In 2025, social media is more than a platform for connection, it’s an ecosystem that's reshaping how brands engage, create, and grow. Insights from Hootsuite’s Social Trends 2025 report - which takes data from over 3,800 marketers in 99 countries, highlight key shifts that will empower businesses to thrive in this evolving landscape. Here’s a look at some top insights from the report, and actionable strategies to stay ahead.
Creativity Over Consistency
In the past few years, it's become clear that people want to be entertained on social media, and the brands that are succeeding in this space heavily prioritize entertaining, informative, or educational content without directly promoting themselves. Social media marketers who post creative content frequently consistently report more positive business impact than those who post less creative content.
Further than this though, it's interesting that the prioritization of creativity is challenging the norms of brand consistency across platforms. Creative teams that are pushing boundaries are trying out new voices or personas on social media - ones that sometimes barely resemble the brand on other channels.
What can you do about it?
Don’t be afraid to loosen the reins, but don't abandon the core of your brand. Think about the essence of what you're trying to communicate, and come up with new ways to say it. Showcasing the foundation of your brand and your messaging strategy from new perspectives is a great way to build a long-term content ecosystem where people can find what resonates with them.
When trying out a new voice or strategy on social, this might be a good time to check in on those vanity metrics. Tracking the performance of your content by reach and engagement could be useful in showing you if this creative angle is resonating, and building brand loyalty with your audience. Check out our previous post on Understanding Metrics to see how you can balance Vanity Metrics with Actionable Metrics.
Social Listening as a Performance Tool
Despite being a key marketing channel for many businesses, social media has always presented challenges when it comes to directly connecting its activities to specific business objectives and effectively proving return on investment (ROI). Traditional metrics such as likes, shares, and comments often fail to provide a clear picture of how these engagements translate into tangible business results, such as increased sales or customer loyalty.
However, the emergence of social listening tools and strategies is significantly enhancing marketers' confidence in their ability to demonstrate ROI. Social listening involves monitoring social media channels for mentions of a brand, product, or industry to gain valuable insights into customer preferences, behaviours, and perceptions. This deeper understanding allows businesses to align their social media strategies more closely with their overall marketing goals and objectives.
What can you do about it?
Integrate social listening into your analytics and reporting. Think about what insights you can gain from social media, that will drive action (on or off social!). Then, use these insights to inform your social strategy and your business strategy going forward.
AI as a New Creative & Strategic Partner
AI is rapidly becoming more and more of an accepted tool, for both content creation and strategy. As businesses and individuals strive to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for fresh and engaging content, the role of AI has evolved significantly. It is no longer seen merely as a novelty or a futuristic concept; instead, it has established itself as an integral part of modern content strategies.
What can you do about it?
Train your AI tools, so they are a tool that works specifically for your business. Use the same tools repeatedly, and specify any brand guidelines or preferences you might have for content.
To be most effective, AI needs strong prompts. Include specific requirements for the response (such as length or number of variations) and give context to help AI provide a more accurate response.
Never copy and paste AI-generated content without editing it yourself first! AI can make mistakes, or can sound inauthentic without some fine-tuning. Always take a look at your AI output, and refine it so that it looks, sounds, and feels like you.
Want to read the full report? Click here to download the report and get more valuable insights!
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