The Social Media Shift

Social media has evolved beyond a simple brand exposure tool. It’s now the heartbeat of culture, commerce, and customer engagement. According to the 2025 Sprout Social Index, consumer behaviors are shifting, social commerce is expanding, and brands must redefine their strategies to stay relevant.

There are key trends shaping consumer expectations. Brands need strong social media teams with the right resources to keep up. Check out four key trends below.

1. Trend #1: Consumers Expect Brands to Keep Up with Online Culture, But Not Chase Every Trend
2. Trend #2: Social Commerce Will Continue to Grow, But Engagement is Key
3. Trend #3: Authenticity & Relatability Matter More Than Perfection
4. Trend #4: AI Will Support But Not Replace, Social Media Professionals

Trend #1: Consumers Expect Brands to Keep Up with Online Culture, But Not Chase Every Trend

Social media has become the primary source for discovering trends, surpassing TV, streaming, and even word-of-mouth conversations. Ninety percent of consumers rely on social media to stay informed about cultural moments, making it the ultimate platform for brand engagement​.

However, keeping up with online culture does not mean jumping on every trend. Consumers appreciate when brands understand the digital landscape, but only 33% think it’s cool when brands jump on trends, and 40% find it embarrassing if done poorly​.

What This Means for Brands:

Be culturally fluent: Understand memes, viral moments, and industry trends. Posts can even be funny like the spoof on “Elf-on-the-Shelf” we created for client South Bay International titled “Fred-on-the-Bed.” This social series highlighted a day in the life with this fictional character showcasing the warehouse and the South Bay team and culture. 

Prioritize originality: Instead of hopping on every viral moment, create content that aligns with your brand identity.
Engage authentically: Consumers prefer brands that interact meaningfully rather than those who post just to stay visible. For example, our client Dr. Jennifer Grandis, physician-scientist, features a book recommendation every month for her audiences on social channels. She authentically shares what she likes about the book and what it means to her, connecting to her audience on a deeper level. 

Trend #2: Social Commerce Will Continue to Grow, But Engagement Is Key

Social media is now a full-funnel marketing tool, from discovery to purchase. Seventy-three percent of consumers say if a brand doesn’t respond to their inquiries on social media, they’ll buy from a competitor​. Eighty-one percent of consumers make impulse purchases based on social media content, showing how influential the platform is in decision-making​. 

What This Means for Brands:

Make customer service a priority: Fast, personalized responses will make or break brand loyalty.
Leverage user-generated content (UGC): Consumers trust peer recommendations more than ads.
Invest in seamless shopping experiences: Ensure easy navigation from social platforms to checkout pages. Well Connected Brands created a seamless shopping experience on Instagram for client Greenwell Farms to make getting their fresh 100% Kona Coffee that much easier. 

Trend #3: Authenticity & Relatability Matter More Than Perfection

Today’s consumers are tired of overly polished and corporate brand voices. In fact, the top three things that make brands stand out on social are:

• Quality of their product/service
• Originality of their content
• How they engage with followers​

Interestingly, relatability and authenticity top the list of must-have content traits, far above production value​. This suggests that consumers prefer genuine, humanized content over slick, sales-driven posts.

What This Means for Brands:

Ditch the corporate tone: Sounding too “salesy” turns consumers off.
Engage with your audience: Responding to comments, using humor for example if that aligns with your brand voice, and showing behind-the-scenes content fosters loyalty.
Encourage employee advocacy: Content from employees performs well because it feels authentic and relatable. Consider sharing behind the scenes shots like this one we recently created with the Well Connected Brands team. Or, get silly and creative with fun audio like this one. It’s ok to let your guard down and allow audiences to see team members taking themselves lightly.

Trend #4: AI Will Support, But Not Replace, Social Media Professionals

AI has gone from a futuristic concept to a valuable tool. 97% of marketing leaders believe knowing how to use AI is crucial for social teams​. However, AI should support human creativity, not replace it.

The biggest areas where AI is helping social media teams:

• Automating customer service inquiries: Companies like Google, Amazon, HubSpot, and Drift are integrating AI into their already powerful platforms, enabling social teams to streamline customer interactions like never before. With AI-driven automation, teams can manage conversations, analyze customer interactions, and generate summaries of customer calls — enhancing efficiency and delivering deeper insights. 
• Providing real-time data insights: Data and the need to understand it is paramount to a company’s success. Companies like Akkio, Google Analytics and OpenAI can assist social media teams in analyzing marketing and business data automatically. 
• Generating ideas and optimizing content performance: Content generation has seen the greatest change due to the advancements in AI. At Well Connected Brands, we use the most advanced reasoning models as thought partners to assist in idea content generation. This co-intelligent process allows Well Connected Brands to formulate thought-provoking content faster and at a higher quality.  

What This Means for Brands:

Use AI as an efficiency tool: Automate data-heavy tasks but keep human creativity at the forefront.
Upskill social teams: Ensure they have AI training while still focusing on storytelling and community engagement.
Don’t over-rely on automation: Consumers value human interaction, so AI should enhance, not replace, customer service.

To support these trends a strong social media presence starts with a well-supported team, yet many brands overlook the investment required to make that happen. According to the 2025 Sprout Social Report, only 57% of marketing leaders believe their executives fully trust their social teams, and many social practitioners feel overworked and understaffed. Despite these challenges, 86% of leaders plan to expand their teams this year, signaling a shift toward recognizing the importance of social media in business growth.

To thrive, brands must empower their social teams by trusting their expertise rather than micromanaging content strategies. Investing in AI-powered tools can also help streamline repetitive tasks, giving teams more time for creativity and strategic engagement. Most importantly, social media should be treated as a priority. Brands that allocate resources to social will see stronger customer loyalty, higher engagement, and ultimately, a greater return on investment.

This year, social media will continue to be a key touchpoint between brands and consumers. Consumers want authenticity over perfection, real-time customer service, original, culturally fluent content and brands that listen, not just talk.

To meet these expectations, brands must invest in social media teams, embrace AI strategically, and focus on building genuine relationships with their audience. Social media is the core of brand relevance in the digital age.

Not sure where to start? Well Connected Brands is here to help. Our team of experts can craft a social media strategy tailored to your brand’s unique needs. Reach out today and let’s build a social presence that resonates and creates a positive impact on your audience.

Sprout Social Index 2025