2025 Social Media Marketing Trends

Today, staying relevant isn’t just about keeping up with trends — it’s also about setting yourself apart. As businesses plan for 2025, the competition for attention is more fierce than ever, and blending in is no longer an option. To succeed, brands must embrace innovative strategies and make them their own, creating content that not only captures attention but sparks meaningful engagement.

Here’s an overview of the social media strategies that will define 2025, along with actionable insights to help your brand stand out. If you’re interested in learning more, we’ve included an eBook download at the end that will provide inspiration, real content examples, and more.

Short-Form Videos = Bite-Sized Brilliance

Video content remains a cornerstone of social media, but short-form videos are stealing the spotlight. In fact, 44% of consumers say they’d most like to watch a short video when they’re learning about a new product or service. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have proven that quick, engaging videos drive significant user interaction. For 2025, focus on delivering high-impact stories in under a minute. Prioritize authenticity, humor, or education — whatever aligns with your brand voice.

Make sure you’re posting your content on the right channels. For example, if your brand targets young adults, TikTok would be the way to go since 36.7% of TikTok users are 18-24 years old.

Social Listening: Tracking Real-Time Conversations

Social media isn’t just for talking; it’s for listening. Social listening tools allow you to track conversations about your brand, competitors, and industry. By understanding what your audience cares about, you can tailor your content to address their needs and interests. This proactive approach fosters deeper connections and builds trust.

There are numerous tools that now allow you to easily track and monitor online conversations. Here at Hounder, we’ve used Sprout Social where you can view sentiment trends, trending hashtags, and more all in one place.

Custom Imagery: Goodbye, Stock Photos

Audiences are craving more authenticity and less polish. Custom imagery, from behind-the-scenes shots to personalized illustrations, will outperform generic visuals. When your content reflects your unique brand identity, it resonates on a deeper level with your audience.

Share pictures of your team and/or real pictures of your products so that customers understand who they’ll interact with and what they’ll receive after their purchase. The worst thing you could do is provide a misleading image that misconstrues expectations for your business’s products or services.

Relatability Rules

Relatable content that showcases real-life experiences, struggles, or humor humanizes your brand. People engage with what they find familiar or genuine. Whether it’s a funny meme, a candid moment, or a heartfelt story, relatability will drive likes, comments, and shares.

However, if you’re brand voice and tone are more on the professional side, it’s important to stay consistent. Don’t completely change your brand on social media just because you want to jump on a bandwagon for a trend. 

Influencer Marketing: Build Credibility

Partnering with influencers isn’t a new strategy, but in 2025, authenticity is the name of the game. Audiences value influencers who genuinely align with a brand's message. Work with creators whose followers overlap with your target audience and who can tell a compelling story about your product or service.

Consumers are purchasing more products and services by social media word of mouth. Now this doesn’t mean you have to immediately go after a Ryan Reynolds-level celebrity. There are differing levels of influencers and it goes as follows:

Mega Influencers: 1M+ Followers

Macro-Influencers: 100K-1M Followers

Micro-Influencers: 10K-100K Followers

Nano-Influencers: Under 10K Followers

Determine when and how your target audience engages with influencers. For example, LinkedIn has found that 67% of B2B buyers engage with influencer content during the consideration and research phase of the buyer journey.

Targeting smaller influencers may be more effective when you’re first starting out. This is simply because these creators often have a niche audience, with a higher engagement rate. You’d much rather partner with an influencer who has 1,000 followers who consistently engage with content than an influencer who has 100,000 followers and a very low engagement rate.

User-Generated Content: Your Audience as Advocates

Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your brand. User-generated content (UGC) not only provides authentic social proof but also builds a sense of community. Feature customer reviews, unboxing videos, or user photos to inspire confidence in potential buyers.

This is an easy way to boost your brand’s reputation, as content creation is now being done by your target customer. Once someone sees the authenticity of user-generated content, it will be more likely that they will trust your brand and what you offer.

Personalization: Speak to Specific Personas

Generic messaging won’t cut it anymore. Personalization — whether it’s customized recommendations, targeted ads, or audience-segmented posts is a game changer. The more specific your content feels, the more likely it is to engage your audience.

Don’t advertise to a large ocean, market to a small pond that will most likely drive conversions. More followers won’t mean anything if they’re the wrong audience.

How to Apply These Social Media Marketing Trends

While these trends represent the future of social media, they’re not one-size-fits-all. The key is to adapt them to your unique audience and business goals. Brainstorm ways to innovate within your industry and explore opportunities that competitors may be overlooking.

For example, if everyone in your industry is posting polished promotional videos, consider creating behind-the-scenes bloopers. If competitors are working with mega-influencers, focus on micro-influencers who offer deeper engagement with niche audiences. Sometimes going against the norm can help you stand out to potential customers.