January 18th, 2025, was a dark day for many in the United States.<\/p>\n
TikTok was banned, sending brands and users into turmoil \u2014 and then it resurrected about 12 hours later. The social media saga spanned years, starting in 2020<\/a>, and held the attention of global audiences, only to be more smoke than fire (at least for now). And that\u2019s just one example of how fast social media moves.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n I honestly knew the ban wouldn\u2019t stick, but even with over a decade of digital marketing experience under my belt, I can\u2019t say everything about social media is that easy for me to predict. Fortunately for both of us, we don\u2019t have to go at this alone.<\/p>\n Recently, HubSpot surveyed 1,100+ social media professionals<\/a> to get data-backed insight into what trends are on the rise, what strategies are working, where fellow marketers are investing, and where you might want to as well. Here are some of the biggest findings we uncovered.<\/p>\n Not much time on your hands? Click the section you\u2019d like to jump to here:<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n Top Social Media Platforms<\/a> In 2025, marketers are seeing more success collaborating with small influencers (those with fewer than 100,000 followers) than larger ones. This trend is consistent in both our Social Media Trends and State of Marketing<\/a> reports for this year \u2014 and I\u2019m not surprised.<\/p>\n \u201cInfluencer\u201d and \u201ccreator<\/a>\u201d are more established professions now, and follower numbers are reaching the millions. As large influencers scale, the level of engagement and connection consumers respond to are harder to come by.<\/p>\n Niche influencers, however, are less likely to face these problems. The audiences of nano, micro, and macro influencers are still small and mighty, delivering the credibility, community, engagement, and cost-effectiveness that marketers crave.<\/p>\n\n \u201cMicro or small influencers give you a bigger bang for buck,\u201d explains Moby Siddiqui<\/a>, CEO of Australia-based RedPandas Digital.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re hungrier to collaborate, more flexible with how they work, and, most importantly, they have real trust with their audience. They\u2019re not just pushing another sponsored post \u2014 they actually engage, and that authenticity drives results.\u201d<\/p>\n Pro tips: <\/strong>Lauren Vilips<\/a>, Creator Acquisition Strategist at Mavely recommends exploring high-engagement spaces such as Snapchat, Reddit, Substack, and LinkedIn with your micro-influencer strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cThese platforms are less saturated with traditional influencer content than Instagram or TikTok, meaning brands that invest early can cut through the noise and reach consumers in more organic, authentic ways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdditionally, these spaces tend to facilitate long-form discussions, niche communities, and high-intent audiences, making them an ideal environment for driving deeper engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n Srikar Karra<\/a>, Co-Founder of Trendify, urges marketers to really get creative with their influencer partners. \u201cDon\u2019t just send influencers a brief. Figure out how to collaborate with them<\/a>. The best-performing user-generated content (UGC) is when influencers have creative freedom while aligning with your goals.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kerry Ingram<\/a>, Director of Brand & Marketing at Visible Hands and an influencer herself says it\u2019s important for marketers to foster a sense of community with their micro-influencers as their micro-influencers do with their audience.<\/p>\n \u201cFinding ways to help them feel seen in a space that historically overlooked their smaller platforms will encourage them to produce meaningful and truly impactful content for your target customers. We notice when brands truly care versus when they’re just corralling influencers, and it makes the difference in the quality of content produced.\u201d<\/p>\n Check out our articles \u201c<\/strong>How to Identify & Work With the Best Brand Influencers for Your Business<\/a><\/strong>\u201d and \u201c<\/strong>My Comprehensive Guide to Micro-Influencer Marketing<\/a><\/strong>\u201d for more guidance on how to find the right niche influencers to achieve your goals.<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the biggest differentiators of social media is that it\u2019s, well, social.<\/p>\n The sense of community brands can create on social media by engaging with their customers and audience at large is unique to the medium and, most importantly, effective.<\/p>\n\n According to our survey, the top reasons for emphasizing community include increasing brand sentiment\/loyalty (30%), attracting more followers\/subscribers (28%), incentivizing user-generated content (24%), and increasing brand awareness (24%).<\/p>\n But it also goes deeper than that.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are craving community and connection now more than ever,\u201d explains Samantha Meller<\/a>, Head of Social at HubSpot Media.<\/p>\n \u201cThey want to feel a part of something bigger than themselves, either online or in real life (IRL). It\u2018s no secret that there\u2019s a lot going on in the world, and the last few years, in particular, have been especially challenging. People want to forge genuine relationships and connections with others, be it fellow social media users, creators, influencers, business leaders, and even brands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlus, it\u2019s just more fun,\u201d adds Max Byrne<\/a>, Founder of Akari & Co. \u201cInstead of constantly chasing new customers, brands get to build relationships with people who genuinely love their products \u2014 turning transactions into long-term connections.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen customers feel connected, they don\u2019t just buy once \u2014 they come back, engage with your content, and even become brand advocates, driving organic growth. A thriving community reduces reliance on paid ads, strengthens retention, and makes marketing dollars work harder.\u201d<\/p>\n With this in mind, 50% of marketers plan on investing time\/money in building their community on social media this year. In fact, 93% of marketers plan to either maintain or increase their investment, with 85% saying this is important to their overall social media strategy.<\/p>\n The vast majority (95%) also intend to hire or have a dedicated community manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read: <\/strong>How to Build a Successful Online Community: A Step-by-Step Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Srikar Karra shares three tips his team recommends for community building on social media:<\/p>\n Leverage direct messages (DMs) and comments \u2192 Every great community starts in the replies. I don\u2019t know if I should admit this, but whenever I have a customer service issue, I\u2019m the girl running to tweet or shoot a direct message to resolve it. But hey, it\u2019s not just me.<\/p>\n\n In both 2023 and 2024, we found that not only did around 25% of Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X social media users contact brands through DMs for customer service, but 87% of marketers planned to maintain or increase their investment in supporting this behavior.<\/p>\n In 2025, this trend continues. 78% of marketers agree social media will be consumers\u2019 preferred channel for customer service this year and are gearing up to meet them there.<\/p>\n Guille Santana<\/a> from QuestionPro explains this shift: “Newer generations are demanding instant, accessible customer service, while older generations are becoming increasingly comfortable with digital communication channels.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hannah Halloran<\/a>, Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media at Qantm Creative believes consumers are tired of virtual assistance.<\/p>\n She continues, \u201cThe technology assistance pendulum has swung a little far. The chat, robots saying \u2018Press 1 for….\u2019 was really innovative and helpful at the start, but now I find people more and more irritated with these systems. On social, they can get in contact with an actual person.\u201d<\/p>\n With so many consumers sliding into business DMs and 67% of brands saying customer service reps field those messages (58% use social media managers), I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if teams feel overwhelmed.<\/p>\n Thankfully, AI tools like chatbots and automation are helping to lighten the load. 50% of marketers use an automated response tool to field customer service requests on social media, but they\u2019re right to tread lightly.<\/p>\n As Rachel R. Pitchford<\/a>, Owner & Principal Consultant at Life Advisors explains, \u201cConsumers expect instant access, real conversations, and brands that respond like real people, not corporate robots. It\u2019s not just about solving problems; it\u2019s about showing up where people already are and proving that your brand listens, cares, and acts.\u201d<\/p>\n I think we can all admit chatbots aren\u2019t the greatest at this.<\/p>\n Pro tips: <\/strong>When it comes to social media customer service, Taher Batterywala, SEO & Content Marketing Specialist at RankingBell recommends starting with clear internal processes.<\/p>\n \u201dMake sure your social team knows how to handle escalations, has quick access to relevant customer data or order history, and has consistent brand guidelines for tone and language. CRM integration goes a long way here so that your team can log and track any interactions for a full picture of the customer journey.\u201d<\/p>\n As for your actual service, Pitchford says, \u201cSpeed matters, but so does personality. A fast, impersonal response is forgettable, but a helpful, human interaction builds loyalty. Every message, comment, and DM is a chance to turn a casual follower into a lifelong customer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor marketers making this shift, the secret is treating customer service like an extension of your brand identity. Automate wisely, but don\u2019t lose the human touch. Anticipate needs before they become complaints.”<\/p>\n “Most importantly, remember that the best customer service isn\u2019t reactive \u2014 it\u2019s proactive, turning everyday interactions into moments that people remember and talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n Read: <\/strong>Social Media Customer Service: How to Make the Most of Customer Interactions on Social<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The use of AI isn’t going to stop at just customer service in 2025 \u2014 marketers are flocking to it to help them create content, particularly visual content.<\/p>\n According to our findings<\/a>, about 56% of marketers are using AI to create short-form videos, while 53% are using it to generate images, and 42% are creating long-form videos.<\/p>\n\n Honestly, this isn\u2019t all that surprising. Image and video generation are some of my favorite uses of AI, and I\u2019m far from alone.<\/p>\n Many small businesses and entrepreneurs lack design and visual arts skills, the time to develop them, or the budget to hire them. Artificial intelligence helps overcome these challenges and keeps them competitive.<\/p>\n A great example could be seen in this campaign by Cadbury Celebrations.<\/p>\n After the COVID-19 pandemic, Cadbury Celebrations used OpenAI\u2019s DALL-E 2 to enable small businesses in India to create high-production value social media videos featuring the voice and image of iconic Hindi film actor Shah Rukh Khan (affectionately known as SRK).<\/p>\n Anyone could enter their business details online and quickly get an ad where SRK spoke their business name and urged people to shop there.<\/p>\n Considering SRK is one of India\u2019s most popular actors and brand ambassadors<\/a>, this was a powerful opportunity for small businesses to capitalize on his star power and quickly generate attention-grabbing visual content.<\/p>\n The campaign resulted in more than 30 million ad views, 35% growth for participating businesses, and plenty of praise for Cadbury.<\/p>\n But note: Not all AI-generated content is as well-received. Coca-Cola’s AI holiday ad in 2024 faced great criticism<\/a> from industry professionals and consumers alike, who found it \u201csoulless.\u201d<\/p>\n Jordan Scheltgen<\/a>, Founder of Cave may explain why.<\/p>\n He says, \u201cAI is popular because it\u2018s fast, but 100% AI-generated content still isn\u2019t there. It looks cheap. My tip for AI is to have it help you do the hidden tasks like editing that can speed you up. Your work shouldn’t look like AI had anything to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n We have several resources on using AI to generate visual content:<\/strong><\/p>\n I Tested 8 AI Tools for Graphic Design, Here Are My Favorites<\/a> What kind of brand content are you drawn to on social media? Personally, it\u2019s stuff that makes me laugh, think, or feel seen.<\/p>\n According to Oracle<\/a>, a lot of people are like this.<\/p>\n A recent report by the company found 91% of consumers want brands to be funny and 78% believe brands could do more to deliver happiness to them. Studies also show that humor can make a product\/brand easier to recall and more likely to be chosen over its competition.<\/p>\n So, long story short: Make \u2018em laugh, people.<\/p>\n Our report found marketers take this to heart, with 52% already leveraging funny content in their social media strategies. This was the most common type of content, followed by relatable (50%) and authentic or \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d (42%).<\/p>\n What do all of these content types have in common? They\u2019re all humanizing.<\/p>\n They make consumers see there are real people behind the products and brands they support, not just some cold corporation. It makes consumers feel better understood and connected to the brands, building the trust<\/a> they need to feel comfortable buying.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t go on social media to be sold to,\u201d echoes Pitchford at Life Advisors. \u201cThey go to be entertained, to relate, and to feel something real.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFunny content cuts through the noise, relatable content builds connection, and behind-the-scenes content makes brands feel human. It\u2019s not about being the loudest brand in the room; it\u2019s about being the one people actually want to engage with.\u201d<\/p>\n One brand that does this brilliantly is Duolingo. The language-learning app has been a social media darling in recent years because it combines humor and casual, conversational language into content everyone wants to talk about<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n Social Media Challenges<\/a>
\n Top Social Media Marketing Goals<\/a>
\n The Best Times to Post on Social Media<\/a>
\n Social Media Predictions for 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n1. Continued Rise of Micro-influencers<\/h3>\n
2. More Emphasis on Community<\/h3>\n
\n Showcase user-generated content<\/a> \u2192 Making customers feel like part of the brand.
\n Create inside jokes and culture \u2192 Memes & behind-the-scenes content build connection. <\/p>\n3. Growth as a Customer Experience Channel<\/h3>\n
4. Leaning on AI for Visual Content<\/h3>\n
\n I Tested 11 Popular AI Image Generators. Here\u2019s the Scoop for Marketers<\/a>
\n 12 Best AI Video Generators to Use in 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n5. Prioritizing Funny, Relatable Content<\/h3>\n