Practical Rebels
Welcome to Practical Rebels: A Branding & Marketing Pod. Join the team at HatchMark Studio as we pull back the curtain and talk branding, marketing, entrepreneurship, and more with our friends, our partners, and our favorite industry experts.
From actionable tips for businesses to implement with the resources they have at hand to industry insights for seasoned pros, we discuss the latest in this ever-evolving world. We’re here to share, help, and give a peek into the agency world.
Through working with hundreds of clients at all phases of business development, we’re always learning, growing, and meeting incredible individuals. We’re excited to pass on that knowledge to you.
The goal? To empower you with practical advice that you can run with in a way that’s genuinely you. To encourage you to stand out, be bold, and make your mark on your industry, no matter your space.
Practical Rebels
31: Level Up Your Social Game: Social Media Trends 2025
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
️ Social Media Trends 2025
This episode dives deep into the trends shaking up the social media world! From the short-form video explosion to the AI revolution, we're breaking down how to thrive in this ever-changing landscape.
- Short-form is king: Capture attention with dynamic, bite-sized content that hooks viewers instantly.
- Quality over quantity: Forget chasing follower numbers. Focus on creating meaningful content that resonates with your audience.
- AI as your sidekick: Unleash your creativity with AI tools that boost your workflow and generate fresh ideas.
- Community is key: Build trust and loyalty by fostering genuine engagement with your followers.
- Shoppable social: Seamlessly integrate selling into your social strategy with the rise of social commerce.
- Adapt & conquer: The social media world moves FAST. Experiment, iterate, and stay ahead of the curve!
Shaping Social Media in 2025
Speaker 1All right, all right, all right, welcome back. Welcome back, happy New Year's. Welcome back to Practical Rebels. You're hearing a lot of me talking because normally I have my partner in crime, co-host Barony, but I do have another guest co-host. Who do we have over here? Who's that?
Speaker 2Savannah.
Speaker 1Who is Savannah? Savannah is our social media bestie. She's a content creator. Hey Savannah, explain what you are to the people, please.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, what's up guys? I'm Savannah, as he said, your social media bestie. I do a lot of the content creation. I work side by side with the calendars and social media management type stuff and I do a lot of trend research. But that's not hard for me because I live chronically on TikTok.
Speaker 1Yes, you do. Yes, you do so. With that being said, we're going to. This episode is going to be about what's shaping social media 2025. So we're going to. This episode is going to be about what's shaping social media in 2025. So we're going to be talking about short videos, AI tools, social commerce and everything. Brands and creators need to stay ahead. So, with my social media bestie and my daughter, we're going to go ahead and get into it. So we're going to start ahead and get into it. So we're going to start off with short form videos. Short form videos exploded, uh, with Tik TOK, and are now everywhere Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, um, even LinkedIn. And you got the Facebook reels. That coincides with the Instagram reels. So Savannah. Why do you think short videos have resonated so strongly with the audiences?
Speaker 2Um, well, I think it videos have resonated so strongly with the audiences. Well, I think it works well because they align with how we currently consume content today. You know, quickly, easy and on the go, in a weird world that we live in now, where attention spans are very, very short and they're shrinking by the minute. So short form videos just kind of give us a quick, bite-sized entertainment of information and it really takes advantage of that like instant gratification factor that we live in now online.
Speaker 1Yeah, a thousand percent. I mean when you know, when you know 2020 hit and we were all on lockdown, like that's when I got sucked into TikTok and I haven't, I haven't let go. Hopefully it's still here next week or the week after.
Speaker 2I know it's set to be taken down on my birthday and that would be the worst birthday present.
Speaker 1I would not hang around, Even though you're not TikTok. I would not hang out with you on your birthday on that day. Maybe the next day.
Speaker 2I literally I don't think I would know how to function. Honestly I have not. I probably have hours of tiktok logs daily, so like I would have to like start an actual hobby I think that's.
Speaker 1I think that's for the both of us. I don't, uh, I don't um. I I love TikTok and, um, I have so many categories and bookmarks saved in TikTok. So, yeah, hopefully it's still here and if it doesn't, we'll be back with a podcast to help you out with that. But, yeah, um, short form videos. I mean, it has become the thing, like you know, instagram took it, facebook took it, linkedin, youtube short. Yeah, it's just quick. You can literally spend 30 minutes on there and probably get, depending on your algorithm, a lot of positive recipes for the new year.
Speaker 2You know, I don't remember who it was I saw, but they like some actor, someone watches movies on tiktok, like they upload them in like minute increments and they that's how they like watch movies. Now I think it's so funny that like we literally can't sit down for two hours anymore yeah, and, and you know what it it's too.
Speaker 1it's impactful. Like usually a tech talk or Instagram reel is straight to the point. It's visually pleasing, it's usually got some music to it, it's entertaining, it's got some education to it, um, which I call edutaining. So I think that it's just the whole edutainment in bite size, uh, bite size form that has appeals to everybody. I mean, you can get on there, scroll for 10 minutes, which usually turns to 30 minutes, and catch up on a lot of things politics, uh, recipes, inspiration, parenting, you know sports. So I mean, I, I get it, I get it and I'm a huge fan of it.
Speaker 1But, yeah, with that, you know, with those bite size, you know reels, bite size, tick, tocks it's clear that a strong hook is crucial in the first few seconds. Do you have any tips for creators on how to instantly grab attention? Since you are our trend social media best bestie here at hatchmark every friday, make sure you check that out. Um, what are some hook? What are some, what's some good ideas to keep people interested very quickly, because you, I like, I love how you start off the reel to, like, get people interested yeah, you know, for my trend reports every friday.
Speaker 2I think a good habit for a series like that is always starting it off the same, because people immediately recognize it and if it's something they want to watch or consume, then once they know what they're about to watch, they watch the whole thing through. And two, these videos are already short. So you know, it is pretty crucial to have a strong hook to start your videos off with. For me, I always say I'm Savannah, your social media bestie here at Hatsworth Studio, welcome back to my trend report. But this could be a bold statement, a question or even a visual hook. I think it's best to be direct because if a viewer doesn't know immediately kind of what they're about to get themselves into, they'll probably just swipe away yeah, and I think that's very important.
Speaker 1What you said like it's the consistency of what you're seeing. So when you're scrolling, you see savannah, like, oh, this is about to be the trend report, let me watch this. And then you do a good job too with you know, with the intro, it's always the same. And you started using visual and audio hooks or cue points. You do the trend report, you point your finger up and then the trend report pops up and then it goes. So those are all like little things you want to throw in on your first few seconds of social media. Um, I mean, excuse me, your reel or your TikTok or your YouTube short that just alerts the user what they're about to see and then they are comfortable with watching it. And they'll usually watch the whole thing.
Speaker 1And I think I was talking to Logan. You know glory, glory, being a huge Manchester United fan, but I watch the United stand with Mark Goldbridge and he starts off the same every time Hello, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the United stand. It's Mark Goldbridge. I'm here for all the transfer and latest news on Manchester United. I know what I'm getting into and I think people have a sense of comfortability when they know. Okay, I know what I'm about to watch. I know how long it's going to be cool.
Speaker 2Well, you know, people are a uh, what is it? A creature of habit. So you had a looking, looking at your day to day, like your life, like you always have the same routine, driving to and from work. Or you know, before a basketball game starts, you always know they're going to sing the um let's call the national anthem. I know what it's called.
Speaker 2Um I was going to say, like they do, the pledge of allegiance and then the national anthem. But there's, like always, some type of habitual thing before. Like an entertainment movies have their um opening scene with the title of the movie. At the end there's always an end credit. So treating your short form content in the same way just makes sense. Even youtube videos back when those were super popular, um, they always had their introduction and then they had an outro. So you're essentially just trying to learn how to create that in five seconds or less yeah, yeah, because you don't have a long when it's scroll time.
Speaker 1I think they said it's less than two seconds to catch somebody's attention. So make sure your visual or your audio hook is ready to go, and you know the only way to do that is to do it. Do it, try it, see what works. You can go into your analytics and see play time. You can see if somebody got past the first three seconds and then you say, oh, this is the one that worked and then you branch off of that and then you build onto that and then it gets better and better each time. So, with that being said, content quality social media algorithms. Prioritize quality content over follower count. Now, prioritize quality content over follower count. Um, do you think this levels the playing field for smaller creators?
Speaker 2I feel like um on my for you page, I see more local or smaller creators content now rather than before it was big brands, big companies or accounts that had millions or hundreds of thousands of followers. I feel like a lot of my content now are creators with like less than 30 000 followers so they still have a decent amount of following.
Speaker 2Um, they're just not. It's not like the influencers, like the 2015, 2016 influencers were where it was, like the Kylie Jenner's and those types of people. These are people who have made their own, like their self, on Tik TOK or on Instagram. They they didn't have a platform before, so I do think that the algorithm is now prioritizing their content over bigger brands' content, yeah, and I think it makes sense because you can relate to a smaller account than you can a bigger account.
Speaker 1I think with social media, we're all we want to feel like we're one step away from messaging that person or messaging that account to get some advice or to figure out where to go hit the buy or purchase, that thing that they are selling or talking about I also feel like since 2020, we have we collectively as users on social media, have not been as um I'm trying to think the the best way to say this like involved in bigger brands.
Speaker 2We still definitely like appreciate them, but we're not rewarding them as much as we did before, because now we know we can make the exact same content if not better?
Speaker 1Right, right, right. And what does quality content excuse me? Quality content look like to you, Savannah? Is it a high production value? Is it great storytelling? What's it like I would?
Speaker 2say that I feel like quality to me is being personable. So, yes, there's trends, there's templates, there's expensive cameras and lighting, but I think what really hits and we've seen it so many times with our clients is like being personable, your uniqueness, what you bring to the table. I could follow, you know, hundreds of beauty gurus on TikTok or Instagram, but there's going to be a few that stick out to me. And why is it? It's not usually because of their content, because majority of the time, they're all following, or typically following, the same formula for the content Um, but it's about their personality. Do I relate to them? Could I see myself being friends with them, like you said? Um, so I I definitely feel like there. There's a handful of other things that can amplify your content, but I think quality to me is your personality and what makes you unique compared to other other people.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, I definitely get that, and you know, when people say quality of content, a lot of people think, oh, it's got to look like this, it's got to be so polished. No, it's to me, quality of content is what the content is. It's what's this person talking about. Does it resonate with me, is it relatable? And it's kind of like what you just said. But yeah, I mean, if you're really good at storytelling and you don't have a really good camera or a really good phone, you still win with me. So I think I think the answer to the question is quality content. Quality content it's content that you think about before you put it out there and then coming up with a way to communicate that through a regular camera, a regular phone or whatever. Because I feel like the story, the background, the relatability of the, a great polished reel or great polished YouTube short. But I feel like what resonates with me is definitely the storytelling or what the actual content is, and being able to communicate that in a very, I guess, edible way.
Speaker 2Also, too, from personal experience. I truly believe that the content that I thought less about something in the moment I was like, oh my gosh, I need to make this right now Made it posted. It that gained so much more traction than something I thought about for a month and then executed it and then I got like 300 views, which is so disappointing. Um, but yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, just just do the content. Like a lot of people are like, oh, I can't do this content because I don't have the right lighting or I don't have the right camera or I don't have the right phone, and we've talked about this on this podcast before. But you know, just do it, do it, do it and do it. And you know you you're right. A lot of times the stuff that pops off is the stuff that you don't think about. Like you know, you and I have had a competition with some content, and Savannah did beat me out. But the one piece of content that I did, I didn't even try, like I just was in a bed and messed around and it popped off, and yours popped off too. So I mean a lot of that. I I guess unscripted content does work as well too and can be quality content. You just got to do it, and a lot of people don't do that because they want to be completely 100 polished yeah, there definitely should be a mix.
Speaker 2um, you know, when instagram first took off, it was all about polished and making sure that your portfolio looked great, um, and your pictures and the grid and everything like that. But now people really just want uniqueness, especially because we live chronically online, everything's online. We have a laptop, a phone and all this stuff right in front of us right now. So finding a way to connect, like you said, that quality is really just about you and what your personality is.
AI Impact on Social Media
Speaker 1And you know quick challenge out there listeners make sure your next post, you know either think about it just a little bit and do it, or think about it a lot and do it. The main thing is just to do it. And you know also, think about your hooks and you know your captures you're going to put in there too, because those make a difference too. So you know you can't score unless you shoot. So literal improvements can compound into big results. Just do it. Don't be scared. It's 2025. Let's do this. Now on to our next topic Savannah. This is one of my favorite. She doesn't like it. Ai is becoming a creative sidekick, from brainstorming ideas to helping with captions. Have you seen AI tools change the game for content creators?
Speaker 2Oh, 100%. You know, I think, ai there are great ways to use it. There are also not so great ways to use it, oh yeah.
Speaker 1There's tons.
Speaker 2Um, but I see a lot of creators using it to help them kind of come up with like content ideas.
Speaker 2Sometimes you get stuck in that perfectionist attitude and you're like, oh my gosh, I I didn't even see the simplicity of something that I could have made Um, and so using it to help with content ideas if you're not a great writer. Using it to help with captions Um, I've seen creators use it to help script things. There's definitely a way to go about using it outside of just typing in and getting an answer. You know you definitely still have to critique it and lots of things, but I think it's helped more people who wanted to create content or become a content creator alleviate the stress of how much time would go into needing to create a consistent content schedule. Not everyone has time to set aside to make eight reels in one day and to think about eight unique reels as well as live their life with what other priorities they have. So I feel like that alleviates some of the stress that comes with looking to do content or become a content creator.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean it's definitely. It's not the end all be all, but it is definitely a tool. And going into the next question, I mean are there any ethical considerations to keep in mind? When using ai for social media yes, 100.
Speaker 2Um. This makes me think of the um, what's that show? Black mirror. They have an episode where they, if you were a user and you signed up, you made an account. Basically, it stated that you, like, signed your rights away for them to use your likeness to make a movie and this girl like watches the movie about herself and it like completely ruins her life.
Speaker 2Um, but for years we've had the issue of like deep fakes, where people take other people's pictures and manipulate them, and ai, even this past year, has evolved into making things look very realistic. I see so many um people who aren't online post or repost stuff on Facebook that they think is real.
Speaker 1You know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2Yes, and it's like definitely not real, but like you can't be the one to comment and be like you definitely got trolled with this information, but it is harder for people who can't tell the difference to be that way. Another example of AI use is people taking people's voices and making fake phone calls and tricking people into making them send money or whatever the case is. I feel like there's a lot of ethical things to think about and it being in the hands of the wrong people. However, that's kind of with anything.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, you just just be careful out there, like be careful with your social media, be careful with your passwords and be careful with using AI with social media, and you know everything's a tool. Too much of anything is bad, and be careful with using AI with social media, and you know everything's a tool. Too much of anything is bad, so just be careful with it. It's a tool, it's a fun tool and I mean we see it now, like in our Instagram, like the first thing that pops up is like AI, meta AI.
Speaker 2Snapchat has one, twitter or X. Everything has an AI Now.
Speaker 1I feel like we're getting closer to Terminator. I feel like every day there's a new, there's a new Alexa.
Speaker 2There's a new Google. What's that? Will Smith movie, I robot or whatever it's called I robot.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2The like test the robot. So I'm like that's like so scary.
Speaker 1I feel like there's a new AI app all the time. So, because it's like teaching itself, so scary. Yeah, I feel like there's a new AI app all the time so.
Speaker 2Cause it's like teaching itself.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, just just be careful. I mean, for example, I found this AI app called journal bowl, which is a food calorie counter, and we all know the pain of those. You gotta put you. You know if you, if you scoop out some meat and scoop out some rice and potatoes, you're like dang it. I didn't weigh that or I didn't see how many ounces it was, I'm just going to guess whatever. Well, this takes all the guessing out and you just take a picture and then actually it'll say four ounces of shredded beef, one ounce of rice and two pepper or chili peppers, which is what I had the other night.
Speaker 2We need some sponsors. I feel like you just like gave a free sponsor to this.
Speaker 1In some sponsors. I feel like you just like gave a free sponsor to this and I am journal if you're out there and you're listening ramsey codes at hatchmark, always ramsay at hatchmarkstudiocom. But yeah, um, it's becoming super powerful. And I didn't believe it when I saw that app ad on it's on tiktok, like ain't no way. So I've been like testing it out, like I've been like putting the exact amount of food and then putting not the exact amount of food to see if they'll get it, and it gets it. So AI is learning and it's growing. Just be careful, be careful what your images you're using out there. I mean, like I said, and it seems like in every app now there is an AI part of that app.
Speaker 2So which, you know, kind of ties back to what we were saying about the unique content being personable. There's a great way to balance the two so that people are seeing your real content and your real voice not just using chat. Gpt writing or editing. I don't know, there's so many apps, I don't even know what it does anymore. But using it as a tool and not relying on it essentially is the point of that topic.
Speaker 1Good topic, good talk, all right. Now we're going to talk about we're going to get into strengthening community bonds. And here's the thing posting and ghosting just doesn't cut it anymore. Brands and creators need to interact with their audiences. What are some effective ways Savannah creators can strengthen their bonds on social media with their community?
Speaker 2Again being yourself. One of my favorite brands to talk about on this topic is Duolingo.
Speaker 1Duolingo. We need a sponsor right now.
Speaker 2I love the way that. I just love the way they engage with their followers. They listen, they truly do. I don't know, man. I would love to sit in a room with their team because they take the time to listen to their audience and evaluate who they're talking to. This is an app that helps you learn another language. Why on earth was Duolingo at Charlie XCX's concert? I?
Speaker 2have no clue, you know, because they know that their, their audience is there, and just the way they interact online. Or, like wendy's and mcdonald's, the way they talk to each other on x? Um, also known as twitter. But you can take all those same examples and use it into your own social media.
Speaker 2Um, I like to think about it the way that I would communicate with my family on facebook if I saw someone post something like how I would comment. Um. So, instead of thinking too much about media, I like to think about it the way that I would communicate with my family on Facebook If I saw someone post something like how I would comment. So, instead of thinking too much about what you would say, if you post something and people comment on there, you know, make sure you comment back, or you at least like it so it's acknowledged. You don't need to say thank you 32 times in a post underneath there, but if you want to feel free to do that, I also feel like engaging, spending at least five to 10 minutes a day liking posts on a feed or just showing that your account has some love from you and yourself. Whatever your business is, it's all about creating those real life bonds that you have with other people and showing that online.
Speaker 1And I think that's all good stuff right there. Savannah, thank you. I think a lot of people forget that. You know, yes, there's a media part to it, but the first part is social, and it's always so interesting and it's so fun when you interact with people on social media instead of just liking and sharing or liking and saving.
Speaker 2And people notice that. Potential clients notice that, oh, wow, they have a great relationship with this other company or they know each other. I know them. You know, I need to link up with them or follow them. I love that these people that I know all know each other online.
Speaker 1Mm. Hmm, yeah, and you know you're engaging. You know, and it's just so much fun, like when you get onto a thread of a of an account that is engaging and you know they engage with you or you like, you, like Savannah said, you see them engaging with others and then you start engaging with the other people and then all of a sudden it's a conversation and it's social. So remember, be social with your social media. Don't hide behind the screen, like, interact, engage and just be yourself, and that leads to. You know what our next topic is is authenticity. Our next topic is authenticity. I mean, I believe authenticity is becoming a competitive advantage because everybody's kind of like stuck in this loop of like replying and being so politically correct or whatever. So how can brands and creators showcase authenticity, savannah, without looking or coming across insincere?
Speaker 2I think you I, I believe you have to decide what you, how you're going to show yourself online. That's like step number one. Do you want to feel like everyone's bestie and be in the know, or do you want to be more private and more forward, direct? Um, so that's like step number one when deciding your like personality around who you are online? Um, I think that there's a way to go about being authentic and personal without oversharing. I'm trying to think of the best way to you know express this.
Speaker 1Well, I think, I think I think a good part of that is just not sounding like everybody else. You know what I'm saying. Like, just be who you are and you know. Comparison is cool and it's good to look at other accounts that are in your same sec, but be yourself One of the accounts that I really enjoyed and the business is no longer with us right now but Baby's Beef Like they were 100% authentic with what they did and they didn't care what anybody else thought and they were killing it very true, very true.
Speaker 2I loved the way that they ran their page yes um, but you know everyone is different, not every. If everyone was running their page like that, you know it would, it wouldn't be authentic it wouldn't resonate would not resonate with who their, who their followers were. So I truly think that you have to, like you said, be authentic and decide what part of your personality do you want to show online.
Speaker 1Do you?
Speaker 2want to be quieter and say less, but be bold. Or do you want to be bold? Say whatever is at the top of your mind and go about it that way.
Speaker 1Or be funny or be funny.
Speaker 2It doesn't have to always be about whatever product is you're selling. Um, I see the um. Alexander shanara, his instagram is actually, or like even is kind of on par with another butter tick tock just very absurd and crazy.
Speaker 1And it has nothing to do with what they sell but through that off this authenticity and them being their authentic selves, it makes people, it makes them seem more relatable and their content resonates with people, which, for whenever you're ready to, you know it builds a foundation of trust. So whenever you're thinking about a lawyer or snacks, you're either going to share what's his name, I don't know.
Speaker 1Alexander, or you're going to go to Nutter Butter, so yeah, being, I mean it's just like being in real, being in the real world, like I wouldn't walk around trying to be like somebody else.
Speaker 2No, no, I love seeing people around town who have like billboards or they're social. It just all ties together and you can it make. It sticks out to me. Just know that.
Speaker 1Oh, I think another, another, another way to stay authentic is behind the scenes. Why do you think audiences love seeing the behind the scenes processes and struggles of other businesses?
Speaker 2It makes them feel closer to the business.
Speaker 2Why it makes them feel like they're right there with them, or they know all this stuff. That it's just like how social media works with your family. You know, you might not have talked to a cousin in years, but you get to follow their life online. You, you, you know what's going on, what they're doing, where they're at, where they move to, are they in relationship, all this stuff. So you kind of get that exact same treatment when businesses and people are posting BTS. To get that exact same treatment when businesses and people are posting bts, you know more about who they are and what they do on their day-to-day basis outside of just we're selling hot dogs today, you know yeah, yeah, yeah like okay, cool, but I really want to know who who's working today?
Speaker 2yeah, who tell me who, because maybe I want to go, because I might know them.
Speaker 1Okay, then Maybe we will.
Speaker 2Maybe you won't.
Developing User-Generated Content Strategy
Speaker 1And then you won't get any clients or customers. No, I won't. Yeah, I love BTS content Because for me, who has owned a couple of businesses, it's relatable. And once again you're going to hear us say relatable a lot in this podcast, and you've heard us say it a lot in the other episodes. Relatable a lot in this podcast and you've heard us say it a lot in the other episodes. But that being relatable is like showing your clients the window to your business so they can be like oh wow, they kind of go to the same struggles I do, whether it be through business, whether it be through life. It makes you more relatable. So which builds that foundation of trust which then makes them want to book you for your, your services.
Speaker 2It's also easy. If you have no other content prepared to do, just set your phone up. If you're packing up your truck for a delivery, then boom post it yeah, another yep, that's that.
Speaker 1That's gonna make me go off on a little tangent. I, I love the bts content with like voiceover, and they're not even talking about like the unpacking of the truck to go DJ or the unpacking of the truck to go set up a charcuterie board. They're talking about something a hundred percent different. So I'm a I'm a huge fan of this. So there's so many ways you can do BTS content, but BTS content, like Savannah said, is the easiest to make. Just set up your phone and just do something. Just do be you, your authentic you.
Speaker 1So, with that being said, social media SEO. You know we have a SEO guru here, logan shout out. But SEO isn't just for Google anymore. Younger audiences are now searching directly on TikTok, instagram, youtube, and you're one of those people. You showed me that when I went out of town a few times Like Dad. Just go to TikTok, they'll show you the best restaurants in Dallas or best restaurants in Atlanta. You're not going to Google and then reading the reviews. You're actually seeing it come alive or the restaurant alive. The reviews you're actually seeing it come alive or the restaurant alive. What strategies should creators use to optimize their social content for searchability?
Speaker 2So if I were to post something happening in Pensacola, I would tag the location as Pensacola Florida. I would hashtag Pensacola visit Pensacola Florida. Pensacola visit Pensacola Florida. I would go deeper Pensacola beach, just adding any, any surrounding areas and whatnot, so that if you go to search best restaurant in Pensacola, you've hashtag Pensacola in restaurant or somewhere in your caption you talk about being a restaurant or you talk about food or whatever it is. Um, so when they search those keywords in the app, that's immediately what comes up. Um, before I go on a trip, if I'm going to New Orleans, I'll look up you know best restaurants in New Orleans or things to do in New Orleans, and videos after videos will come up. Um, google has just now started. If I type something in Google, it will pull up a video. It might be YouTube, it might be TikTok, but it has a corresponding video with it and it's like it is happening, it is going. So you might as well go ahead and start integrating the SEO into your content and how you go about doing that.
Speaker 1And we had an episode, a couple episodes back, about SEO and on there Logan talks about it too. You know you want to, in your caption, include those keywords too. So like if Savannah was putting, because Google does crawl that, um, but if you say, like Savannah said, she put best restaurant or things to do in new Orleans, so you can hashtag things to do, hashtag New Orleans, but then in your caption also type hey, I have a nice bar and it's one of the coolest things to do in New Orleans. So Google is crawling all of that and it is now populating in Google. For people who don't use social media to search for content, they just go on to Google, so it'll bring that into there as well. So, you know, just go back and check out our episode with Logan it was a few episodes back but keywords and putting those keywords in your hashtags and in your comment captions are critical.
Speaker 1And, like I said this, savannah, how old are you now? Savannah 23? Yes, yes, it's just crazy to watch how she uses social media compared to how I use it. And they are using it to find places to go, shop, places to go eat, places to go, you know, go to work out. So make sure your social media keyword game is starting in 2025. All right, next up is 2025. One of the big things is user generated content. User generated content builds trust because people love hearing from other people. How can brands Savannah encourage more users, more user generated content from their audience?
Speaker 2One way of doing that would be to reward them for doing it. So they, you know you have like a little like on the receipt or in the transaction of whatever it is. If I took a picture of the product I got and I tagged you guys in it and y'all reposted it or you used it for something, give them a discount the next time they use it. Um, or another thing too is um, you know people, if you're a smaller account, people are posting on their stories. Make sure you repost it. You don't always have to reward it, but making sure you're utilizing, showing off. But people do like whatever product it is. Um, so if you post something, or if I posted a story about a product that I purchased and then the brand purchased it and if it was a bigger brand, I'd be like, oh my gosh, they posted me. I'd feel really good about that and for them, it helps them show real people purchasing their products, whatever it is.
Speaker 2So if you saw, you know, obviously we know each other, but if you saw that I posted, who are you? I don't know who you are either, but if a friend of a friend posted about a product and they put on their story and the brand posted it and you follow the brand. You click the brand story. You see that they shared your friend's post or who you know you'd be like, oh my gosh, I know them and I. We both love this product. That's such a like cool thing for us both to do. If that makes sense, it automatically puts you in this community and the next time you see that person maybe you chat about it. There's a lot of different ways to say that you're like. It's like the gratification from user generated content. That can be so many different things. You can pay people for it or people users can just go ahead and post how they feel about it. I know you post about your early bird stuff you were taking for a while. Did they ever reward you for that?
Speaker 1yeah, they have a reward system and the way the reward system works another shadow we should get sponsored for that. You know what? Maybe they'll give me some points for this early bird shout out I'm about to give them. So early bird is a product that helps you get out of bed and get going.
Speaker 1It's mostly like a pre-workout, anyway, but once you set up your account, they'll send you an email and then you click on it and then you have your own like and kind of semi-influencer account and then, like, you upload your video and you upload, like, your purchase order and they'll say, oh, ok, cool. And then, like, they'll send you a five dollar off coupon or it gets added to your account. So I have an automated account, so it gets sent out monthly. But you know, every time I send a video, five to ten dollars come off that price that they charge me. So, yeah, user generated content is just a good way to build trust between users, because then you're like you actually know people are actually buying this product and then once again just to rewind just a little bit, savannah explain to people what is user generated content.
Speaker 2User generated content is content made by users, so that's a simple way of saying it. But it's the brand isn't necessarily making the content. It's people who appreciate the product or people who may not be getting paid sharing the product. So you know there's a difference between a paid collaborator or a paid influencer. User generated content could they could be getting paid to do that, or user generated content could they could be getting paid to do that? Typically, it's just someone who really loved what they got and they just posted it on their Instagram or you know any whatever social media it was. It's a. It's a dull. Well, not dull, I'd say it's more of a raw form of content. It's not curated. It's not a whole photo shoot. It's someone sharing, like initially, how they felt about it. You could say review, post or use generated content. It's just by content done by the people.
Speaker 1And to also thank you for that. It's. You know it's. It's a user that's generating content that you can use. And of what Savannah said and this happened to me too when I post something and I tag that company and I don't know if they're going to share it or not, or I don't know if that musician or artist is going to share it. But you know, savannah had the and I had the chance to go to see one of our favorite bands, the Midnight, and we tagged them and they share all of our stuff and stories, which made me fall in love with them more, and I've had several products share that stuff.
Speaker 1So what you do when you share user generated content and connect with that person, you've turned that person into a brand evangelist who is going to be like all about your content, all about your product, your service or your art. So user generated content. You know, come up with a plan to reward your users who generate the content for you to get it started off, and then it becomes, I guess, that big mo. When I say big mo, big momentum, and then it just starts to happen because more people are trusting your product, because you have actual people who don't have 50,000 followers. They have like 300 or you know a thousand that people can see are actual users and they're like, oh wow, this is actual product that I want to use.
Speaker 1So you know, 2025 is the year to get that user-generated content up and next. This goes into that because social commerce is huge. Platforms like Instagram and especially TikTok, are making it seamless to shop without even leaving the app All Christmas. I'm a huge Christmas fan, you already know that, but through the holidays, as soon as I opened up TikTok, I went to somebody's TikTok store. But through the holidays, as soon as I opened up TikTok and went to somebody's TikTok store. So you got to think. You know a lot of people. You know it's tough times right now with the economy and a lot of people upset about I mean, I'm upset about Party City closing. I mean Party City what's the other one? Savannah Big Lots, big Lots. So all these big, big, big big box stores are closing, but social media stores, social media commerce, is blowing up. So, um, how do you see this evolving in 2025?
Speaker 2Savannah- that's a great question, because I am one who tries. I don't like getting ads. I don't like opening up an app and immediately being sold something. It annoys me so much and it will now make me want to log off because I know what they're doing. Um, I bought your t-shirt from Christmas off after she says that.
Future Trends in Social Media
Speaker 2So, yeah, I did do that just because I thought it was funny. But besides the point of and there are there's it's a great tool to be used because it's right there I could go to a page that I like. I can click on an item, on a picture or whatever it is. It takes me straight to their website where I can order is quite literally made that process a lot faster than someone having to leave the app to go search your company to then buy something. So it is a great tool. So it is a great tool In 2025, I, just between the two things I said, I feel like there's going to be a mix. This fast, like Teemu TikTok shop, all these little things, I don't think that those are going to be as popular. I don't know why. Maybe it's just my own opinion, but I don't think I will be doing much shopping from those. But I feel like for smaller businesses or for companies that aren't like that, it can work and help them because people can immediately go straight to their website from there, whatever it is.
Speaker 1Well, especially if you're on TikTok. Tiktok, you don't even have to go to their website. It goes click now it opens up at the bottom. You pick the item you want you, if you're like me, you have your credit card already saved, so you don't have to enter that.
Speaker 1Good to know Good to know. Don't use my phone, savannah. But it goes straight to like you don't even have to go to the website, like you're ordering from TikTok, and I was a little skeptical about it. And actually Anthony, who is my son and Samantha's brother, he's 16. He's got his own TikTok account. He's been ordering. He got sunglasses off of TikTok. He's got flags. He got the Will Ferrell flag. I mean he's an avid use over. He's got some cologne off of there. So I mean, for this next generation that's coming up, I mean this is going to be ingrained in them already and it's it's already been popping off over in other cultures such as Japan and China. Tiktok up it goes to. The first thing on my For you page is a couple of different things that are selling. Sometimes I buy, sometimes I don't, but I think it's a great advantage or a great tool to use. If you are in e-commerce not even e-commerce, but looking to get into it I think it's an easy way to get into it and sell your product online while you're sleeping.
Speaker 2Yeah, definitely. It's a great tool and now that it's even more accessible going into 2025, I feel like a lot more, many, many more businesses and companies are going to hop on the train for a while. You know, it's a little. How do I, how do I go about doing this? How do I set this up? Is it worth doing it, all those types of things? Now, 1000%, I think that's. It's definitely going to evolve and become bigger in 2025, for sure?
Speaker 1Yeah, I do too. I do too, and it's a little bit. If you haven't tried it out, it's on Instagram already and it's a little bit. It's not hard to purchase on Instagram. Usually it's like a link here and it takes you to the website, and Instagram does have the store as well. Like you can buy from Instagram. But on TikTok, I tell you what, if you don't have a TikTok account, go register, just to go see, and just go to the shop, like it's on there and like you order straight from there, and it usually arrives within two to five business days. So they have figured it out. So be don't be afraid to look into social commerce. And, with that being said, we got a few topics left and then we're out of here. One thing I want to talk to everybody about is about experimenting. Social media evolves at a lightning speed. To succeed, creators have got to test out and adapt constantly. To succeed, creators have got to test out and adapt constantly. Uh, samana, how can creators stay flexible and experiment with new features or formats without feeling overwhelmed?
Speaker 1that's a great question especially since you are our social media content creator here and I do get overwhelmed, overwhelmed, um, I would say, test out your like.
Speaker 2Just test out, um, your different types of content and things. We were talking about this this morning, actually about. You know, reels do better on instagram versus on facebook. So, instead of posting the exact same reel to facebook, maybe do a static post of that exact same, whatever the content was, and it might do better on there. Um, different apps require different forms of content. It is so much easier to just do it once posted on everything and not think about it, but it doesn't take that long to schedule something. So go ahead and just switch it up so that you can see what works, because you might not even know that you've been missing out on an easier way to do your content. So, you know, maybe instead of doing reels and long videos and stories and all this stuff, you might find out that your audience just prefers a static post. Just keep going on with that and push those more than your reels will save time on the type of content you need to make once you figure out what your audience wants to see.
Speaker 1I agree. That was very well said. I think another way for people to experiment is to stop comparing themselves to everybody else. It's great to get ideas from other accounts, but don't try to be that other account. We talked about that earlier in this podcast authenticity. Um, you know, just go out there and hit the, just hit the button. Just hit the button, do what you do and post it. You know what it may not get a like. Do it again may get two likes, do it again may get three likes, but as you're doing that process, you're getting better.
Speaker 1Or another way to experiment, I feel, is I forgot who I was telling this to, because they're just really camera shy. I was like just record yourself and don't ever post it. And then I was like shoot three to five videos a day talking about whatever you want to talk about. You're just talking to the camera. Just learn how to talk to the camera, build your relationship up with the camera and never post those. But then, when you feel confident enough, put those out. So I think a lot of people get caught up with comparing themselves and having to be that 10 million viewed real when they only have 500 followers. So don't be scared to experiment, and that's one of the ways to experiment. All right, I got another question for you, savannah. If you had to predict one social media trend to watch for in 2025, what would it be?
Speaker 2Oh Lord, there's so many.
Speaker 1You're on the clock there's so many.
Speaker 2Oh my gosh. I definitely believe that the talking videos are still going to be in, so you're talking videos.
Speaker 1What do you mean by? That someone talking at a video.
Speaker 2Talking at a video like just sitting there talking um, kind of like a you know whatever story time. I also believe videos with a visual hook that leads into a lot of other things happening you talked about it earlier like noises, music in the background, overlay text, copy something to keep people engaged with it outside of just the talking ones, but I, I personally love talking videos.
Speaker 2It talking videos. It brings me back to when youtube was super popular, just shorter version of content. Um, oh my gosh, another trend that I foresee being big, and 2025. I almost said 2024. I'm not ready I'm not ready not ready at all, there's so many well here.
Future Social Media Trends and Tips
Speaker 1How about this? How about I give? You gave a positive hot take, I'm gonna give a negative hot take. Uh, I think this might be the year where we get to uh, the end of hashtags really yeah, I think that I mean hashtags.
Speaker 1I mean platforms are already suggesting minimal use and their relevance has been in question, even even though I know your generation uses them. I love watching you use your social media because you're looking for hair care products or the restaurant, and you'll type in hair care products hashtag, and that's how you do it, instead of my generation. Well, we'll go to Google and look for that, so I think there needs to be some, but this goes into SEO as well, too, so I just think that hashtags are whittling their way out.
Speaker 2I mean it's like not too many hashtags, let's keep it under like seven. I think that the era where people have like 30 hashtags underneath their videos is definitely depleting.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't put 30 hashtags in your caption, please, please. I would say, put in between three to seven.
Speaker 2I do think another trend for 2025 would be AI generated content. You already see it, where people will talk. They're like talking, but then, like the video is like AI created. Oh yeah, I have seen those you know, I've seen them for like um, like story times, or someone is telling a story time and then they've I guess you know explain that story time to AI, and AI is created kind of like a visual overlay. So instead of them creating the video, all they had to do was talk.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have seen those kind of weird me out though.
Speaker 2A little bit, yeah, but I think it's going to become the new norm.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean, but think about that too. If you're not comfortable on camera, you use that to get your point across, to get to be relatable to your audiences. So, with that being said, we're going to wrap this bad boy out. That's our hot take for 2025 social media trends to look out for. Make sure you follow us. You catch your social media bestie, savannah, every Friday on the Hatchmark social media assets and she drops the latest trends, whether they be educational or entertaining. Also, remember to stay curious, experiment and, most importantly, be authentic in your social media presence, because that's what's going to separate you and we already talked about that.
Speaker 1So, with that, if you enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave us a review. You know, smash that like, because you just never know when somebody needs to hear this podcast about trends so they can get their social media better in 2025, because we all want to survive and stay alive in 2025. How was that, savannah? That was good, that was good. That's all I get. So, with that being said, we're going to give us our big old you know what happens at the end, right, savannah? She doesn't even know what happens. God, we say, practical rebels.
Speaker 2I didn't know that. I didn't know what you were referring to. We say Practical Rebels. I didn't know that. I didn't know what you were referring to.
Speaker 1I didn't know if you were trying to tell me, like if I had to turn off my microphone. All right, ladies and gentlemen. With that being said, practical Rebels out.