2025 Ins and Outs From A Social Media Strategist

It's 2025 and we're talking about what's in and what's out when it comes to social media strategy. This is the year of true marketing, and doing that takes work, engagement, and storytelling.

I don't know about you, but I'm genuinely excited about social media moving toward a more genuine space. As a social media strategist who has always pushed for honest engagement and ethical marketing tactics, this shift has been a long time coming! Let's take a closer look as what's in and what's out when it comes to social media:

What's Trending With Social Media?

1. Making Genuine Connections: This year is a year when engagement will really matter. Social media accounts are flooded with all sorts of content. People now understand that viable, successful businesses are ones that respond to questions and comments and that have a real person reading their DMs. Engaging with your audience will help you grow not only your reach - you'll also see people turning to you for input, services and insights.
2. Storytelling: Who doesn't love a good story? In 2025, we're slowing things down and spending more time on sharing the whos, whats, whys and hows behind what we're doing. Let people know why you've made certain decisions, how your business came to be, who you are and what you really stand for. Stories stand out.
3. Posting Smarter, Not Harder: Yup...it's totally acceptable to repurpose your content. With quality content being more of a thing, you're going to want to use what you create in more spaces and reshare it often. 
4. Making Data Driven Decisions: There are now so many tools available to let us see what's actually happening with our social accounts. When making decisions about what type of content to post when, take a look at what the data says. Your data lays out a pathway to follow. If you post when you see people are engaging with your content, your efforts will go much further.
5. Posting Real Life Content: Following the lines of genuine connection and storytelling, people want to see what's real. Sharing behind-the-scenes views, messy installations, crazy sales days, and wild, unexpected situations lets your audience know that life happens to you too. People want to feel like they have the inside scoop. This year is the year to get real about your business.
6. Personal Branding: This is the year to show your face! And I'm not saying go out and hire a professional photographer. People want to see the real you. They want to know that they're engaging with a real person and not an AI bot. Let people know who you are, and I'm pretty sure you'll see your connections and engagement grow.

What's Out When It Comes to Social Media?

1. One Way Engagement: Connection is a two-way street. If you're not responding to comments and DMs, it's like having a customer walk into your brick and mortar without greeting them. Make sure you're in touch with your audience. I promise it'll be worth the effort.
2. Focusing On Vanity Metrics: Here's what's true: follower count doesn't equal success. Reel views don't equal success. In order for your audience to actually convert when you put out an offer, you need to have connected and engaged with them. In 2025, it's time to prioritize engagement over vanity metrics.
3. Vanilla Hooks: We've all been using social media long enough to know the cookie cutter hooks. Lines like, "Our new product is now available," "Learn more about our services," or "Sign up today for exclusive offers" are completely out and won't grab anyone's attention. Instead, use hooks with creative flair or intrigue. Humor, surprise, and interesting questions are much more likely to get a response out of your audience and will help you stand out as a business.
4. Vague and "Googleable" tips: I'm going to be honest here - if you're just posting the same things as everyone else in your circle, no one is going to notice you. Look for the interesting edge or insight and share that! This is where storytelling and real life content are so helpful. Show your audience how interesting and unique your business is. Why should they connect with you? What makes your stand out?

So here's to 2025 and to embracing all the shifts toward genuine storytelling that are happening across social media accounts. I'd love to know what works for you as you implement some of these "ins" and work to get rid of what's now out. And if you find anything tricky, please be in touch. I'd love to hear what's going on and to help troubleshoot!