HubSpot - 👯Got ya feelin' social

If you remember MySpace Tom, it’s time to update your social media knowledge. (And take your Metamucil with me.)

Lucky you, our annual State of Social Media report is here with survey data from over 1,000 marketers worldwide. 

But data is only as good as the insights you pull from it, so I asked our resident data analyst, Arnav, to pull his top 7 insights just for Masters in Marketing.

Then, I’ll link the full report — right after Matlock and a nap.

In today's email: 

• 7 takeaways from the State of Social Media
  
  
• How to create your social media strategy
  
  
• The best times to post on each platform

|   Inside Scoop

This week, our data analyst Arnav Patel shares his top 7 insights from the State of Social Media report.

1. Marketers are prioritizing relationships over transactions. Brand awareness (29%), engagement (27%), and customer service/retention (29%) are ranked as top social media goals, surpassing direct sales (24%) and lead generation (16%). This reflects a shift toward long-term audience-building rather than short-term conversions.

(Preston Rutherford was ahead of this trend when he said “Brand is the most important asset that any kind of business builds.” In my interview with the Chubbies co-founder, he recommends a 60/40 split between brand building and performance marketing! ~ Curt)

2. Community building is a top priority. The vast majority (85%) of marketers say building an active social media community is important, with 30% expecting it to grow even more crucial. Strong communities boost brand sentiment and loyalty.

3. Marketers are prioritizing humor, authenticity and relatability in content. The most commonly produced content types are funny (52%), relatable (50%), and authentic (42%), reflecting a widespread belief that these formats drive engagement. A majority (76%) say authenticity is more important than high-production value.

(And that’s not just for B2C! Chandler Quintin, CEO of Video Bros., points out in his interview that even B2B businesses need an entertainment strategy to succeed in 2025. ~Curt)

4. Visual storytelling dominates social media. Instagram (79%) and YouTube (76%) are the most preferred platforms for posting in 2024, while TikTok is seeing the highest planned investment in 2025 (30%). These platforms excel in driving site traffic, engagement, and audience growth.

5. Social search optimization is essential. Nearly 9 in 10 marketers (89%) consider optimizing for on-platform search important, and 84% agree consumers will increasingly search for brands on social media.

(Not sure how to do that? This guide to social media search is a good start! ~ Curt) 

6. Proving social media ROI is more critical than ever. While 56% of marketers expect budgets to grow, 74% anticipate increased scrutiny on spending and return on investment.

7. AI is transforming social media content creation. Nearly all social media marketers (97%) use AI in their work, with visual AI tools (53%) and AI chatbots (52%) being the most popular. A strong majority (83%) believe AI will significantly impact content creation.