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2025 Social Media Trends to Watch: 6 Ways to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Casey Mills Headshot
Casey Mills
Vice President/Director of Social Media

The new year brings a new social media landscape — and it’s changing at an unprecedented pace. For marketers, this means rethinking strategies, embracing new tools and staying agile in response to shifting platform priorities and audience behaviors. Here’s what you need to know and how to stay ahead amidst 2025’s evolving social trends.

In-Platform Engagement Takes Center Stage

Social platforms are prioritizing content that keeps users engaged without leaving the app. From LinkedIn minimizing link previews to Instagram and TikTok discouraging posts that drive external traffic, it’s clear the focus is on in-platform activity.

What this means for marketers:

  • Content Quality is Critical: Posts need to captivate and resonate with audiences. Invest in storytelling, visuals and formats that encourage likes, shares and comments.
  • Rethink Traffic Goals: If your strategy hinges on driving website clicks, consider balancing it with initiatives designed to grow engagement metrics directly on the platform. Also, consider bolstering your paid social media budget to provide additional support to driving website traffic.
  • Learn to Play the Game: It’s tough to know every trick in the book but knowing some can be helpful. On Facebook, brands have begun sharing posts with only copy and images then posting the link in the first comment. It’s a little nuance that can play a big role in getting your audience goals accomplished.

Brands excelling in 2025 will craft content that feels native to the platform and meets users where they are.

Influencers and Creators Are More Relevant Than Ever

Influencers have mastered the art of creating engaging, platform-specific content, and it’s paying off — to the tune of roughly $5 back for every $1 spent. Brands collaborating with creators are seeing stronger engagement not only on influencer campaigns but also across their owned social media channels.

In 2025, it’s time to seriously think about incorporating influencers into your strategy. Consider influencers as an extension of your marketing team and as part of your broader marketing strategy. Their authentic connection with audiences can amplify your message in ways traditional ads can’t.

Brands that are winning right now view influencers as true collaborators rather than just tools for promotion. If you’re looking to make more of a mark in 2025, influencers should be a part of the puzzle.

Security, Ownership and Crisis Planning Are Non-Negotiable

If you were asked who owns your brand’s social media profiles, you would be able to answer that, right? Unfortunately, we’ve seen more issues around handing off or taking on social media profiles over time, and it has become commonplace to experience hiccups along the way.

Heading into 2025, brands and agencies need to be in lockstep about how social profiles are handled and managed long-term. Here are the top priorities to address:

  • Passwords: Keep a centralized, secure list of logins. A password manager like 1Password or LastPass makes sharing access with your team easy and safe.
  • Ownership: Please, please, please confirm admin access to your Meta Business Suite, ad accounts and other assets. Ensure this is the first step you tackle when taking, or giving, ownership of an account. Troubleshooting these permissions can be complex, so don’t wait until something goes wrong.
  • Crisis Planning: Have a plan in place to handle phishing attempts, impersonation accounts or posts that unexpectedly ignite criticism. Being prepared is no longer optional — it’s essential.
  • Have a Handoff Plan: Moving work from one agency to another? Always have a plan in place from the outset to know how this will go. Not knowing who the owner is, who is an admin, who has control, etc., will make every handoff more painful than it needs to be.

As your brand grows with social media, being able to ensure that you know who owns and manages your accounts and that you have plans in place to handle issues will only help your brand's value in the long run.

Vertical Video Will Continue to Dominate

Video isn’t just thriving — it’s dominating. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have reshaped how we consume content. Vertical video formats, in particular, are essential for engagement.

  • Prioritize Short-Form Video: Focus on bite-sized content that entertains or informs quickly. This can be posted in both social spaces and on your website when done well. Best of all, high-quality short-form videos don’t always have to live in just one place. Every platform has intricacies, but if a video can be used widely, take advantage of that.
  • Experiment with Stories and Reels: If you haven’t started already, it’s time to get going with Stories, Reels and TikToks. While “TikToks” is an odd turn of phrase, as the brand is the post type, all of these are designed for casual, real-time engagement, which resonates with today’s audiences. People want easy-to-digest content, but if it’s engaging enough, they’ll stick around for multiple stories or minutes-long videos.

Brands investing in video now will be better positioned to connect with visually driven audiences and not have to play catch up over the next 12 months. While it might feel awkward to get started in new spaces, getting noticed can go a long way in building out a broader social media strategy.

AI Tools Streamline Content Creation

AI-powered tools are transforming how brands create and optimize content. From Meta’s Advantage+ platform for ads to platforms like ChatGPT and Jasper for copywriting, AI simplifies the creative process without sacrificing quality.

AI doesn’t replace social media marketers or take the life out of creativity; it just gives agencies and clients the capability to work quickly when timeliness is important. Here’s how:

  1. Efficiency Gains: AI tools can draft captions, suggest creative angles or refine ad targeting, saving time while maintaining your brand’s voice.
  1. Optimization Opportunities: Use AI insights to test and iterate content faster than ever before. Coming up with multiple post versions in a short amount of time is both efficient and gives the opportunity to try new messages over time.

By integrating AI into your workflows, you can free up resources to focus on strategy, community management and innovation without missing a beat.

Emerging Social Platforms Are Shaping New Conversations

The social media world isn’t static. Platforms like Threads and Bluesky are gaining traction as users seek conversational, community-driven spaces that aren’t inundated with bots or algorithms. These new platforms are an opportunity to diversify your social presence and stay ahead:

  • Be an Early Adopter: Experiment with these platforms now to learn what works. Especially as ads on these platforms aren’t ubiquitous, finding ways to engage (think like Twitter in 2014) without being able to get your message in front of targeted users is important.
  • Engage Authentically: Focus on genuine interaction over polished promotion.

Brands willing to adapt to new platforms will position themselves as leaders in the ever-changing digital landscape.

2025 is shaping up to be a year of transformation in social media. From emphasizing in-platform engagement to harnessing AI and exploring emerging platforms, staying ahead means staying informed. Whether you’re pivoting your strategy, ramping up video content or doubling down on security, these trends will help ensure your brand is ready for what’s next.


Ready to kick off 2025 with a new or expanded social media strategy? Swanson Russell’s social media team helps to craft engaging strategies and campaigns designed to help brands get big results. Take a look at the work we've created, get to know our approach— then, contact us to see how we can help.