Social Media Trends to Watch in 2025

With hundreds of thousands of brands advertising on social media, businesses are becoming more important than ever to stand out. Fortunately, learning about the top social media trends for 2025 can help you prepare your company for success. You might have to think creatively and try different platforms, but you'll grab more customers as your competition lags behind.

Shocking Content

Most brands try to avoid controversy. However, shocking content isn't necessarily offensive. A skilled marketer could create a shocking video clip that circulates the Internet, generates news headlines, and gets people talking about the brand without upsetting people. Some might criticize the marketing as "strange" or "creepy," but they won't actively boycott the brand.

For example, in March 2025, KFC released a creepy advertisement that shows a cult worshipping a giant egg. At the end of the clip, a woman dunks a man in gravy and turns him into a giant piece of fried chicken. This is a far cry from traditional restaurant marketing, which focuses on clean restaurants, friendly employees, and delicious food.

Internet commenters expressed shock and confusion, but the video earned over a million views and made news headlines, with one article calling the clip a "magnificent ad." This advertisement stirred up more publicity than a generic commercial, and while it creeped people out, it didn't anger or offend anyone.

As a result, more businesses are trying a surreal marketing approach. Theoretically, this could work for any business--in fact, it's more surprising when it comes from a company with a stuffier reputation. However, you also risk alienating part of your audience, so you'll have to handle the situation carefully. Try embracing surrealism or weird humor for a single post and see where it takes you.

Generative AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly one of the top social media trends for 2025. Brands use generative AI to create images, captions, voiceovers, music, concepts, blog posts, and video clips. Many AI platforms are free or come with a monthly subscription, allowing you to generate content at a low price.

However, this doesn't mean that you should replace half your workforce with bots. Many companies have faced controversy for incorrectly or irresponsibly using AI. AI-generated visuals and text are particularly controversial because they take jobs from human artists and writers. As a result, many consumers are boycotting brands that blatantly use AI in their marketing materials.

Still, AI has its uses behind the scenes. You could use AI for research, brainstorming, summarization, extraction, or clarification. Some brands use AI for the rough draft and hire employees to complete the job. With real people reviewing your materials, you're less likely to have factual inaccuracies or images with strange artifacts.

In any case, AI allows companies to generate content faster than ever. Many businesses watch their competitors share multiple posts daily and turn to AI to compete. This leads consumers to expect regular updates. If you don't post anything for a week or two, they might unfollow you and assume you've gone out of business.

To stay on top, stick to your content calendar and produce extra content for emergencies. Try to produce content at least a month ahead so that you're not rushing to create posts at the last minute. Your creation team can produce quality, professional pieces when you take time.

Most businesses acknowledge holidays and major events, so keep these on schedule. You could also spotlight your company's achievements and anniversaries.

Authentic Voices

After decades of advertising, people tire of polished images, artificial voices, and false promises. If you've ever submitted a complaint and received a generic form letter that didn't resolve the issue, you understand this struggle. Likewise, while marketing is supposed to make your brand look appealing, many companies oversell their product. Items that look big and flashy online are often small and disappointing when you receive them in the mail.

As a result, consumers are seeking real, authentic voices in advertising. Of course, you can't be honest about everything without stirring up controversy, giving away company secrets, or revealing your business's weak spots. However, you can choose authenticity and reliability while maintaining your reputation.

Honest communication with real people is one way to make your brand look genuine. Hire employees to write personalized responses to emails and social media comments without using bots or ChatGPT. You can install chatbots on your website for basic questions, but ensure that customers can talk to real people anytime.

Similarly, give followers the occasional glimpse into your life. Upload an unpolished clip of you walking through the factory, heading to a conference, or getting ready for a meeting. This shows customers that human beings are working behind the scenes, not faceless robots.

If you're the owner or CEO of your business, film the occasional video where you talk to customers directly. You could answer questions, discuss recent accomplishments and setbacks, or simply thank them for their business. Personal connections give you an edge over companies that portray their CEOs as distant, untouchable figures.

Finally, aim for truthful advertising. Nobody expects you to highlight your product's flaws, but avoid exaggerating the features or uploading airbrushed images. Simply tell customers what makes your product great without an over-the-top sales pitch.

Smart Trend-chasing

Jumping on trends while still hot might seem like a good idea. However, most consumers can immediately spot branded content and are tired of businesses trying to look "cool" by imitating popular memes. Instead of making your company look fresh and youthful, you could earn a reputation as an outdated brand desperate to go viral.

You should still pay attention to overarching trends, such as authenticity and generative AI usage, but avoid flash-in-the-pan moments that disappear after a few weeks. This includes hashtags, TikTok dances, jokes, memes, and other formats that quickly become dated. Adding these to your social media calendar is particularly risky: by the time you're ready to post, the general public has already moved on.

When you want to go viral, try creating an original joke, story, song, prank, or video format. This is trickier than replicating existing trends because you don't have a playbook, but you won't have to worry about your content going stale. You might even get credit for launching a new wave.

If you don't become a trending topic, you're still producing original content your followers can't find anywhere else. This helps you find and maintain your audience.

New Platforms

With thousands of people leaving Twitter, Bluesky has emerged as the latest social media platform. While it hasn't quite reached Twitter's user base, millions of people, including some major brands, have signed up. Bluesky's layout looks similar to Twitter's, but you can browse curated feeds. Signing up only takes minutes.

Threads is another popular Twitter alternative where people share pictures, updates, and discussion posts. If you already have Instagram, you can quickly link your profile to Threads. Each post only allows one hashtag, so following people is the best way to earn an audience. Try responding to discussion posts and asking insightful questions.

Influencer Collaborations

Influencers are as popular as ever, making collaborations one of the top social media trends for 2025. When you partner with an influencer, you can access thousands or even millions of followers. These people trust the influencer's recommendations, making them more likely to buy your product. You'll also earn a reputation as a successful business that can afford prestigious collaborations.

For small businesses, influencers with over 100 million followers might seem out of reach. Fortunately, bigger followings aren't always better. The top influencers have a broad appeal that doesn't always translate to sales. Out of those 100 million people, less than 1% might benefit from what you're selling.

In 2025, many companies are turning to micro-influencers with about 10,000 followers. Since these people focus on a niche, they're more likely to have real followers who genuinely care about the topic. This leads to a higher percentage of sales, making the collaboration worth your investment. Plus, micro-influencers are typically cheaper and easier to access.

To start, find influencers in your industry, then send them a direct message (DM). Most people skip long-winded paragraphs, so keep your message short and friendly. Mention that you enjoy their content and would love to collaborate. In return, you could offer money or free products.

While you're sending DMs, learn more about approaching prospects on LinkedIn.

Sometimes, the influencer directly endorses your products. You could also ask them to upload a video of themselves using the product or share a positive review. Influencer "takeovers," where the individual shares posts on your account, require more effort but are also surprising and eye-catching.

If the collaboration goes well, you could discuss a long-term relationship. Many businesses give influencers exclusive discount codes they share on their profiles, creating a permanent advertisement for your company and reeling in new customers. You might also agree to monthly promotions or video shoutouts.

Fewer Hashtags

Surprisingly, brands are using fewer hashtags in 2025. In the early days of social media, hashtags were a great way to help you increase your visibility. However, with scammers using dozens of hashtags, using several tags could make your posts look like spam. Many tags are also oversaturated, with some getting thousands of posts each day. Hashtags aren't obsolete, but many businesses look for other marketing options.

Video Clips

As TikTok's popularity continues to soar, videos are the dominating format for social media posts. Millions of people scroll through short clips on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube while bored, taking a break, or waiting in line. This makes it more essential than ever for companies to start uploading their video libraries.

Popular videos include product reveals, how-to guides, employee spotlights, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and updates. When you have some extra time, try live streaming an event or hosting a live interview or product demonstration. Live events drum up anticipation and help you gauge your visibility by watching the number of viewers.

Social Commerce

With Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms allowing you to buy products directly from the app, online shopping is increasingly easy. Sign up for a business account, then embed products into your posts. This helps you catch impulse buyers who see your posts while scrolling through social media, and you'll have more content to add to your calendar.

Some platforms also allow you to sell goods on live streams like you're running your own shopping network. This is the perfect opportunity to answer questions, demonstrate your products, and make a personal connection as you sell. You could even invite an influencer for more collaboration opportunities.

Reduced Clicks

Every click gives a potential buyer more time to change their mind. Many people won't purchase at all if they have to wade through too many websites. In 2025, businesses are trying to reduce clicks as much as possible. Common techniques include streamlining websites, making them mobile-friendly, and embedding products in social media posts.

Zero-click content is another popular tool. This refers to social media posts that display everything in the app, with no need to jump to another page. TikTok videos and Instagram posts are examples of zero-click content. While these posts aren't ideal for selling products, they grab your audience's attention immediately and don't force them to exert further effort.

On-site SEO Strategies

On-site SEO strategies involve enhancing your website to boost your search engine rankings. Popular techniques include writing informative blog posts, decreasing your site's load times, polishing your meta tags, and adding relevant keywords. Off-site SEO is another valuable tactic, which involves updating your Google My Business profile and creating backlinks around the web.

E-Marketing Associates offers on-site and off-site SEO, web design, social media management, and other services to small businesses. Reach out today to schedule a call.