The world of social media is a fast moving one. It seems like every day there is a new trend or a new platform that is gaining traction online. While jumping on every minor trend can be time consuming and difficult, there are some larger trends to keep in mind as you prepare your posts. In this blog post we will dive into 10 projected social media trends for 2025 and how your library can grow their impact by considering them when posting!
Authenticity & Entertainment
In the past, companies, non-profits and influencers who stuck to their brand often found great success on socials. This kind of “buttoned-up” consistency in posting is not what is drawing people in now however. Social media users are looking more and more for fun content that is engaging, entertaining, playful, and authentic. They want to feel like they are getting an inside look at your library, not like they are getting a carefully canned and curated look at what you want them to see. Instead of focusing heavily on the image you’re trying to project, feel free to lift the curtain and let folks see the fun, silly, interesting inner workings of your organization. Have fun and entertain!
Outbound Engagements
So often, we focus on interacting with people on our own social media channels. This looks like responding to or liking comments that people have left on your posts. While this is a great way to engage with your community, it isn’t exactly an effective outreach technique. Outbound engagements are being seen more and more frequently in the social media sphere and are garnering lots of new interest and new followers. Instead of waiting for people to come to your socials, go to theirs. For example, is there an author announcing their newest book on Instagram? Hop in the comments and let folks know when it will be at your library, or that you can pick up the first book in the trilogy at the library already. When you engage with people on other pages, accounts, and posts, you are bringing in new interest to your own page and reaching an entire group of people who have the potential to become new followers. This could be as simple as being actively engaged in community groups and replying to comments on posts unrelated to the library. You never know what you’ll find when your start mining the comments sections in your community and beyond!
Transparent & Ethical AI
Artificial intelligence is working its way into seemingly every facet of our lives and social media is certainly no exception. While more and more creators are using generative AI, trends show that consumers actually want ethical and transparent AI. Practically, this means people want to be informed if images are created using AI and not feel like they are being duped. Additionally, it is important to note that AI should be used as content inspiration, not content creation. Using AI as a tool to aid your creativity and production is fine, but outsourcing all your social media posts to AI will result in a loss of followers and engagement. There’s no question that AI appears to be here to stay, but it is important to be thoughtful and intentional when using AI to promote your library.
Short Form Videos
Short form videos remain at the top of the social media food chain for another year. The popularity of Tik Tok and other short video platforms in recent years has really changed the landscape of social media. Short form videos continue to be one of the most engaged with forms of media out there. Almost every social media platform has transformed to prioritize this form of content and gone are the days of 5+ minute attention spans. Find creative ways to get your information out there in 30-90 seconds and your community will thank you for it!
Leaving X (Twitter) in the Past
Since the takeover of Twitter by American billionaire Elon Musk, many social media users have been searching for alternatives to the newly branded X. After the 2024 US presidential election, X experienced an large exodus of users and they all had to flock somewhere. BlueSky has emerged as a popular alternative to X, with many public figures and personal accounts making the move in the last few months. Likewise, Threads has been a popular alternative for some. Theses platform are steadily gaining traction. Another place people are posting after leaving X has been LinkedIn, especially for professional content. More and more people are choosing to post on LinkedIn as more of a social platform rather than just a job site. Many experts in library marketing are suggesting that libraries leave X and stop pouring their efforts into a site that has changed so drastically in recent years that it no longer really serves them or helps them reach current and potential patrons.
Influencer Partnerships
When we think of influencers, we often think of the big players in social media with millions of followers who post constantly. In reality, there are many different levels of being an influencer, including micro and nano influencers whose followers number in the thousands instead. Chances are, your community has some local influencers at some level. If not, cast your net wider because one emerging trend for 2025 is the importance of influencer partnerships. Again, this may call to mind huge brand deals of popular products with famous people and big price tags. It doesn’t have to be that way. Do you have a nano influencer in your community? Someone who runs a BookTok or Bookstagram account? A chronically online young person with a big online following? A grandma whose baking recipes bring in tons of likes and follows? Do some research in your community and if you find someone who fits your message, reach out and see if they are willing to do a partnership of some kind. This could be as simple as them tagging the library in one of their posts or talking about it in one of their videos. Maybe the BookTok blogger could plug the library as the best spot to pick up their newest recommendation. Perhaps granny’s recipe cards can be picked up at the local library. Build your community by working with folks who have a larger reach than you do.
Stop Focusing on Your Follower Count
Research has been showing that while it is important to have followers, it is more important to invest in building an active online community. When you’re pouring all of your efforts into trying to bring new people to your page, you are neglecting the people who are already there. Shift your focus onto creating a good, active community on your page and new followers will happen organically because your page is a fun and fulfilling place to be. Keep caring about your followers after they click that follow or like button and encourage them to stick around and interact with your content by interacting with them. People want to feel like they are valued members of your online community.
Social Media as Search Engine
Believe it or not, social media platforms are being used increasingly as an alternative to Google, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo and other popular search engines. People are looking to get all of the information they need from these platforms and we need to start creating our content to reflect that. At this point, most people have heard of SEO or search engine optimization. This is the concept of writing website content with specific words that increase the likelihood of the site showing up higher in search engine results. For most web developers and bloggers, SEO has become second nature. Now, we need to start thinking about it on our social media posts as well. If Instagram is the new Google for some folks, we need to apply the same concept of SEO to our social media posts so that they show up in the search results. Something to think about with your posts moving forward!
Newsletter Marketing
Newsletter marketing continues to be an effective way to reach your audience. In a world where content is becoming increasingly driven by algorithms, having a direct to consumer option is not to be overlooked. Even if only half of your newsletter subscribers open your email, it can still be a more effective way of sharing information than making a post on your socials. Of course, a multi-pronged approach is best! If you’re interested in starting a newsletter for your library, reach out to Paige at pmueller@prl.ab.ca for help with getting started.
Embracing Experimentation
Social media platforms are constantly coming out with new and improved features for their apps. Research is showing that folks respond well to accounts that are early adopters of these new features. People like to see the brands they are following embracing experimentation and innovation. When Instagram or Facebook announces a new feature, dedicate some time to trying it out. It may not fit with your vision for the library, but it could be just the thing to re-engage your followers. At the very least, you’ll have fun trying something new!
If you’re looking for help with any aspect of your social media, please reach out to Patty Morrison (pmorrison@prl.ab.ca) or Paige Mueller (pmueller@prl.ab.ca). They can help with any and all things social media so don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed!