2025 social media trend predictions

What moves faster? Time flying by (how is it January again) (it was just Summer 5 minutes ago), or social media's algorithm and landscape?

It's no shock to any of us that the landscape on social media continues to evolve rapidly, bringing fresh opportunities for brands, creators, and marketers. This year, trends are expected to take brand and content strategy to new heights, giving us marketers a chance to connect with our audiences on even deeper levels. Understanding these trends (and how to leverage them) will be essential to continuous growth this year.

Here's what you can expect:

short-form video dominance

Short-form videos have become the popular girl in school across platforms, thanks to TikTok’s influence (with other platforms like Instagram REELs and YouTube Shorts embracing the format). In 2025, creating effective short-form video will be about more than just posting a quick clip–it'll be more about crafting high-impact, engaging narratives that hook viewers within the first 3 seconds.

quality over quantity

The days where accounts posting 3 REELs a day were rewarded with a ton of views are over. Algorithms are prioritizing quality over volume, and they're using engagement as the main metric to define quality content. This year, it’s essential to create content that provides value, be it educational, entertaining, or inspirational. Instead of aiming for daily posts, focus on quality storytelling, visual appeal, and relevance.

the rise of AI

AI is here to stay, and many social platforms are finding ways to implement it. While we don't recommend having AI write captions (barf), AI-driven tools can be great for other tasks like analyzing your audience demographics and engagement patterns. Use AI for personalization and to analyze user preferences, allowing you to tailor content recommendations and boost user experience. Additionally, AI-driven customer support chatbots on platforms like Instagram and Facebook Messenger can respond to inquiries around the clock, increasing customer satisfaction (hello, delegation!).

community-building

In 2025, social media success won't be solely about attracting new followers but about engaging your current audience on a deeper level. Community-building will be critical, as users spend more time in their private DMs and stories than scrolling through their feeds. Don’t just respond to comments–initiate the conversation. Comment on people's posts, respond to stories, and focus on developing interactive content to engage your community!

social SEO

With social platforms emerging as search engines (74% of people turn to TikTok or Instagram instead of Google for search purposes) brands will have to think strategically about keywords and search intent to keep their content discoverable. Put yourself in your audience's shoes, think of keywords they'd search for if they were looking for the solution that your product/service offers, and embed those keywords in your copy.

emphasis on UGC and EGC

User-generated content (UGC) and employee-generated content (EGC) build credibility and foster trust within audiences. These forms of content showcase real, relatable experiences, boosting empathy and connection. Start UGC and EGC campaigns for your brand–ask your audience to send in pictures or videos of them reviewing or enjoying your product/service, and try to incorporate your team members into more of your content.

data protection + security

As data privacy concerns rise, brands must be transparent about how they protect users' data. Stricter privacy regulations will require brands to clearly communicate data policies and security measures. Ensure your privacy policy is easy to understand and accessible, consider using multi-step authentication and other safeguards to protect user data, and show your commitment to privacy in your social media posts by keeping this an open topic of conversation.

Keep these top of mind when you map out your content this year, and watch your engagement metrics go up. You're welcome!

Oh, and happy new year!!!