The Top Digital and Social Media Marketing Trends in 2025

As we close off another year, it’s a great time to reflect back on what has happened in the digital marketing and social media space.

2024 saw a rise in Artificial Intelligence, greater focus on community, personalization became more important to consumers than previous years, the boom of  personal branding, and so much more.

We’ll discuss what trends stood out for 2024 and our predictions for 2025. 

• Short-form content VS long-form content

The age-old battle between the content formats continues to rise as TikTok and Instagram fight over their audiences’ attention. 

While TikTok has increased length time to ten minutes following YouTube shorts strategy, Instagram allows users to record up to 90 seconds.

Despite both platforms increasing the recording time, short-form content still continues to win.

31% of the marketers believe that short-form videos offer the highest ROI.

Long-form content does have the potential to generate ROI through correct ad placement and sponsorships but short-form content sparks intrigue and interest in the audience leading to more engagement. 

Short-form content continues to reign over long-form content because of the potential to provide value in a short amount of time. We don’t see long-form content taking the lead anytime soon in the near future. 

 

• Generative AI: 

Artificial Intelligence has been around since 2015 but it has grown in strength over the years especially in 2024. 

Integration of Generative AI into digital marketing and social media platforms has enhanced efficiency and allows businesses and marketers to produce large volumes of content in a shorter amount of time. 

From the latest Mckinsley Global Survey on AI, over 65% of businesses are using Generative AI, doubling the number than just a few months ago. 

We don’t see it stopping there. As more and more businesses adopt Generative AI into their business, we can see it evolving more each time. 

Take for example, Instagram.

Instagram always had artificial intelligence capabilities but in recent years, it has been integrated into the platform from AI-generated influencers to chatbots to AI-generated content. 

 

• Influencer Marketing Vs UGC (User-Generated Content)

Influencer marketing rose in the early 2000s with many brands investing their budget into influencers to reach a wider audience. 

Many saw the advantage of influencing because they already had built a strong following that engaged with their content and had influence over their community. 

However in the last few years, the rise of influencer marketing has slowed down as many people are moving more towards authenticity and relatable content. 

Many influencers display an idealistic lifestyle that many aren’t infatuated with anymore.

Influencers are paid to talk about the businesses product or services which most people are moving towards relatable and more authentic content. 

Enter a new player… UGC has become a fan favorite with brands in the last few years and it’s clear to see why.

User-Generated content is an easier way for people to get started in the content creation world as they don’t need to build a following first to sell to. 

User-Generated Content is created by customers or fans of the product which feels more relatable and authentic. 

It also is a better choice for those who don’t have a big following and who don’t want to shine light on themselves on the internet. 

Instead they create content for businesses and they own the content you produce. For brands, UGC content is much cheaper for the business compared to influencers. 

Depending on the type of influencer whether it’s a nano, micro, or macro influencer, the price can range from 100 euro to nearly 10k for one reel. 

The platform, number of followers and engagement rate is highly dependent on how much you get paid for a reel. 

Compare that with UGC where your audience and engagement rate doesn’t matter as much, the focus is on producing relatable and authentic content.

This starts to build a positive association with the brand as they come across as relatable and authentic. 

In influencer marketing, influencers tend to already have a “warm” audience that’s ready to buy while UGC creators have less pressure to build connections with an audience. It’s up to the brand to have that warm audience already. 

However, UGC isn’t simply taking a video about how much you like a product. If that was the case, everyone would be making bank. 

Instead, UGC creators need to have a deep understanding of the psychology behind selling and what captures people’s attention along with skills such as copywriting and understanding the brand’s target audience. 

Despite this, we predict UGC will become the bigger player compared to influencer marketing because of the authenticity and relatability.

• Short-form content VS long-form content

The age-old battle between the content formats continues to rise as TikTok and Instagram fight over their audiences’ attention. 

While TikTok has increased length time to ten minutes following YouTube shorts strategy, Instagram allows users to record up to 90 seconds.

Despite both platforms increasing the recording time, short-form content still continues to win.

31% of the marketers believe that short-form videos offer the highest ROI.

Long-form content does have the potential to generate ROI through correct ad placement and sponsorships but short-form content sparks intrigue and interest in the audience leading to more engagement. 

Short-form content continues to reign over long-form content because of the potential to provide value in a short amount of time. We don’t see long-form content taking the lead anytime soon in the near future. 

 

• Generative AI: 

Artificial Intelligence has been around since 2015 but it has grown in strength over the years especially in 2024. 

Integration of Generative AI into digital marketing and social media platforms has enhanced efficiency and allows businesses and marketers to produce large volumes of content in a shorter amount of time. 

From the latest Mckinsley Global Survey on AI, over 65% of businesses are using Generative AI, doubling the number than just a few months ago. 

We don’t see it stopping there. As more and more businesses adopt Generative AI into their business, we can see it evolving more each time. 

Take for example, Instagram.

Instagram always had artificial intelligence capabilities but in recent years, it has been integrated into the platform from AI-generated influencers to chatbots to AI-generated content. 

 

• Influencer Marketing Vs UGC (User-Generated Content)

Influencer marketing rose in the early 2000s with many brands investing their budget into influencers to reach a wider audience. 

Many saw the advantage of influencing because they already had built a strong following that engaged with their content and had influence over their community. 

However in the last few years, the rise of influencer marketing has slowed down as many people are moving more towards authenticity and relatable content. 

Many influencers display an idealistic lifestyle that many aren’t infatuated with anymore.

Influencers are paid to talk about the businesses product or services which most people are moving towards relatable and more authentic content. 

Enter a new player… UGC has become a fan favorite with brands in the last few years and it’s clear to see why.

User-Generated content is an easier way for people to get started in the content creation world as they don’t need to build a following first to sell to. 

User-Generated Content is created by customers or fans of the product which feels more relatable and authentic. 

It also is a better choice for those who don’t have a big following and who don’t want to shine light on themselves on the internet. 

Instead they create content for businesses and they own the content you produce. For brands, UGC content is much cheaper for the business compared to influencers. 

Depending on the type of influencer whether it’s a nano, micro, or macro influencer, the price can range from 100 euro to nearly 10k for one reel. 

The platform, number of followers and engagement rate is highly dependent on how much you get paid for a reel. 

Compare that with UGC where your audience and engagement rate doesn’t matter as much, the focus is on producing relatable and authentic content.

This starts to build a positive association with the brand as they come across as relatable and authentic. 

In influencer marketing, influencers tend to already have a “warm” audience that’s ready to buy while UGC creators have less pressure to build connections with an audience. It’s up to the brand to have that warm audience already. 

However, UGC isn’t simply taking a video about how much you like a product. If that was the case, everyone would be making bank. 

Instead, UGC creators need to have a deep understanding of the psychology behind selling and what captures people’s attention along with skills such as copywriting and understanding the brand’s target audience. 

Despite this, we predict UGC will become the bigger player compared to influencer marketing because of the authenticity and relatability.

If you want to stay ahead of the curve and be two steps ahead of your competitors, download our Top Digital and Social Media Trends of 2025 predictions below.