8 Key Questions for a Winning Social Media Strategy in 2025

The below FAQ discusses the Meltwater recent report title “Meltwater’s 2025 State of Social Media Report,“

1. What are the biggest challenges social media teams are facing as we head into 2025?

The most significant challenges for social media teams include limited team bandwidth, lack of video production capabilities, the absence of dedicated social media managers and established processes, and a lack of internal buy-in within their organizations. These issues hinder teams’ abilities to create and execute robust social media strategies despite recognizing its growing importance.

2. How are social media budgets expected to change in 2025?

Most businesses plan to either increase or maintain their current social media budgets in 2025. B2B companies are more inclined to maintain their budgets, while B2C companies and agencies are more likely to increase them, indicating a varied approach across different sectors. Overall, there’s less indication that budgets will decrease.

3. Which social media platforms are gaining focus for organic strategies in 2025?

Instagram has overtaken Facebook as the primary platform for organic social media strategy, with LinkedIn also remaining a strong contender. There’s a shift away from X (formerly Twitter), with companies planning to invest less time there and more attention on Instagram and LinkedIn. TikTok is also gaining popularity, especially among younger audiences.

4. What content formats are being prioritized for social media in 2025?

Video posts are the top priority for most social media teams due to their high performance. Carousels are the second most prioritized format as they perform better than single-image posts. Link posts are becoming less of a focus, indicating a trend toward social-first marketing that prioritizes brand awareness over clicks.

5. How is social listening being used by brands, and what are the primary goals?

Social listening is increasingly being used to monitor brand reputation, track brand awareness, benchmark against competitors, gather consumer insights, and manage crises. A majority of companies are using social listening software and a significant number are planning to implement it in 2025, showing increased recognition of its value for audience insights.

6. Are companies preferring to manage social media in-house or outsource?

The majority of companies (72.9%) prefer to manage social media in-house. For those that do outsource, content production, paid social, and video production are the most common services that are delegated to third-party vendors. However, there is a trend of companies relying less on outsourced video as they adopt more cost-effective methods using AI and readily available tech.

7. How important is social media perceived to be in 2025 compared to current investment?

While a large majority (78.6%) of companies believe that social media will play a more important role in 2025, there’s a disconnect because the data shows that team size and resource allocation aren’t increasing proportionally. This indicates that many companies are aware of the growing importance of social media but are not allocating the resources to keep up with that recognition.

8. How is paid social media being utilized by companies, and what are the main trends in 2025?

A significant majority of businesses are using paid ads on social media. Facebook is still the dominant platform for paid ads, but Instagram is closing the gap. While video is still popular, single-image ads are the preferred format for paid campaigns, potentially due to budget and bandwidth limitations. Most businesses plan to maintain or increase their investment in paid social media.

Be sure to explore our review and key takeaways from the “Meltwater’s 2025 State of Social Media Report,” here