Social media is a vital component of marketing for most organizations, and it’s always changing. As we start the new year, it’s helpful to know what to look for in social media marketing in the coming months. 

Meltwater has identified these 4 trends (that don’t include AI!) for marketers to keep in mind this year:

• Social SEO is growing. Google and other search engines are losing ground to social platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit for consumers looking for information on how-to guides, reviews, and explanations. One-quarter (24%) of users prefer to use social media rather than Google for search. This means that social media strategy must be crafted to give your brand prominence for users looking for information. Tactics like keyword-rich captions, explainer content, pinned Q&As, and short-form video series are useful for maintaining visibility.
• Adaptation to multi-channel social engagement. With consumers using almost seven social platforms each month, it’s important to ensure your brand’s message is uniform across all touchpoints.
• Social media as customer service. In addition to its importance for marketing, social media has become an important channel for customer service, with over half of US consumers using social media to find information about a brand. Thus, brands must monitor their social platforms for mentions so a timely response can be provided. Slow replies or no replies have a negative effect on the brand.
• Reddit is now mainstream. You may have noticed that search results on Google or ChatGPT usually include a Reddit thread. Reddit is the sixth-most-visited site, and it now dominates search results. But brands have to be careful with how they approach engaging on Reddit. Reddit users have no tolerance for obvious marketing – only fluency in how the community works, authentic participation and value-added content will resonate with the Reddit community.

How is your organization updating its social media strategy for 2026?