The organic social media landscape is evolving faster than ever, and 2025 has already brought significant shifts in how brands engage their audiences. In early 2025, several major reports—Sprout Social, Metricool, and Meltwater—were released, each offering data-driven insights into what works and what doesn’t on each social media channel.
To break down these reports, Elana Leoni and Hillary Trussell hosted a LinkedIn Live session, distilling the key takeaways for marketers, particularly those in the EdTech space. “We wanted to make sense of all these reports that dropped at the same time,” Elana shared. “There’s a lot to digest, but we’ll focus on what’s most actionable for your strategy in 2025.”
This blog synthesizes their discussion, covering:
The biggest mistakes brands should stop making on social media in 2025.
The high-impact strategies marketers should prioritize moving forward.
Platform-specific insights on where brands should focus their efforts.
How to align content strategy with evolving consumer expectations.
Whether you’re in EdTech or another adjacent industry, understanding these trends will help you refine your approach to ensure high visibility and engagement with your social media posts in 2025.
What to Stop Doing in 2025
Sprout Social’s 2025 report highlighted several outdated social media practices that are hurting brands more than helping. If your team is still relying on these tactics, it’s time to pivot.
1. Posting Without a Clear Strategy
Random, unstructured posting is no longer effective. In 2025, quality over quantity matters more than ever. Instead of pushing out daily content just to stay active, brands should invest in intentional, well-researched posts that align with audience needs.
2. Jumping on Trends Without Audience Alignment
“Think with your audience in mind,” Elana advised. “Don’t jump on trends just because they’re popular—make sure they actually serve your brand’s goals and resonate with your audience.” For EdTech brands, this means focusing on educational and thought leadership content rather than fleeting viral trends.
3. Over-relying on AI for Content Creation
While AI is a valuable tool that can propel productivity, brands that use it to completely replace human creativity risk losing authenticity. “AI should enhance your content, not create it for you,” Elana cautioned. “We don’t want to over-rely on AI, especially when it comes to innovation, creativity, and knowing your audience.”
What to Start Doing in 2025
Instead of relying on outdated tactics, social media marketers need to shift their focus to the following key strategies.
1. Creating Platform-Specific Content While Maintaining Brand Voice
Each social media platform requires a unique content strategy. What works on Instagram won’t necessarily work on LinkedIn or YouTube. Marketers must develop tailored content that aligns with both the platform’s algorithm and audience expectations.
2. Streamlining Content Production for Efficiency
Scaling content production without sacrificing quality is a priority in 2025. Marketers should focus on batch-creating high-value content, repurposing across platforms, and using AI as a tool rather than a crutch.
3. Documenting & Refining Brand Voice Across Platforms
Your social media should sound human, consistent, and aligned with your brand identity. “Be a human, be present, have a unique voice that matches the channel and your audience,” Elana emphasized. Documenting brand voice guidelines can help maintain consistency across platforms.
Where to Focus: Platform-Specific Insights for 2025
Not every platform deserves the same investment, and marketers should be selective about where they focus their efforts. Here’s a quick breakdown of the most important platforms in 2025 based on Metricool’s Social Media Study:
YouTube: The best platform for organic reach and long-form educational content. YouTube Shorts also makes it easy to repurpose vertical video content.
Instagram: A top performer for engagement, especially for community-driven content and carousels. It’s one of the top places educators spend time for inspiration, learning, and connection.
TikTok: Still offers solid reach but requires a careful targeting strategy to ensure the right audience sees your content.
Facebook: Despite a decline in organic reach, it remains a valuable tool for referral traffic. Remember – just because you may not be a power user anymore, doesn’t mean that this platform isn’t used by teachers. In fact, we saw an uptick in teacher usage in Facebook groups when teachers flocked away from Twitter/X.
Pinterest: A strong bottom-of-the-funnel conversion driver, functioning more as a search engine than a social media platform and great for brands that have many resources to “pin.”
For a broader breakdown of 2025 EdTech social media trends, check out our blog post, 2025 Social Media Trends for EdTech Marketing.
What Consumers Want from Brands on Social Media
Authenticity & Trust Matter More Than Ever
Consumers in 2025 are more selective than ever about which brands they follow. Hillary emphasized the need for humanizing your brand, stating, “People follow you on social media to connect with the real people behind the brand.”
Edutainment: Blending Education & Engagement
For EdTech brands in particular, edutainment (education + entertainment) is a growing opportunity. “How can we inform but do it in a way that doesn’t feel boring?” Elana asked. “Things can be fun.”
Final Takeaways: The Social Media Strategy for 2025
The future of social media is more strategic, platform-specific, and audience-driven. While conversion remains important, brand awareness, engagement, and trust-building will be the real drivers of success.
Elana left marketers with an important reminder: “Social media should not be your only channel—it needs to complement your entire marketing mix.” Instead of relying solely on social media, brands should integrate it with a well-rounded marketing strategy that includes many channels such as email marketing, SEO, and content marketing.
Want more insights? For a broader look at EdTech social media trends, check out our blog post, 2025 Social Media Trends for EdTech Marketing.
This blog was written using a transcript from our conversation on LinkedIn live. Follow us there for updates on upcoming live events.
