7 Social Media Trends: Every Brand Should Watch in This Year

Social media trends can be secondary to running your own business. However, in today’s always-changing landscape, if you’re not paying attention to trends, then you’re probably missing out on opportunities to boost your engagement, bring more people to your brand, and deepen your brand presence throughout 2024. Given how often people are interrupted while consuming content on all platforms, being conscious of trends can create meaningful engagement opportunities for you to connect with your audience. So, this post reviews seven trends you should keep an eye on this year to ensure you keep your head up and make the most of your social media activity.

1. Short-Form Video Content Continues Dominating

The short-form video has taken over social and altered how you consume and share content. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have gained incredible traction, with millions of users engaging with these platforms every single day. Short-form videos suit the frenzied pace at which we live our lives, as they provide quick entertainment for just a few seconds. Plus, the way these platforms are structured encourages sharing, and if it’s really good content, it will travel far beyond your followers. If you want to learn why short-form videos are successful, then you can use that knowledge to help you leverage short-form video trends and enhance your presence on social media.

Advantages of Short-form Videos

Short-form videos allow you to consume content in short bursts that hit your interest quickly. Because these videos last anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds, it’s easy to take a moment to watch them, whether you’re sitting in your car after ordering through a drive-thru or taking a quick break from your work. The short-form video format also stands out compared to the way many people prefer to use social media.

You’ve probably noticed that short-form videos get more engagement than long-form videos. Why?

Less chance for a drop off:

Short videos allow for less opportunity to drop off before the finish.

Designed for sharing:

 The quick pace and relatable tone entice us to share them.

Viral Potential:

 A short and catchy video can spread faster and farther than you can even comprehend. 

Cross-Platform Potential:

 These short videos can thrive on a multitude of apps and provide you potentially larger reach. 

The numbers don’t lie. In the past year, TikTok has gained over 45% more users, and people are watching billions of short videos every day all over the world. Despite their different formats, platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are experiencing exploding growth, which is forcing content creators into short-form video games. This type of content satisfies a short need to get fast, fun, and fresh bursts of media impressions without taking too long to achieve that impression. 

Creating Effective Short-Form Videos

When making short-form videos, to be appealing, you must use every second of the viewer’s attention – none to waste! Short-form videos can’t have filler; let’s get to the compelling content!

Here are some ideas on how to create videos that will help set you apart: 

Be direct:

 Pick one idea or story and stay with it! The more clear you are, the less confusion and boredom the audience will have!  

Grab attention quickly:

 The first 2-3 seconds is when someone will figure out if they will stay watching! You may want to consider bold visuals, unexpected motion, and a quick question! 

Keep it moving:

 Keep the pace FAST “NO HESITATING – no tortoise moments here!” Make sure there’s only a quick transition between scenes or ideas. The faster, the better! 

Be authentic: 

Audiences prefer real over manufactured perfection. The audience seems to relate more to authentic emotions and your authentic personality than to a tightly scripted production. You can control the real person – just be you!

Add captions or text:

 Don’t forget that many people are watching videos without sound. Having clear caption text on-screen will help ensure your viewer understands your message. 

End on a call-to-action:

 Don’t forget to ask your viewers to like, share, comment, or follow to help increase engagement. 

By targeting these simple steps and keeping them powerful, you will be able to create Attention-grabbing, Interest-sparking, and shareable short videos, truly making the most of this powerful trend in social media.

2.Social Commerce is expanding

Social commerce is no longer an “if” or “maybe” idea; it’s shaping the way people shop right now. Social media platforms have facilitated the purchase of products directly within feeds and videos, making it a lot easier for customers to buy products from you all in one place and taking out any layers in discovery to the purchase process. By capturing your audience through social commerce, you’ll be reaching your customers while they’re spending their time and being more instinctive in their buying choices. When you engage customers in a social commerce experience, it feels more natural and immediate because they are already in the process of shopping.

Instagram Acts as a Digital Storefront

Instagram excels at merging inspiration and action. Once fans see a product they like, they can tap, shop, and pay without ever leaving the app. Instagram Shop transforms your main profile into a store, putting every featured product only a few taps away. This makes discovery feel almost accidental, but purchase feels effortless.

• Shopping tags let users buy from feed posts, stories, and reels.
• Product launches can happen in-app, driving real-time excitement.
• Instagram Checkout means less friction, making impulse buys common.

For brands, this means you can reach a new audience of TikTok followers who hop over to Instagram to browse and often don’t want to leave the app to buy. Your feed becomes a shoppable catalog. Every photo, reel, and story is an open door to your shop, seamlessly blending content and commerce.

TikTok Shows Off Products Through Video

TikTok is known for viral trends, quick tutorials, and daily entertainment, but it’s also a powerful shopping platform. Short videos let your products take the spotlight, showing how they look and work in real situations. As viewers scroll, they see products in action instead of just static photos.

How TikTok drives shopping and builds up your TikTok followers:

• Product demos use storytelling and energy, helping viewers picture the product in their lives.
• Hauls and unboxings share honest reactions and reviews, building trust in your brand.
• Clickable links in bio, descriptions or live streams make the path from interest to purchase smooth.
• Trends and challenges give products more reach when people recreate videos and tag your brand.

On TikTok, video makes everything feel immediate and accessible. People trust what they see in action, especially when it comes from real fans or relatable creators. To strengthen your TikTok followers community and increase sales, highlight how your products solve problems, look in real life, or fit into a daily routine. Product videos help your audience feel confident about clicking “buy now”—sometimes before the clip even ends.

Facebook’s Marketplaces and Brand Pages Have Real Buying Power

Facebook remains a powerhouse for real transactions. While not as flashy as Instagram or TikTok, it makes up for it in scale and trust. Marketplace is more than just classified ads; it’s where people actually go to hunt for deals or shop from local sellers and brands they know.

• Brand Pages now integrate shopping tools for a full catalog display.
• Instant messaging lets buyers ask questions and close a sale quickly.
• Ads with product tags lead buyers straight to checkout, skipping extra clicks.

By using Facebook’s full suite, you allow shoppers to move from discovery to purchase without switching apps. Your followers can engage, message, and buy all in one place. This end-to-end experience creates convenience, and convenience encourages more frequent purchases.

Social commerce is proving that the real window to your brand is the screen in your customer’s hand. If you blend shopping features into your content, you give your audience more ways to engage—and more reasons to follow, buy, and stick around.

Key Takeaways:

• Use shoppable posts to reduce friction
• Partner with creators for genuine product demos
• Run live streams with limited-time offers

How to Use Social Commerce for Your Business

If you want to take advantage of social commerce for your business, you need to create a frictionless path to purchasing from product discovery to purchase with no confusion or delays for the customer, and you must do this across multiple platforms. Below are just a few quick ways to incorporate e-commerce into your social platforms:

• Create a product catalog on every platform so your inventory is in constant sync and your product catalog details are always up to date. This will also reduce the amount of tagged posts you are using and help you save time when you are creating tagged posts.

• Use tags in your organic and advertising posts. Do not only use product tags on item packaging, downside, or diptyque or product videos, utilize product tags in visual media that displays your core product within lifestyle pictures/videos demonstrating the products usage.

• Use live shopping events to help demonstrate products, tell stories, and answer questions while engaging with your customers in real-time. This can build trust and urgency by offering your products to your customers with exclusive deals or limited-time offerings.

• Add CTAs that are clear to the destination direct from the post or video and directly lead viewers to the shopping page.

By combining actionable content with a seamless shopping experience, you can effectively eliminate the gap between browsing and buying. Increasing your chances to convert your followers into customers in a timely manner and build brand loyalty by providing a quick and uncomplicated purchasing experience.

Adding social commerce into your sales strategies does not just create a potentiality to sell more products; it is a means to further develop your relationship with your audience and provide value to your audience with on-brand content. The platforms supporting this trend frequently change with new features, so continue to learn and experiment to find the proper mix in your business.

3.Increased Focus on Privacy and Data Security

Over the last few years, privacy and data security have moved from the back burner to prominent issues for the social media user or marketer. Users are expecting protection of their information, and regulators are tightening the screws to hold organizations and businesses accountable. This topic can no longer be ignored; it is changing the way you collect data, run ads, and build trust with your audience.

The Rise of Privacy Regulations

There is a landscape of new laws and regulations that are certainly changing how we process consumer data on social media. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has established a new standard governing how personal data is handled, including the requirement for organizations to obtain informed consent prior to collecting any personal information. Other jurisdictions are also enacting new rules (including, undoubtedly, the US, with their state laws – the California Consumer Privacy Act is one example).

While the new regulations allow users greater rights and control over their personal data, they have restricted how much we can track our followers and what we can even do with their data. If you are not compliant, then you could risk a consequence … a significant consequence. Being informed and staying compliant with these regulations is no longer optional.

How Platforms Are Managing Privacy Concerns

Social media platforms are also modifying their tools and policies to meet compliance requirements or expectations. A clear example of this is the Apple App Tracking Transparency (ATT). ATT requires that apps must ask users if they are allowed to track what users do in other apps on third-party apps, as well as websites.

Facebook (now Meta) introduced some updates to their privacy controls, limiting some of their advertised tracking for advertising targeting and reporting. The changes will also affect the accuracy of advertising and how you analyze marketing effectiveness, and you will see differences in levels of data granularity and attribution models.

Additionally, other platforms want to create more trust in their platforms by being more data-protected and honest about how they use data. They are making control increases by increasing the ability of the user to have discretion in what is shared.

Effects on Advertising and Marketing Strategies

Your marketing strategy will need to change to accommodate privacy-conscious change. You will not be using as many third-party cookies or tracking details that target and retarget users. Thus, you may need to consider different opportunities based on user privacy, and you will have to change your mindset.

You may want to try the following:

Utilize first-party data:

 This is data that you find the audience connects, whether that be sign-ups, interactions, or registrations. This is more accurate, trustworthy, and privacy-compliant.

Use contextual signals for advertising:

Rather than targeting all based on historical behavior, provide relevant ads of content or advertising surrounding the associated content and/or environment. This way, your reliance on personal data decreases.

Connect with customers more often:

Be transparent in the use of data and providing value; relationship-building trust is essential, but also engage users more often.

Experiment with attribution methods:

Knowing the effects of advertising will continue into the development of how platforms are communicating and experimenting with aggregated or modeled data, moving into a privacy-compliant framework whilst still enabling ad measurement. Be open to a world of experimenting with other analytics tools.

Enhance investment of content and brand equity:

 Because your audience will not view advertising or branding but instead, they may be asking themselves, ‘Are they giving me something of quality? If you provide content and other outreach where customers are engaging, which they will, you are inviting customers to engage without enlisting procedures that track them.

In focusing your approach around privacy, you are not just responding to regulations. 

4.Podcasting and Audio Content

Audio content is becoming a more effective way to engage and connect with audiences. Some research has shown podcast listenership is continuing to increase year-over-year, and many platforms that are built around the idea of live audio chats are starting to gain traction. Overall, these changing trends are reshaping how you can engage, amplify your story, and create community beyond a social post or a video. 

Why Audio content is emerging fast

To some, the preference for listening to audio is just easier, and perhaps more natural, to fit into our day-to-day lives. Our days are filled with everything from a commute to a workout to house chores, and audio is often the only content form that we can walk around with. Unlike video, audio does not require (our eyes) or full attention. Audio is a more easier content form to consume because we can literally do anything else while we listen. 

Much of the growth of audio consumption, perhaps accelerated by a plethora of factors, includes but is not limited to the following:

An ever-growing array of podcasts on every possible topic:

 From true crime to business education, there are thousands of podcast channels available to satisfy just about any engagement or interest.

Smart speakers proliferating in homes:

  A device such as Amazon Echo or Google Nest allows people to access a world of audio without needing to look at a screen.

Apps to open audio content are getting better:

 Podcast apps are definitely upping the game, making listening easier with playlists, recommended listening, and so on.

Emergence of live audio platforms:

 Apps that are influenced by Clubhouse are changing the norms of casual, off-the-cuff conversations and real-time engagement with audiences.

So the surge continues – which is overall indicating that more and more people are seeking content that they can effortlessly listen to at any time rather than engaging in endless scrolling for possible click-bait content.

How are businesses utilizing podcasting/audio?

Adding a podcast or sponsored podcast to your portfolio is a method to create more brand awareness, elevate you and your company to be experts, and engage your audience 

in a new way; there are more and more examples of companies finding ways to leverage audio content opportunities such as branded podcasts – companies are innovating in some way on creating their podcasts to share stories that link to their product or industry or someone else interests. The previous example gives you a format that can establish trust by consistently sharing value or entertainment.

• Influencer podcasts:

 Partnering with podcast hosts with a loyal audience can expand your reach and can seem more organic than standard advertising.

• Live audio events:

 Providing live interaction to users through audio applications allows you to address groups through discussions, Q&As, or launches, which creates a camaraderie and connections video cannot provide, which leads to more engagement than normal recorded content.

• Audio content:

It offers a concise way to capture someone’s attention for longer periods of time. Podcast listeners are typically engaged between 20 – 60 minutes at a time, giving more options for detail than scrolling feeds.

What Does It Mean for Your Social Strategy

The incorporation of audio into your social media strategy is another opportunity to engage your audience in a more personal way. You don’t need a large budget or high-tech gadgets to launch a podcast or have live audio sessions. Quality and consistency matter more than anything else.

You could use:

• A podcast is an extension of what your audience cares about.
• Being part of the conversation on live audio platforms to answer questions or offer insights.
• Asking influencers in your area to discuss your brand.
• Using audio clips in other content on your social channels.

Audio content is not just a fad. It is another way to foster community, present an inviting platform for dialogue, and keep attention without devices clicking, buzzing, and pinging. When you consider how to use audio in a few formats, it will allow you to create a more authentic space for people to engage with your brand or message. 

5.The Surge of Augmented Reality (AR) Filters

The presence of Augmented Reality (AR) filters in social media is becoming an essential while previously a fun component of how users communicate and post content. Augmented Reality technology overlays digital images with the real world using mobile camera technology, which provides immersive effects that feel unique and alive to the viewer. In 2025, AR filters are still on the rise within social media, gaining more momentum with each platform and fully changing the posting experience from mundane original content to interesting and creative experiences. 

Why AR Filters are Exploding

The AR filter phenomenon resurgence can be traced to some simple elements. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat have made creating AR and utilizing AR more easily digestible for content creators and users alike. Daily social sharing is playful, interactive, and engaging. Using AR by changing appearances or enhancing effects in a photo or video instantly is addictive! With every advancement of AR, Filters will become more interesting and realistic. 

• Instagram and Snapchat have platforms that can be built upon using their tools. Instagram’s Spark AR enables an individual or brand to build their own AR filters to be used in mobile camera images. Instagram’s AR filters enable personal interaction. 

• Snapchat’s Lens Studio has allowed rapid innovation from brands and creators using AR, which has resulted in many imaginative, witty, and high-fidelity lenses used on Snapchat with often viral results.  Snapchat’s Lenses receive millions of users daily and are an essential interest for AR because AR filters give users extra cool “content” to share, leading to engagement and repeat visits. 

• AR filters are a natural fit with the communication style of the modern user because AR filters deliver a fun component that focuses on surprise and personalization without needing a long piece of content.

How are brands using AR Filters?

Many brands are beginning to see AR filter effects to connect audiences with a brand in an appealing and creative manner. They transcend more conventional communication styles beyond posting promotions and allow people to situate the product or experience visually before purchasing or even just playing with the brand. 

Here is how various industries have had successful AR experiences at their disposal. 

• Beauty brands are a good example. The AR filters that beauty brands create to give your audience the ability to try on shades for makeup, hairstyles, and accessories in a rather genuine way by showing your audience what an actual product would look like before actually making a purchase can ignite more interest as users take sharing their new looks in their stories. 

• Retailers can try out AR filters that showcase what a piece of furniture or clothing would look like in your space or on you. Doing this can organically expand some of the physical ‘human’ elements of online purchasing. 

• Entertainment companies tend to understand how to deepen engagement for their fans via fun, brand-oriented filters that are related to movies, shows, and/or events. In these cases, they tend to help their fans celebrate events and promote them in their own unique, engaging, and memorable ways. 

By inviting user engagement, brands are now showing their messaging and content to be part of their user’s daily existence/action, not just elsewhere in the world of commercialization. 

How to Make AR Filters Work 

Again, when thinking of AR, just like everything else, Think creativity and connection FIRST. Use AR filters that enhance and add value, either through how the audience would use it OR purely for entertaining content. 

• Create filters that are visually appealing and easy to use while remaining conscious of the different lights and environments. 
• The brand or product should be seamlessly integrated yet clearly set apart from all of the other pre-existing filters. Don’t bombard the audience with ads. 
• Encourage the audience to post or share their filtered images by including a call to action or even creating contests of filters. 
• You can track engagement data to then gain insight into what works (or doesn’t) and how the audience will interact in the future, which you can use to inform your next experience. 

AR filters are not just some technology fad, So utilize them as unique opportunities they are to create more engagement with your audience and allow for some fun and personalized experiences for users while they utilize them. The best experiences will create memories that keep your audience coming back. 

6.User-Generated Content (UGC) and Authenticity 

User-generated content is revolutionizing how brand communities form on social media. No longer is it an arms race of produced ads or highly curated posts, but anytime someone shares their experience as a real person. This process builds trust, as it feels more authentic to users—an important quality when deciding whom to follow, purchase from, or support. 

Shoppers and followers want to hear about a genuine product experience from someone like them, not just the brand’s voice. UGC is social proof—showing content that real people use and enjoy. By posting user’s posts, reviews, photos, or videos, we welcome our audience into the story. Authenticity is more than just a buzzword; it actually affects what people believe and ultimately engage with. 

Why Authenticity is Important 

People will find and dismiss fake or forced content so quickly. When you create felt connections based on authentic stories, opinions, and experiences, it becomes a natural and trustful connection. Authentic content demonstrates genuine user experiences that can combat over-produced marketing content. 

Build trust: Authentic reviews and posts build confidence. 

Increases engagement: Honesty and relatable posts create engagement. 

Supports brand loyalty: Featuring users as “your” content creates community. 

Social media platforms have also evolved to promote authentic experiences. UGC and honest engagements often obtain a higher organic reach because users stay in contact with the content longer. This boost means you are able to help additional people with no additional ad spend.

Which Platforms Showcase UGC

Some other social share platforms favorable to user-generated content around authenticity:

Instagram:

Follower Stories, Reels, and feed posts are easy to share. Hashtag campaigns can aggregate and share UGC that relates to a brand.

TikTok:

 TikTok is an experience rooted in genuine clips produced by regular users. TikTok’s duet and stitch features allow user participants to engage in the natural conversation occurring from your content.

YouTube:

 Vlogs, reviews, and reaction videos provide long-form UGC that promotes the traveler, which builds long-term trust.

These social media platforms showcasing authentic users build a feedback loop formatted towards more people able to engage in real UGC.

7.Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Social sharing platforms are now more than trends and entertainment—it has become an enormous opportunity for individuals and brands to showcase how sustainability and social responsibility are part of their ethos. More than ever, people now pay attention to how brands are engaged in environmental issues as well as the social causes they support. Showing genuine care towards the broader motions at this moment helps to build trust and passion with your audience, along with contributing to larger actions than corporate capitalistic goals.

How Brands Showcase Sustainable Initiatives?

Sustainability is an expected value for brands that want to connect with responsible consumers. Brands continue to share ways they have reduced waste, created products with renewable energy, and/or supported causes around conservation right through their social sharing platforms. It is a serious band definition to showcase these actions.

Commonly Ways Brands Feature Sustainability:

• Eco-friendly packaging updates – Showcase how their products reduce the use of plastic or recycled materials.
• Carbon footprint reduction – Share how they use or are moving toward more renewable energy and greener operations.
• Local sourcing – Promote how products are created with local and sustainable materials to limit transport impacts.
• Recycling or upcycling programs – Highlight how they are creating or promoting product waste/telemarketers byways or encouraging users to recycle.

The audience appreciates these tangible actions. Your audience sees your real intention.

Keep your tone authentic and respectful. Your audience can tell if your activism feels genuine or just a marketing ploy.

Conclusion

Keeping an eye on these seven social media trends will help you stay relevant and connect better with your audience in 2025. Short-form video, social commerce, and AR filters offer new ways to engage, while privacy changes push you to build trust through transparency. Audio content and user-generated stories deepen connections, and focusing on sustainability shows your values matter.

Applying these trends thoughtfully will strengthen your social media presence and keep you competitive. Focus on authentic interaction and meaningful content rather than just following every new feature. This approach builds lasting relationships with your followers and supports steady growth.