Well that’s a good question, considering the constantly evolving landscape of social media trends, viral topics, influencer-based marketing and AI-generated content. So how do small businesses navigate the best approach to utilize social media as a marketing channel to boost brand awareness, without draining time, resources, and budget that could be better spent elsewhere? I have a very realistic and logical approach when it comes to social media, and this approach varies based on the industry of the client and their marketing goals.

If your industry is in fashion, hospitality, travel, art, music or entertainment, social media is a great place to show off your products, your talents, or your travel excursions with creative and engaging social media marketing strategies. Social media is still relevant for businesses of all shapes and sizes, but the measure of success and ROI differs greatly on the product/service you are promoting. Let’s be honest, there are just some industries that are not going to be able to provide fun, engaging or even educational content to the general public (including some B2Bs). That being said, having a presence and reaching your niche audience through paid ads and demographic-related hashtags can still provide some benefits and ROI.

Before taking a deep dive into social media trends, it would be a good idea for a brand to research which platforms your target audience is using/trusting, how your industry competitors are using social media, and industry-specific statistics on social media ROI. And there is a difference between having a social media presence for brand awareness and having a fully engaged, trending and diverse social content strategy. The decision of how much time and money you spend on social content creation and marketing will be based on the research you or your marketing team conduct. 

Let’s talk about social media usage in 2025.

Recent Social Media Usage Statistics

• “In October 2024, 5.22 billion people were using social media, out of 5.52 billion internet users worldwide.” – Clear Voice
• “The most popular social media platforms include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.” – Backlinko
• “As of September 2024, over half of US adults (54 percent) obtain news from social media platforms. Facebook leads the pack, with 30 percent of adults regularly accessing news there, followed by YouTube at 26 percent. Notably, 39 percent of adults under 30 regularly get news from TikTok, highlighting a generational shift in news consumption habits.” – Pew Research
• “More than eight out of 10 consumers (81 percent) want brands to release more short-form videos in 2024.” – Sprout Social
• “A 2024 survey found that the top benefits of social media for marketing are increased exposure (80 percent), expanded traffic (73 percent), and lead generation (65 percent), according to marketers.” – Statista

Social Media Trends for 2025:

1. Create partnerships with influencers: Brands collaborate or partner with individuals (influencers) to promote their product/service on their channels, to increase visibility and drive sales through endorsements and product placements. Yes, this is still a strategy used by brands: “In 2024 74% of consumers say they have purchased something from an influencer which means that creator content is a critical part of the buyer journey for the modern consumer.” – Business Wire
2. Keep up with social trends via social listening: Some marketers say that social listening helps companies better understand their audience, improve marketing strategies, spark ideas for content creation, and prepare for crises or declines, with a better path toward proving ROI. 62% of social marketers are using social listening tools. (Hootsuite)
3. Publish fun and engaging video content: With sound, images, music and other engaging elements, video marketing has all the bells and whistles to attract and retain attention. Videos keep our attention longer and make great brand impressions, and that trend will continue to grow: “It’s projected that adults will spend three hours and 30 minutes per day watching digital video by 2028, about half an hour more than the 2024 average.” – Sprout Social
4. Play around with content experimentation: Some companies are ditching brand consistency to push creative boundaries, with over 60% of their content focused on entertaining, educating, or informing, rather than direct promotion.
5. Engage with customers via comments: Brands are increasingly dropping in on creators’ comments to pick up new audiences. These outbound engagements (brands commenting on other people’s posts) are picking up steam with over 41% of brands testing it out.
6. Social Media Commerce: Social Commerce allows businesses to sell products directly on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok so they can browse features and purchase without leaving the app, which can promote product features while also driving impulse buying. “According to current data, in 2024, approximately 110.4 million US consumers are expected to shop on social media, representing around 40.4% of American online shoppers, with global social commerce sales projected to reach $1.23 trillion.” – Sprout Social

Is Twitter/X Still Relevant for Business?

While opinions on the ownership and direction of Twitter, now renamed X, vary, none of that matters if it remains a viable space for businesses to inform, educate, and entertain. With the decrease not only of the monthly active users, especially in the US, but also of the time spent on the platform, your time and advertising dollars are better spent elsewhere on platforms that are still being used by your target audience on a daily basis. Personally, I removed my business account several years ago, with no effect on my social media acquisition percentages on Google Analytics.  

• “Twitter, now known as X, is shrinking in 2024, with a projected decline in users worldwide. The US user base has been declining since 2023, with 55.1 million monthly active users in 2023 and 50.5 million in 2024.” – eMarketer
• “Is Twitter/X still relevant for business? Definitely not. You’re much better off trying to build an audience on a platform that has more future than past.” – Reddit
• “The whole situation with advertising on Twitter is stranger than fiction. Mr. Musk infamously used profanity to tell advertisers to go away, and then turned around and sued them for doing what he said.” – Nojitter

How to Use Social Media for Business Promotion Affordably and Reasonably

For most service-based small businesses, using social media for brand awareness is logical, reasonable and can be very affordable with a combination of organic content and paid ads. When you are running ads on a consistent basis at a very affordable monthly rate, your organic posts tend to get more reach and impressions as well. Here are some tips when it comes to promoting your brand on social media without it overwhelming your marketing resources of time and money.  

“Leads from search engines have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (radio/ tv ads, print ads, cold-calling, direct mail, etc.) have a 1.7% close rate, and social media is less than 1%.” – Digital Marketing Institute

“Email marketing’s conversion rate, typically falls between 2% and 5% depending on the industry.” – Constant Contact

1. Be Realistic: Social media gets eyes on your brand, your services, your company activities and news, your tips and advice, your brand culture and personality, but it’s not the end all be all to your marketing strategy.  It’s just one channel of what should be a multi-channel approach. Conversions are much more likely to happen on your website.
2. Use Social Media to Drive Traffic to your Website: I encourage everyone, if posting themselves or if we are managing content for clients, to regularly include links back to their website for more information, for specials/coupons, for lead generation, and for conversion. Conversion is much more likely to happen on your website, so the more traffic you garner from social media, the more likely you will see ROI on social media. Analyze your traffic consistently on Google Analytics to measure social media acquisition. Most importantly: link, link, link back to your website on most posts.
3. Use Social Media Ads to Increase Reach & Impressions: When building a campaign for a client, I spend as much time on the audience demographics as I do on the actual ad graphics and content. Reaching your specific target audience is essential to drive accurate and relevant traffic to your ad and ultimately to your website. Spending an average of $75-100 each month, can do much to ensure you’re getting eyes on all that work you are putting into social content creation.
4. Use Engaging Graphics and Video Along with Well-Curated and Original Content: Have a strategy of creating original content that informs, educates, entertains and answers your customers frequent questions. Develop content that takes into account current trends, seasonal activities and news/events that affect the lives of your target audience. Ask yourself: What concerns my audience, or what keeps them up at night? What are they thinking about this time of the year?  How can my products and services solve any issues or problems that challenge them?  How can my products and services benefit their life?  What news and updates about my company will be of interest to them?
5. Engage with Followers, Partners and Even Competitors: Just as you appreciate when someone engages with you, through comments, likes, or sharing your content, others will feel good about your brand when you do the same. Show interest, compliment, congratulate and ask questions to show that you are engaged and interested in them as well.
6. Be Patient: It takes time to create a following, to build a presence on social media, so be patient and be consistent. Adding a monthly ad budget can accelerate your progress, but don’t give up and don’t worry if you’re not an overnight success. Social media is about consistency, creative content creation and realistic expectations. 

Need help?  Give Startup Production a call about building a Social Media Management Package tailored to your needs. We don’t have long contract commitments, but work on a month-to-month basis. You can start, stop and restart at any time.