market. Proof that when strategy, content, and consistency align, you don’t need a massive spend to make a meaningful impact.
Another standout this year was Enviro Waste Management’s Bags for Boobs campaign – a simple but powerful idea that raised over $2,200 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For every E-Bag™ changed-over in May, a donation was made by the EWM team. The idea for this campaign came out of our early strategy work together. Oracle Tree was proud to support it with refreshed brand assets, landing pages, and social content. Together, these helped turn routine site cleans into a vehicle for community impact. A great example of brand values brought to life in a way that made sense and made a difference.
At Oracle Tree, giving back is also part of how we do business, every day. Through our ongoing partnership with B1G1, we tie everyday actions – like new followers, strategy sessions, and social engagement – to causes that create real world change. These aren’t random acts of charity. They’re part of how we grow, because real impact often happens in small, steady steps. And we believe that growing businesses can help grow a better world.
What will 2026 look like?
If 2025 was the year of returning to real connection, then 2026 is shaping up to be the year of shifting gears – for us as well! Businesses not only need more visibility, but marketing systems that have built-in conversion.
We’re especially excited about a range of email lead nurture systems we’ve been quietly building and testing behind the scenes this year. Particularly a Lead Engagement Scoring matrix. It’s designed to help you identify which leads in your database are warm and ready for a personal follow-up. And which ones need a little more warming up first.
CRM strategies are now essential, not optional, for business growth. With more and more brands turning their database assets into real-world revenue. Paid ads are getting more expensive, and social platforms are noisier than ever – but owned assets like an email database will always hold strong.
How We Are Meeting The Market
Our Social Media Strategy & Identity Guide officially became a standalone product this year. Previously, this was something we only delivered as part of a full brand strategy or ongoing engagement. It’s now available as a one-off for businesses that are either launching, or looking to build a more consistent and confident online presence. It’s practical, not just pretty. Designed to be used by internal teams, third-party contractors, or even other agencies. The goal? To keep your brand identity strong, aligned, and working hard across every channel.
We’ve now got a range of stand-alone products launching in January that we’re really excited about, so stay tuned for updates about the Oracle Tree “shop” in early 2026!
We also spent a lot of time this year refining how we report on results and ROI so that our clients can actually see what’s working, not just guess. It might seem like a small thing, but clarity around performance is what helps us unlock smart, confident decisions.
We’ve also been laying the groundwork for new strategic partnerships in 2026. These are carefully chosen collaborators who share our values. Together, we’ll be able to bring even more value to your table. We can’t say too much just yet, but we’re excited about what’s coming and look forward to sharing more in the new year.
For now, just know that if you’re feeling that itch to get sharper and more effective, just know you’re not alone.
The Heart Behind The Work
The Oracle Tree crew keeps growing in the best way! This year we welcomed Maddy (Senior Social Media Coordinator) and Sofia (Graphic Designer) who both have slotted right in and brought new ideas and energy with them. We said a happy farewell to Nikki, who welcomed her first child in October and Jennaya went and got engaged!
After moving from the Central Coast NSW to the Gold Coast last year, Marama settled into her new Queensland life nicely, and made health and happiness her 2025 priority. She’s particularly enjoyed being active in the business community up there, both as a mentor and learning from others.
Venetia hit her five-year work anniversary with us in October, and what a five years it’s been! Initially joining the team with a newborn, she now has two school-aged kids, and has lived in three different cities. What started as a casual coordination gig has grown into leading our entire digital marketing department. Venetia’s fingerprints are across nearly every campaign we run, and her calm, strategic brain is one of the reasons so many of our clients feel genuinely supported.
We’re still a 100% virtual agency, spread across the world, but the team spirit is strong here. This year we kept that energy alive in all sorts of ways. From virtual drinks and cupcake deliveries, to online escape rooms, birthday calls, and the all-important thread of memes that fuels our daily chat. We’re a remote team, but a close one. And that’s something we’re proud of.
We’re Excited To Be Looking Ahead
Looking ahead to 2026, our focus remains the same: helping good businesses grow by making marketing simpler, clearer, and more effective. We’ll keep exploring smarter tools that make life easier for business owners, without losing that human touch.
Whether you worked with us directly, joined a workshop, shared our content, or just cheered us on this year – thank you! We’re genuinely grateful to have you in our world.
Here’s to a proper break, a fresh start, and a 2026 built with clarity, confidence, and momentum.
See you in the new year,
The Oracle Tree team
If you’re looking to sharpen your marketing, streamline your systems, or finally build a brand that reflects your business, let’s talk. Book a free strategy call with our team and we’ll help you map out what’s next—no pressure, no jargon, just clear steps towards growth.
