3 things that will get your socials firing in 2025!
From short form videos to viral hooks and famous meme’s, brands are diving into the world of online trends to help promote their own identity, and its influence is working a treat!
As we look into social media trends, it’s important to note that different marketing strategies need to be executed depending on the platform and who we are trying to reach. Understanding the science behind social media & scrolling whilst engaging with the right trends that fit our niche I believe could be a required balance for any brand or agency wanting to create a strong online presence in 2025. From TikTok to Instagram and other social media platforms, we can be encouraged to express our creativity and utilize social media trends that not only help position our own brand identity, but furthermore drive virality; helping to reach a new clientele with bold, innovative and popular content.
1. Quality over Quantity
As the attention span of users has dropped to just 8 seconds (sambarecovery.com), this means we only have seconds to engage with our consumers. It is reported that ‘around half of all users start to scroll within 10 seconds, and 90% within 14 seconds’ (victoriaandco.digital), so what does this mean for brands wanting to earn the attention of new consumers?
This is where short form videos come in! Creating short form videos are a super effective way of gaining the attention of a broader audience whilst also increasing the potential of a viral moment. It is reported that ‘47% of marketers say short-form videos are more likely to go viral’, as ‘the shareability of short content increases its chances of reaching a wider audience’ (firework.com). Posting a video under 60 seconds that includes an unmissable hook, paired with a strong visual could be the best way to drive engagement and encourage conversation around your brand.
The need for pop culture knowledge and viral hooks I believe could also be vital when creating these types of videos. The language used online and specific phrases and introductions that are widely popular can be effectively incorporated within the script to guarantee engagement and relatability. Viral hooks can also invite a feeling of familiarity to the video and introduce the brand as one that is both current and present online: a win win!
2. Alexa, play Messy by Lola Young
Get ready to embrace imperfections and step into the lo-fi space of social media! Instagram can be perceived to only show the highlight reels of people’s lives, so the call for realness and lifestyle content has started to influence the online world and furthermore question how we as brands choose to relate to our followers.
We can see how intentional, non-aesthetically pleasing content and ‘messy’ photo dumps have been a strong contender of recent social media trends. Creators have started decluttering their camera roll via Instagram carousel posts, encapturing the reality of life whilst rejecting the expectation of ‘sleek’ and ‘aesthetic’ content that can be assumed when opening the 2 billion user app.
Research suggests ‘61% of marketers said authenticity is what makes content marketing most effective’ (Stackla). So the rise of organic content is of no surprise, and one to be noted for companies who are able to benefit from the unfiltered, candid and transparent approach to marketing.
So the question is, how can we as agencies and brands utilize this lo-fi trend? When engaging with this trend I believe it’s important to strategise the style of content we promote, so it still feels relatable and organic without placing the brand under a vulnerable light. For example: day in the life carousel posts, spontaneous moments of the week or behind the scenes photos of working on a campaign. This type of content embraces the lo-fi trend whilst staying true to brand image.
It is reported that ‘60% of consumers say they are more likely to trust an influencer who is authentic and shares real-life experiences over an influencer who promotes polished, curated content’ (Source: Edelman Trust Barometer, 2020). Looking at this statistic, we can apply this approach to our own marketing, as embracing imperfections could be key to winning an authenticity seeking audience.
3. Avoid Anonymous
Over the recent years, we have witnessed the rise of personality driven content within social media and how effective it is in gaining traffic & winning a larger audience.
If we look at Curry’s social media for example, within the last year, the brand has gained 100 million organic video views (found by marketingweek.com). Their TikTok also has close to 200k followers, paired with a staggering 7 million likes: this, all thanks to their whitty, on trend TikTok videos and genius comedy-driven marketing.
We can see how ‘meme-able’ content has the ability to spread like wildfire, helping to expand brand recognition through effective, playful strategies and intentional Gen-Z engagement.
However, even though the comedic approach to driving brand engagement is super effective, personable marketing can be executed throughout many different content strategies. For the more prestigious and high-end brands, showing personality via humour themed content might not be fitting and could potentially dampen brand reputation. Creating a warmth to your social media page can be executed with trends such as behind the scene footage, Q&A’s with the team and company CEO’s, as well as interactive stories & polls: enabling customer engagement through
organic conversation and transparency.
This type of marketing can also make it easier to control brand narrative whilst still expressing personality. It’s reported that ‘‘65% of consumers say a brand’s CEO and employees influence their decision to buy’ (explodingtopics.com), so hearing the inside scoop from the team might just be the answer to winning loyal customers!
With a vast amount of online trends and audio’s being created weekly, brands and agencies are able to streamline the ones that fit their niche and brand identity. Research suggests that ‘88% of consumers are more likely to like and support a brand that is authentic’. We have the greenlight as agencies to step into the content creation world, making bold choices and creating trending posts & videos that drive company growth and recognition, without compromising identity or creative expression.
