digital engagement Archives

Introduction

In 2025, it’s not just about going viral, but about being genuine. Despite this, being real and engaging with your audience can lead to virality. With feeds becoming crowded and users starting to develop social media fatigue, brands should prioritize creating authentic connections through engagement and purposeful storytelling. Understanding your customers and ‘meeting them where they are’ has never been so important.

Influencer Marketing: Driving Trust and Authentic Engagement

Influencers and creators have become viral extensions of modern brand strategy. They offer more than just visibility; they bring credibility, community, and a relatable and recognized voice to your brand’s message.

Why Influencer Partnerships Work

Today’s audiences look to creators for both entertainment and trusted recommendations. When executed correctly, influencer collaborations can enhance brand loyalty, boost engagement, and alleviate the internal content burden on marketing teams.

Brands that partner with Smith Design utilizing influencer strategy – Bona, House of Scones, Hoboken Farms

Building a Smart Influencer Strategy

Align your values: Select creators who naturally reflect your brand identity.
Prioritize engagement over follower count: Micro and mid-tier influencers have active and loyal communities that often outperform celebrity accounts.
Let creators lead: Authenticity comes from allowing influencers creative freedom.
Recognize and reward: Celebrate creators and fans to deepen relationships.

Topicals: A Leader in Influencing

The skincare brand Topicals excels at influencer marketing by encouraging user-generated content, engaging with creators authentically, and spotlighting their community. Their approach feels organic and rewarding, which has earned them real trust.

Values Through Partnerships

More brands are demonstrating their values through the partners they choose, rather than relying on corporate messaging. The right influencer can reflect what your brand stands for, in a way that’s believable and impactful. Consumers do not want companies to comment on socioeconomic or political issues, but they do want to ensure that the influencers they are using have done so.

If brands use influencer marketing effectively, it can be a tool that enhances trust with their audiences and helps them build better communities.

AI: It’s Not All Bad

AI remains a controversial topic, and there are mixed feelings about its role in content creation. While 83% of consumers worry that AI will oversaturate social feeds and 80% fear it will contribute to misinformation, consumers are not anti-AI. They want it to be used strategically.

Instead of relying on AI to generate posts, consumers want brands to use AI for:

Social listening
Customer service and care
Data analysis and personalization

In other words, AI as a tool and not a creative crutch.

Content Formats That Win: Photos vs. Videos, Short vs. Long, Reading vs. Watching

Across nearly every major platform, video remains the dominant content format, particularly short-form video. TikTok continues to lead the way, but Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have solidified short-form video as the most engaging and attention-grabbing form of content in today’s fast-scrolling culture.

However, short-form video isn’t the only format gaining traction. There’s a notable rise in engagement on text-based platforms like Threads, LinkedIn, Reddit, Substack, and Discord. These platforms are thriving not because of visuals, but because they foster community, dialogue, and deeper conversations, which are elements that audiences increasingly value.

Instagram: Carousels Take the Lead

When it comes to Instagram, single-image posts are on the decline. According to Sprout Social, there has been a 7% drop in engagement since 2023. Instead, Reels and carousels are now driving the most interaction.

Carousels are evolving into a creative and strategic tool for storytelling. Instagram now allows up to 20 images or videos in a carousel, offering a unique opportunity for brands to share layered, in-depth content. Instagram’s algorithm will even re-serve carousel posts if they weren’t engaged with on the first view, often showcasing a different image to re-capture attention. When paired with music, carousels may even appear in the Reels tab, significantly expanding their reach.

Our collaboration with Green Giant and their effective use of carousels on Instagram.

Creative Tools Fueling the Carousel Craze

With tools like SCRL becoming more popular, marketers are designing scroll-stopping carousels with sleek transitions and cohesive visual storytelling. These tools enable brands to experiment with long-form visual content in a way that keeps users swiping and engaged.

While short-form video continues to dominate social platforms, users are also seeking deeper, more meaningful content – whether that is through text-based platforms or immersive formats like carousels. Brands that diversify their content mix and tailor formats to each platform will stay ahead of the curve.

Platform-Specific Insights Recap

Instagram

Reels & carousels dominate
Static posts are losing steam
Gen Z wants creativity; Gen X wants connection and practical inspiration

Facebook

Still vital for Gen X: product discovery, customer service
Use for community building and evergreen info

TikTok

Short-term video = king
Gen Z: Edgy, chaotic, fast-paced
Gen X: Demos, edutainment, live content
Use live and “unexpected” content for engagement

YouTube

Long-form is thriving
Great for nostalgic content (Gen X) and deep dives (Gen Z)
Brand documentaries (ex: Puresport) work well

Gen X’s power platform
Humanize your brand with thought leadership & career advice

Underused but powerful (47% of Gen X uses it)
98% open rate for business messages

Conclusion

As an agency that takes pride in our social media management and content creation capabilities, we know how important it is to actively stay up to date with relevant trends and platform shifts. From creating authentic connections through engagement to navigating emerging formats, we stay ahead of the curve to ensure that the content we create for clients is timely, relevant, and in sync with what users are currently engaging with. If you’re looking to enhance your brand’s social media presence, let’s chat!

Stay tuned for part 3 of our social media trends blog series!

References

• https://www.carbonateinsights.com/p/gen-z-is-doomscrolling-on-doordash?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
• https://sproutsocial.com/insights/gen-x-social-media/ ?utm_campaign=mkb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew
• https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2025/06/12/nutter-butter-online-marketing-strategy?mbcid=40397290.251988&mblid=8a4b0da87f9e&mid=20a9c9086368ab32de83757c4ed4a0fc&utm_campaign=mkb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew
• https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/content-benchmarks/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
• https://awisee.com/blog/gen-x-trends/
• https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescommunicationscouncil/2025/02/03/the-biggest-social-media-trends-shaping-2025/
• https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-sub-section-state-of-social

Engagement > Reach

Success today means moving from vanity metrics to value metrics. Algorithms are increasingly rewarding for engagement and conversational content. Marketers need to understand how much and how often to engage based on the platform, audience, and their business size. The principle remains: the most successful brands turn engagement into a community.

Engagement is the New North Star

In today’s digital landscape, engagement is no longer just one marketing metric among many others; it is the metric. According to Sprout Social, inbound engagements have been slowly on the rise since 2023. Brands that prioritize genuine, two-way interactions are seeing the most success across social platforms. In the past, content volume, followers, and likes were the most critical metrics. Today, it is about quality interaction. 1:1 customer engagement has become even more impactful than content creation itself. Responding directly to your audience builds trust, fosters loyalty, and turns casual followers into active brand advocates.

Schweid & Sons effectively fosters engagement on social media platforms through follower interactions

It is also important to acknowledge the role of brand-on-brand interactions – and the importance of supporting one another through collaborations and giveaways. These fan favorite moments help to drive audience buzz and reinforce a brand’s voice and relatability.

Successful Hoboken Farms collaborations with outside brands

Why Brands Must Lead, Not Follow

There was a time when culture shaped the media, but today, the media defines culture. That shift has significant implications for how brands communicate, create, and connect.
In this new landscape, brands can no longer afford to ride cultural waves. Instead, they must create culture. This means moving beyond trend-chasing and toward original, meaningful content that defines a brand’s identity and vision.

Why Culture Creation Matters…

Builds Authentic Connection: When brands focus on cultural creation, customers develop a deeper understanding of what the brand stands for. This leads to stronger emotional connections, greater loyalty, and more passionate advocacy.
Creates Distinction: In crowded markets, culture-driven brands stand out. They’re not just selling a product; they’re building a movement and community around shared values.
Encourages Authentic Engagement: Brands that prioritize authenticity inspire user-generated content and participation. This not only extends reach but builds trust.
Fosters Community: A strong internal culture attracts a vibrant external community. Customers don’t ignore a brand when said brand makes them feel like they’re a part of something bigger.
Enables Two-Way Understanding: Through engagement, customers gain a deeper understanding of the brand, and, just as importantly, the brand gains significant insight into its audience’s values, needs, and aspirations.

Brands that lead with culture do not just capture attention; they foster a sense of belonging. And in an era of fragmented media and fleeting attention, that kind of loyalty is invaluable.

Navigating Doomscrolling: Offer a Mental Health Pause

The term “doomscrolling” is one that few imagined would find its way into the dictionary. The word popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic describes the experience of endlessly scrolling through social media, often leading to increased anxiety and mental fatigue. With short-form content dominating and attention spans shrinking, many turn to social media to distract themselves, only to feel more overwhelmed afterward.

A Chance For Brands to Stand Out…

In this content-saturated environment, brands have a unique opportunity to pause the scroll by offering authentic, calming content that resonates with their audience. Many are posting serene images and videos as intentional “brain breaks,” encouraging users to step back and reconnect with life beyond their screens. Emphasizing trends such as “almost forgot this is the whole point,” which highlight the perks of living life outside of social media, have been popularized. Some examples of companies that are doing a great job of leading with a health-conscious mindset are Bona (emphasizing mental health), Patagonia (appreciating nature), and Adobe (encouraging creativity).

Bona prioritizing mental health and wellness on their social media platforms

Prioritzing Mental Health

To resonate with today’s audiences, brands should:

Avoid anxiety-inducing content
Share thoughtful, calming posts
Encourage mindful breaks from digital overload

By prioritizing mental well-being, brands can foster trust and cultivate meaningful engagement in a crowded social media landscape.

Conclusion

In a busy digital world, engagement is the true measurement of success. Brands that prioritize meaningful interaction, lead culture, and offer mental health focused content stand out. By creating calming, authentic content, brands can build trust, foster loyalty, and turn followers into communities. Real connection is the ultimate competitive edge!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Social Media Trends Series!

References

https://www.carbonateinsights.com/p/gen-z-is-doomscrolling-on-doordash?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/gen-x-social-media/ ?utm_campaign=mkb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew

https://awisee.com/blog/gen-x-trends/

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescommunicationscouncil/2025/02/03/the-biggest-social-media-trends-shaping-2025/

https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-sub-section-state-of-social

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