Social Media Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2025

As we kick off 2025, it is exciting to imagine how social media will change throughout the year—will AI take over our feeds or will brands take a huge step towards more authentic and less calculated content? Now that our social media team has wrapped up the final touches on this year's social strategy for us and our clients, we couldn't resist sharing our top 5 social media 2025 predictions with you.

Curious how these predictions are holding up? Check out our 2025 mid-year social media trend check-in.

Top 5 Social Media Trends

1. AI Integration

Jumping right into one of the more controversial social media predictions, we can see AI being a key player in brands’ social strategies. Yes, there is a lot of backlash and hesitation when it comes to AI and content creation—viewers aren’t a fan and tend to call it out any chance they get, however, if done right it can be a successful tool for your brand!

Here are some potential ways to jumpstart AI into your social creation process:

• AI tools like Copilot and Perplexity.ai can be a great asset for generating ideas and identifying trends you may have missed. They also allow you to save time on research and focus more on creating social content.
  • Copilot can also generate images to assist with idea creation. Sometimes, it’s hard to explain or visualize what's in our heads. AI can provide a basic rendering of our ideas, which we can then use as a reference to create something that better aligns with the brand.
• Copy.ai is also a great tool for generating various copywriting options for social media posts. However, we don’t recommend just copying and pasting these suggestions for your content. Use them as a jumping point and add your personal brand voice to make it more genuine.

Think of AI as a tool that can enhance your brand voice and identity but NOT something that can replace.‍

2. Utilizing Influencers the Right Way

Influencers have been a huge part of brands’ social strategies and reach but can be a hit or miss. How can we ensure that they are the right choice for your brand? Recently, there has been a lot of pushbacks on certain influencer partnerships due to lack of relevance between the influencer and brand.

For example, Formula 1 has faced criticism for inviting influencers unfamiliar with the sport to the events, causing backlash. Fans argued that their inability to truly be part of the F1 conversation was disappointing especially when there are a number of smaller creators that would have been a better and more genuine fit.

When finding influencers for your brand, focus on those that align with your brand’s community and can authentically engage with them. Influencers that actively engage in the conversation and not just posting content are more beneficial than anything. Sometimes, engagement is more beneficial than reach.

3. Authenticity is key!

Staying real and authentic is key in social media today. With the shift in content and what users expect from the brands they follow, there's been a major movement toward wanting to see a brand's personality alongside the products or services they offer. This creates a more genuine and unique connection with the audience, moving away from a straightforward sales pitch.

Here are some brands that have thrived by embracing authenticity:

• Duolingo-This brand does a great job at showcasing their playful and sassy personality. But keep in mind, their approach is unique to them and may not be one that works for you.
• Chipotle-Chipotle knows their followers love humor and memes and use it to their advantage in their social strategy. They do an amazing job at being able to relate to their customers while tapping into important brand and product insights.

These brands have found a strong balance between a “personality-driven” approach and maintaining a solid brand presence by truly understanding their customer base. Just remember, when embracing authenticity, don’t force the connection—focus on what will work uniquely for your brand.

4. User Generated Content (UGC)

UGC goes hand in hand with emphasizing the authenticity of your brand. This type of content allows brands to showcase real and relatable experiences that customers want to see and connect with. A study by Brightlocal found that 46% of consumers trust online business reviews just as much as personal recommendations from friends or family. It is evident that UGC is deemed more trustworthy and authentic than any brand generated content. With UGC, these posts can often be more natural and casual, giving the content a more genuine feel. It is also a great filler for content calendars, allowing you to have a break in between campaigns while keeping the content engaging and your social platform active.

5. Social SEO

Social media is quickly becoming the go-to search engine for many online users, with 46% of Gen Z preferring this search method and an overall 24% of all adults in the U.S. following suit. As hashtags lose some of their magic, now is the perfect time to give your content's SEO strategy a refresh. Using relevant keywords in your social copy and on-screen text for videos can greatly improve discoverability. Think about the keywords potential customers would use to find your brand, products, or services, and find a way to naturally integrate them into your posts to ensure your content is easily discoverable.

2025: Your Year of Social Media Success

We can’t wait to see how brands will use these trends in their 2025 social media strategy. Keep in mind that social media is always evolving and sometimes it’s okay to pivot. That is why having a flexible strategy is key to remaining relevant and keeping your voice in the conversation. To help you stay current, we’ve created a 2025 mid-year social media trend check-in—a quick look at how our predictions are playing out and what that means for your strategy moving forward.

Just remember that you must be adaptable to stay connected.

At Brandience, we’re experts in turning bold ideas into innovative marketing strategies that keep you ahead of the curve. As an advertising agency with expertise in retail, restaurant, healthcare, and franchise sectors, we help elevate your brand’s online presence to connect with today’s consumers. Let’s make this year an unforgettable year for your brand!