How New-Age Social Media Marketing Is Changing and What You Need to Know – Business.com

MenuBusiness.com aims to help business owners make informed decisions to support and grow their companies. We research and recommend products and services suitable for various business types, investing thousands of hours each year in this process.As a business, we need to generate revenue to sustain our content. We have financial relationships with some companies we cover, earning commissions when readers purchase from our partners or share information about their needs. These relationships do not dictate our advice and recommendations. Our editorial team independently evaluates and recommends products and services based on their research and expertise. Learn more about our process and partners here.Social media marketing has come a long way, and the rules keep changing. Learn about the latest trends and how to make them work for your business.Social media marketing was once a novel and exciting way for companies to promote their products and services. Businesses set up profiles, gathered followers and began posting regularly. In the early days, there was less competition, and almost any company could gain visibility with minimal effort. Today, nearly every business has a social media presence, and getting noticed takes considerably more work. Meanwhile, new tools, technologies and trends continue to change how businesses connect with their audiences.Keeping up with these changes can help you reach new customers, build brand awareness and get more out of your social media marketing efforts. We’ll look at how social media marketing has evolved and share practical advice from experienced marketing and sales professionals on making the most of today’s platforms.Social media has come a long way from simply posting updates and collecting followers. Today, a successful digital marketing strategy requires businesses to think carefully about their audiences, the content they share and how different platforms work. Algorithms, changing consumer habits and new technologies have all influenced how businesses approach social media marketing.Here are 10 social media marketing trends businesses should have on their radar.Today’s social media users like video content — and they like it short and sweet. According to Wyzowl’s 2026 State of Video Marketing report, 63 percent of consumers prefer watching a short video when learning about a product or service. Video can also influence purchasing decisions: 85 percent of consumers say watching a video has convinced them to buy something.“Short-form video content dominates, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels leading the charge,” said Jason Mudd, CEO of Axia Public Relations.Businesses are investing heavily in social video, too. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s 2026 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, U.S. social video ad spending is projected to reach $31.9 billion in 2026, up 13 percent from 2025. That’s a lot of competition for viewers’ attention, making it especially important to create videos that stand out.Think about what your customers would actually want to watch. You could demonstrate a product, show what goes on behind the scenes at your business, share a quick tutorial or let a happy customer do the talking. TikTok and Instagram Reels are good places for short videos, but they’re not your only options. You could host a Facebook Live Q&A to answer customer questions on the spot or use your YouTube channel for longer videos that explain something in more detail.Social media has become a popular place to shop, and businesses are taking advantage of it. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest let customers discover products, browse merchandise and shop directly from social media posts, although some purchases still require visiting the seller’s website.And social commerce is big business. According to eMarketer’s July 2026 report, U.S. social commerce sales are expected to surpass $100 billion in 2026 and grow by nearly $50 billion over the next three years. For small businesses, features like shoppable posts, product tags and in-app checkout offer new ways to turn casual browsers into paying customers.Influencer marketing can have a real impact on what people buy, particularly among younger consumers who regularly follow their favorite creators. In fact, in a 2026 Modash survey, 84 percent of respondents who follow creators said they’d purchased something based on a creator’s recommendation. That’s a pretty good reason for businesses to pay attention to who’s talking about their products online.This helps explain why brands are focusing less on follower count and more on the creators who resonate with specific audiences. Here’s why:Brands are spending serious money on influencer marketing, and that investment is expected to keep growing. According to Shopify, the global influencer marketing industry is projected to hit $26.5 billion in 2026 and reach $31.2 billion in 2027.People see plenty of ads as they scroll through social media, and it’s easy to tune them out. But a photo of a customer enjoying a meal at your restaurant or a video showing how someone uses your product might make people stop and take a closer look.That’s part of the appeal of user-generated content (UGC). When customers share their own experiences, other people get to see your products in action, without the usual sales pitch.Gabriel Tay, director of customer solutions at Emplifi, said UGC can also drive measurable results. “According to Emplifi’s research, UGC helped drive 63 percent year-over-year revenue growth, underscoring just how compelling authentic content from real customers can be,” Tay explained. “For small businesses, this is especially beneficial, as UGC costs nothing to produce but can drive measurable outcomes across social platforms.”You can also put that customer content to work in other places. With permission, share customer videos, photos and reviews on your social feeds, product pages and in email marketing campaigns. You might encourage customers to post using a branded hashtag, run a photo contest or feature their contributions on your own channels. It’s a good way to recognize your customers and encourage more people to become brand advocates.For years, brands were told to keep their marketing tightly consistent across every channel. A clear voice still matters, but on social media, consistency doesn’t have to mean playing it safe.Social media gives businesses a chance to have some fun and try things they might never put in a traditional ad campaign. Maybe it’s a funny take on something in the news, a behind-the-scenes video or a post that pokes a little fun at the business itself. You don’t have to spend weeks planning every post, either. Try something different, see how people respond and use what you learn to shape your next idea.Customers regularly turn to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other social platforms when they have a question, a complaint or even a compliment. And they expect businesses to be paying attention.Some customers post publicly, while others prefer to contact businesses privately. According to Sprout Social’s September 2026 research, 55 percent of consumers would rather contact a company via direct messages than complain publicly. Perhaps most importantly, the study found that 68 percent expect a response within 24 hours. That means businesses need to keep an eye on their social accounts and respond when customers reach out. Customer support on X can be particularly public, but unanswered comments and complaints on any platform can leave a bad impression. A helpful response, on the other hand, can go a long way toward building customer loyalty.Social media management tools and the best CRM software can help businesses keep track of messages, comments and mentions across platforms. They’re especially useful when multiple employees handle social media or customer support, since they make it easier to see which questions have been answered and which still need attention.Keeping up with social media can be a lot of work, especially for a small marketing team. There’s always another post to write, an image to create or a video to put together. AI can help take some of that work off your plate. In a September 2026 Ahrefs survey, 85 percent of marketers using AI said it helps them produce content faster. And the benefits aren’t limited to marketing. McKinsey’s 2026 State of AI report found that 80 percent of respondents who use AI at work said it improved their productivity.For small marketing teams, AI can help with some of the jobs that eat up time, such as:Lee Gentry, founder of Mood Magic, has seen this shift firsthand. “Our customers come to us to augment or replace their traditional photo production pipeline with generative AI to save time and money,” Gentry explained. “Some of our customers report up to 99 percent cost savings and 91 percent time savings. The quality and accuracy of the technology are already at a point where synthetic content is indiscernible from analog.” Gentry noted that results vary by use case and production setup.Of course, you’ll still want someone reviewing anything AI creates before it goes out. Check the facts, make sure images accurately represent your products and be transparent when you’ve used AI to create realistic-looking content. Customers have opinions about this, too. Sprout Social’s 2026 research found that 28 percent of consumers selected unlabeled AI-generated content as the type of brand content they most wanted to see less of.For a long time, brands relied on survey data, focus groups or gut instinct to understand how customers felt. Now, much of that feedback is already out in the open, playing out in comments, mentions and replies across social platforms.Social listening tools like Sprout Social, Meltwater and Brandwatch help businesses make sense of all those conversations. They can track mentions of your brand, competitors and relevant topics, giving you a better idea of what customers are talking about and how they feel.You might discover that customers love a particular product feature, keep asking for something you don’t offer or are frustrated by an issue you hadn’t noticed. These insights can help you improve your products, adjust your marketing and spot emerging trends. They can also reveal problems before they become widespread. And because people often share their opinions without being asked, you may learn things that wouldn’t come up in a customer survey.For many people, especially younger users, social media has become a starting point for product research, not just a place to scroll. Instead of opening a search engine, they’re searching directly on social platforms to see reviews, comments, demos and real-world opinions.And plenty of people are already doing it. According to Statista’s 2026 research, approximately 49 percent of U.S. respondents said they’ve used TikTok as a search engine. Meanwhile, the We Are Social Digital 2026 Global Overview Report found that 43.7 percent of internet users worldwide use social networks to research brands and products they’re considering buying.For businesses, this means thinking about how customers will find their content when they’re looking for answers or researching a purchase. Tay emphasized the importance of making posts easy to find and genuinely useful. “To win on social media marketing [in the future], businesses need to ensure their content is both discoverable and searchable on social platforms,” he advised. “Creating educational and informative content that directly addresses consumer queries will be a crucial strategy.”If you’re promoting your business on social media, there are some rules you need to follow, especially when you’re working with influencers or collecting customer information.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) updated its Endorsement Guides in 2023 to clarify how businesses and influencers should disclose their relationships. For example, if you pay an influencer to promote your products or give them free merchandise in exchange for a review, that relationship generally needs to be disclosed. And as the business behind the promotion, you should make sure the influencers you work with understand the rules and follow them. The FTC also introduced a rule in 2024 banning fake reviews and testimonials, as well as paying customers specifically to leave positive or negative reviews.Privacy is another area businesses need to pay attention to. The FTC has scrutinized how social media companies collect personal information and use it for targeted advertising. If you’re gathering customer information for your own marketing, make sure you know what you’re collecting, why you need it and what you’re allowed to do with it. And don’t leave customers guessing. Being transparent about your data practices can go a long way toward earning their trust.Social media changes quickly, and it’s hard to predict exactly what comes next. But some developments are already giving us a pretty good idea of what businesses can expect. Here are a few worth keeping an eye on.AI chatbots are getting better at handling the kinds of customer questions that once required a live support agent. Businesses can use them on social media to answer questions about products, check order details and help customers with common problems.Older chatbots often relied on scripted answers, which could be frustrating when customers asked something unexpected. Today’s AI-powered assistants can carry on more natural conversations, make product recommendations and handle some requests from start to finish. That can mean fewer routine questions for your support team and faster answers for customers. Of course, you’ll still need a way for people to reach a real person when the chatbot can’t help.You don’t necessarily need to hire influencers to get people talking about your business on social media. Your own employees can help spread the word, too.When employees share company news, talk about their work or post about products they know firsthand, they can give audiences a more personal look at the business. And because they’re speaking from their own experience, their posts may feel more genuine than a traditional promotional message.Employees should feel comfortable sharing their experiences on social media, not pressured to promote the company. And having everyone post the same canned message isn’t likely to impress anyone. Employee engagement and a strong company culture can help encourage participation. After all, employees who like where they work are probably going to have more good things to say about it.Some businesses are finding that smaller, private social media groups are a good way to connect with their most loyal customers. Instead of hoping people will see a post in their regular feeds, they can invite customers to join a group where they can ask questions, share ideas and get to know the business a little better.Facebook and LinkedIn groups are two options, while platforms like Discord and Circle let businesses create their own private communities. These spaces can be particularly useful for sharing exclusive content, getting feedback on new products, hosting live discussions or giving members an early look at what’s coming.Of course, a private group needs a reason for people to join and stick around. If all you’re doing is posting promotions, members probably won’t have much to talk about. Give them opportunities to participate, answer their questions and make the group feel like a place worth visiting.Pre-recorded videos are great for showing off products or explaining how something works, but there’s something appealing about watching a business go live. Viewers can ask questions, leave comments and see what’s happening as it happens. And because everything isn’t perfectly rehearsed, the experience can feel a little more personal.Businesses can use live video for product demonstrations, Q&A sessions, new product launches or behind-the-scenes tours. You might show customers how to use a new product, introduce members of your team or answer questions about an upcoming event. Features like TikTok Live also offer shopping tools that let viewers purchase products while watching.You can host live events on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch, depending on where your customers spend their time. And you don’t have to let all that work disappear when the broadcast ends. Save the recording, share the highlights or turn some of the best moments into shorter videos for your other social channels.Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article. Source intebusiness.com is a trusted resource for small businesses. Our dedicated experts research and test SMB solutions so you can make smart, confident decisions. With business.com+, members get dedicated support, exclusive deals and expert advice. We do the work so you can focus on growing your business.source