Top Trends to Shape Your Social Media Strategy in 2025

Social media in 2025 is definitely not what it used to be back in 2015 or earlier. 

It started as a way to connect with friends and family, and soon became a powerful space for brands and businesses to reach their target audience with smart social media strategies.

It wouldn’t be wrong if we say that social media has become an integral part of our daily lives.

With the super-fast growth of social media, various trends have emerged and evolved over time. And we all agree that this massive social media transformation is something we as marketers have never seen before.

Today, the seismic shifts of social media trends such as user search behavior, engagement patterns, integration of AI tools, etc., have created the urgency to adapt to these changes and refine our social media strategies. 

So, if you’re ready and want to explore and understand the trends that will shape the future of social media and their implications for creators and brands, stick around. 

What Social Media Trends are Rising in 2025?

Here, we’ve compiled a list of top social media trends that every marketer should look out for if they truly want to keep abreast of this new social media era.

Social Media is Turning Into a Top Destination for Search

Today’s younger consumers, whom we call Gen Z, mostly utilize social media platforms to conduct online searches. 

In fact, Google has acknowledged that 40% of searches occur on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. 

Considering this search behaviour, if brands want to be easily discoverable on social media, they need to implement the right SEO and social media marketing strategies. 

At this moment, a thought might cross your mind — could social media potentially replace Google? 

The answer is no. 

With approximately 89.65% of the search engine market share, Google remains the dominant player in the industry. 

However, as more individuals start using social media for online searches, it’s advisable to implement SEO for your posts to ensure they appear in relevant search results.

[Also Read: 3 Ways to Summon Free Organic Traffic to Website via Social Media]

Short-form Videos Continue to Lead

It’s 2025, and short-form videos continue to dominate on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels.  

The evidence?

TikTok now has 2.051 billion users worldwide, and it is expected to hit 1.8 billion monthly active users by the end of 2025. (Source) Similarly, Instagram reels receive 22% more engagement than standard videos on this platform.

But how do short-form videos perform so well on these social media platforms?

The three possible reasons could be:  

• The super-engaging nature of short-form videos blends entertainment with informative content.  
• Concise content aligns well with diminishing attention spans. 
• Greater completion rate of vertical videos — approximately 90% (including Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts).  

Okay! Let’s set these statistics and studies aside and take a look at our social media feeds. It’s no surprise that we watch more short-form videos while scrolling.  

Key Takeaway: In 2025, creating and posting relevant and engaging social media videos is essential for every business aiming to thrive on social platforms.  

Remember, when devising your short-form video strategy, make sure you’re not merely following trends or experimenting with trendy sound clips for the sake of it.  

Prioritize value: Develop videos that educate, entertain, or uplift your audience while addressing their challenges.   

Plan with intent: Consider key questions such as, Who is your intended audience? What is the video’s objective? Where will it be shared?  

Produce content with a clear objective: A distinct call to action (CTA) is vital to guide the viewer into the buyer’s funnel. The goal of these videos should always remain the focal point because, as we know, views and likes don’t translate into revenue. 

Overall, the opportunities with short-form videos are limitless, which is exactly why this social media trend continues to lead. 

Use of AI Tools and AI Integration in Social Media Platforms

AI writing and marketing tools are becoming increasingly popular nowadays. For instance, ChatGPT attracted over one million users within just a week of its launch.  

Plus, search engines, like Google and Microsoft, are incorporating new AI features to enhance online searches and provide easily digestible answers to user inquiries.  

This takes us to the point that brands should also start utilizing AI tools to generate content ideas and craft social media posts that address customers’ issues and offer quick answers. 

The good news is that most brands have already jumped into this league!  

On the flip side, the integration of AI tools in social media facilitates quicker execution of social media posts. According to a study, a substantial use of AI has been seen for various purposes, including content editing, image creation and refinement, content uploading, and using chatbots for message responses.    

Therefore, businesses that use AI tools wisely while ensuring a human touch in their social media content are likely to outperform brands that don’t prioritize such tools.  

[Also read: Benefits of Leveraging AI for Small Business Marketing]

Brands Are Increasingly Turning to Social Media to Generate Leads. 

The time when brands used to rely on third-party cookies for lead generation is over. As a preliminary step in its testing, Google has already started phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome for 1% of users beginning January 4th, 2024. 

This situation pushes businesses to seek effective alternatives for generating leads and improving their business ROI. In this case, social media platforms are becoming one of the primary targets. 

Brands are adopting result-driven social media marketing tactics such as developing targeted paid advertisements, initiating referral campaigns, sharing customer testimonials as social proof, forming partnerships with influencers, and more to attract qualified leads via social media.

Social Commerce is Showing Drastic Growth

Numerous businesses are currently using social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to market their products and increase revenue. 

Are you aware that social commerce is projected to reach $80 billion by 2025? 

With that in mind, social media will not just be a platform for larger companies. Gradually, more and more retail businesses are expected to utilize Instagram Storefronts, shoppable posts, and other features to enhance sales and improve profit margins.

[Also Read: Ecommerce Upselling: 6 Best Practices to Leverage Your Sales & Boost Revenues]

User-generated Content is Becoming More Influential

User-generated content (UGC) entails any type of content created by users on social media. 

Multiple brands have started taking advantage of UGC as social validation for the quality of their offerings. 

Additionally, numerous businesses actively showcase user-generated content as part of their branding strategy, which provides them with two key advantages. 

• First, they can reduce the costs associated with branded content by featuring UGC. 
• And the second is that it allows customers to take center stage, making them feel appreciated. 

UGC is considered authentic since brands cannot control what users may say or create. It serves as the most reliable source of information about any brand or business. 

In the future, brands will promote customer-generated content to further enhance their engagement rates. So, make sure to incorporate UGC into your social media strategy for an exceptional branding identity. 

Product Quality, Service, and Customer Care Come First

You know there’s one factor that surpasses everything, even the most engaging content.

What’s that?

The quality of products and services a brand offers.

More than 60% of consumers say that their favorite brands on social media provide top-notch products or customer care services.  

And it’s true to an extent.

These days, brands are super-focused on delivering excellent quality products and working on improving their customer experience, convincing their target customers to make a purchase.  

In the upcoming years, social platforms will exert even greater influence over commerce and customer support. 

Consider this: 73% of social media users agree that if a brand fails to respond on social media, they will turn to a competitor. It means timely responses are crucial

Social SEO is Something You Can’t Miss

According to the New York Times, TikTok has become the go-to search engine for Generation Z. Nearly 40% of younger individuals searching for lunch spots do not turn to Google Maps or Search. Instead, they prefer TikTok or Instagram.

When you consider this alongside the elements that influence the TikTok algorithm, which is also affecting other platforms, it becomes clear that relying solely on hashtags is no longer sufficient.

Here are some tips to enhance your social media marketing plan and incorporate social SEO:

• Conduct keyword research to determine the best format and topics to address.
• Include keyword-optimized captions directly within your videos.
• Begin adding alt text to your social media images to enhance accessibility.
• Subtitles are essential for every video format.

[Also read: Social Media SEO: Essential Tips Every Marketer Must Follow] 

Memes are Still a Major Force in Driving Engagement

Memes are all over social media and permeate various aspects of life. And finding some who doesn’t enjoy them is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Memes stand out as one of the most innovative content types available and are incredibly popular in today’s market. With a touch of creativity, you can adapt memes to suit any context and effectively communicate your brand message. 

Niche-specific memes offer a fantastic opportunity for creators to connect effortlessly with their audience and promote a brand, often without sacrificing the element of fun. 

By far, memes are proven to be one of the best opportunities for brands to interact and establish relationships with their target audience in 2025.

YouTube Shorts are Starting to Make a Serious Impact

Stats show that YouTube Shorts gains an average of 30 billion views daily worldwide. This likely indicates that users are gravitating towards short-form video content.  

Creators who produce YouTube Shorts can also increase the viewership of their long-form videos. Similar to storytelling techniques, this approach effectively arouses curiosity and encourages viewers to check out related long-form videos.  

Additionally, with monetization options for YouTube Shorts, brands are expected to invest more in this feature to reach a broader audience and earn revenue. 

TikTok is Still Holding Strong As a Major Player 

Originally a platform for individuals, particularly young people, to showcase their artistic skills and dance moves, TikTok has evolved beyond that.  

With the introduction of features such as advertisements and business profiles, the platform is set to become an essential player in the social media terrain.  

Business owners can utilize TikTok to create brief and interactive video content to connect with their target demographic and enhance brand visibility. Furthermore, these videos are effective for businesses to quickly and concisely present their offerings. 

The Bottom Line

Many more social media trends are anticipated to dominate in the future, significantly influencing both users and brands. If you haven’t yet adapted to these emerging trends, now is the time to do so to upgrade your brand’s presence on social media and outpace the competition.

Are you ready to leverage social media’s potential to grow your business? With VirrgoTech’s advanced and highly tailored social media marketing services, your brand can stand out among the competitors and establish a remarkable social presence.

Schedule a free strategy consultation with our specialists today.

[Also Read: Social Media Marketing Strategy For Beauty Salons: A Five-Step Guide]