The Social Media Marketing scene is dynamic, fiercely competitive, and ever-changing.
Marketers must remain flexible in the face of regular platform modifications, evolving algorithms, new features that arise (or vanish), and changed customer behaviour, particularly when organic engagement on social networks keeps declining.
Social media is still a potent tool for brands to engage with consumers, forge connections, and increase awareness in spite of these obstacles. It can be difficult to keep up with trends and find the best chances for brand expansion, though, with so many platforms to choose from.
The constantly changing social media ecosystem only serves to increase the complexity. In addition to announcing plans to phase out fact-checkers and reducing diversity and inclusion initiatives, Meta is currently the subject of an EU probe. The future of TikTok in the US is still up in the air.
At DMI, we work with experts and keep a close eye on industry developments to stay ahead of the curve. These are the main social media marketing trends to keep an eye on in 2025.
- The battle between X, Bluesky, and Threads
- AI in social media
- The rise of employee-generated content (EGC)
- Is it the death of hashtags?
- Short-form video dominates
- Customer content overshadows influencers
- Security and regulation on social media
1. The battle between X, Bluesky and Threads
Marketers were left wondering about the future of X after billionaire Elon Musk purchased the platform in 2022.
The controversies started shortly after X was rebranded. The network has experienced a lot of upheaval, from reintroducing banned users to being accused of disseminating false information and arguing with big sponsors, which led to a widespread boycott.
Due to these changes, a lot of users are looking for alternatives to X. The Guardian claims that in the two months after the November 2024 election, the network lost almost 2.7 million active users in the United States. In the same time frame, Bluesky, a social media site, added about 2.5 million subscribers.
Jack Dorsey, the original founder of X, founded Bluesky, a decentralised platform that allows users to communicate brief messages, pictures, and videos. It has become a desirable substitute due to its resemblance to X and its intuitive UI.
Bluesky is promoting itself as a genuine rival to X and a doorway to the open web, with more than 26 million users and counting. Companies like Red Bull and Xbox have reserved their handles, while Netflix, Duolingo, and The Guardian (which openly abandoned X) have already set up accounts.
Even if Bluesky is becoming more popular, Threads is having a greater influence. Threads has already accumulated 275 million users since its 2023 launch, which is an impressive accomplishment in such a short period of time.
Since Threads was created by the Instagram team, its strong integration with Meta is what makes it unique. With Meta’s support, the platform is preparing to provide further brand marketing opportunities. Businesses such as Reddit, which has already amassed 191,000 followers on Threads, are beginning to profit from its expanding user base.
2) AI in social media
Social media is not an exception to how AI is transforming digital marketing. AI is being incorporated by major platforms to improve features and expedite processes at scale.
AI is being used by marketers to create social media material, such as text, photos, videos, and even virtual influencers. AI is essential for data analysis, personalisation, automated customer support via sophisticated chatbots, and social media advertising optimisation in addition to content production.
The largest benefit of utilising AI in social media, according to Statista, is increased efficiency, which is cited by 38% of marketers. This is followed by easier idea generation (34%) and higher content output (33%).
For creating content, programmes like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Midjourney are now frequently utilised. Nonetheless, a lot of marketers have come to understand that the quality of the input is what determines how effective AI is.
Alison Battisby, a social media specialist, stresses the value of carefully utilising prompts. “There are clever methods to use AI to personalise your social media copy. Giving precise directions in your prompts, like defining voice, tone, or terms to avoid, enables AI to provide more specialised material, she suggests.
Social Media Marketing is also changing as a result of AI. For example, TikTok recently unveiled TikTok Smart+, a performance solution driven by AI that automates campaign management tasks including bidding, targeting, and creative optimisation.
3) The rise of employee-generated content (EGC)
81% of customers believe that brand trust is crucial when making a purchasing decision, per Edelman’s Trust Barometer. This emphasises the increasing need for authenticity, and it is the duty of businesses to exhibit it through their marketing and CSR initiatives.
Marketers have long understood how effective user-generated content is at increasing brand recognition and swaying consumer decisions. However, what about content created by employees?
Employee-generated material may be a potent means of demonstrating a brand’s personality and values, since people look for brands they can trust. This kind of content was previously mostly seen on LinkedIn, but it is now also appearing on Instagram and TikTok.
One excellent example is the international lifestyle brand Anthropologie, which showcases its staff in video that offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the corporate culture in addition to showcasing its products.
Content created by employees may also be a useful recruitment tool. Authentic insights from staff members help prospective hires relate to your brand and may even motivate them to join your team.
Advantage: EGC doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. Keep it simple: produce a podcast to share your employees’ experiences, ask them to contribute to a blog, or use a smartphone to take videos.
4) Is it the death of hashtags?
On social media, hashtags have long been used to increase the discoverability of content.
Nevertheless, spammers have been using popular hashtags to promote content to users in recent years, clogging feeds and degrading user experience. Some platforms have begun to reduce their use of hashtags in response.
Instagram declared at the end of 2024 that the hashtag following feature would no longer be available. Furthermore, users’ main feeds will no longer display posts or Reels from hashtags they have previously followed.
“Hashtags are becoming outdated and aren’t driving the same engagement as before since all words in captions are now being ranked,” says social media analyst Alison Battisby.
This change implies that hashtags aren’t as useful as they used to be. Hashtags are no longer as important in content discovery as they once were since social media algorithms are getting better at figuring out user preferences.
Pro Tip: More people are using social media to find products, investigate brands, and watch how-to videos. Younger generations now primarily use TikTok as their search engine, therefore optimising social media material for search visibility is crucial.
5) Short-form video dominates
Video has long been a staple of Social Media Marketing, but the rise of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts has fueled a surge in short-form video content.
Meta reports that video now accounts for 60% of the time spent on Facebook and Instagram.
With endless content competing for attention and user focus shrinking, short-form video offers brands a powerful way to engage audiences with quick, impactful messages. The key is authenticity—using storytelling to deliver meaningful content in a concise and compelling way.
Here are some pointers for making excellent short-form videos:
- Construct for vertical viewing
- Make use of audio
- Incorporate the “safe zone,” which is the portion of the screen that is not obscured by handles, descriptions, song titles, captions, or social reaction buttons.
- Keep it brief.
- Create a compelling caption.
6) Customer content overshadows influencer content
Even if influencer marketing is still successful, a lot of firms are refocusing their efforts to include consumers in their campaigns.
Some businesses have already come under fire for treating influencers like a “social media elite” and giving them priority. Consequently, companies are reconsidering their approaches and figuring out how to interact with their clients directly.
Brands may avoid unfavourable views, promote deeper interaction, boost user-generated content, and develop strong brand loyalty by centring their campaigns around their customers. This strategy creates “immeasurable” good mood, which is essential for retaining customers, according to Business of Fashion.
For example, the skincare company Topicals invited both influencers and regular consumers to a “community trip” to France; they intend to use this strategy for future events. According to Natalie Browne Holmes, Director of Community and Social Impact at Topicals, having consumers is a “need to have, not a nice to have.”
In a similar vein, cosmetics company Refy brought together its most active community members for a special brand experience by hosting an exclusive retreat at a branded house in Mallorca.
This change creates opportunities for well-known businesses. Engage directly with your consumers and provide them with exclusive VIP experiences to build stronger relationships if you have a sizable subscriber list.
7) Security and regulation of social media marekting
Concerns over online safety and privacy, especially with regard to younger users, have led to an increase in criticism of social media companies and even legal action.
By declaring a ban on minors under 16 using social media, Australia has taken a brave stand. Non-compliance will result in fines of A$50 million ($32.5 million or £25.7 million) for the platforms. The details of this legislation, which is scheduled to go into force in 2026, are yet unknown, but marketers should be aware of this development.
Facebook and Instagram are being investigated in Europe due to worries that their platforms harm mental health and encourage compulsive behavior among kids.
Meta’s recent decision to discontinue utilizing third-party fact-checkers on Facebook in the U.S. is being seen as a step backward for platform safety, even though additional security measures have been implemented, such as age verification tools and stronger privacy policies for minors.
Policymakers and consumers are concerned about this approach, and advertising executives told The Financial Times that they are reconsidering their plans to promote on Meta’s platforms because of the risks to brand safety. According to Meta, it will instead depend on users to report false information, much like Instagram and Threads do with content management.
In keeping with businesses like Amazon and McDonald’s that have reduced employment and training programs in response to political and legal pressure, Meta has also revealed plans to scale back its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
The Senate has decided that TikTok must either close down or sell its U.S. operations because of national security concerns regarding its Chinese ownership, leaving the company’s future in the United States unknown.
These changes demonstrate the growing ambiguity surrounding social networking sites. One thing is certain, though: government supervision and privacy laws will be very important in determining their destiny.
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