Hootsuite's 2024 Social Trends report highlights several shifts that brands and social marketers should plan around. Here are the highlights that stood out to us:

1. AI Redefining Authenticity

Generative AI has become a key asset for social marketers, especially those who are under-resourced and overworked. A survey revealed that 61% of organizations primarily use AI to reduce workload for tasks like text revision, image editing, and customer service.

This shift now challenges the traditional notions of “real” and “authentic” content, as brands and marketers adapt to a landscape where AI plays a significant role in content creation. In 2024, successful brands will focus less on whether content is made by humans or AI, and more on how it enhances the audience's experience and aligns with the brand's essence.

Key Takeaway: While it may become tempting to fully lean on AI for content, it's best used as a tool and jumping off point for content development. We can still easily tell the difference between longer form copy written by humans vs. AI. While AI has quickly advanced within the last 18 months, it is far from perfect. Your audience is smart and will know when they see content that is not authentic.

2. Brands doubling down on their platform champions

The challenge of multi-platform social media management is a concern for brands, as the average user engages with several different platforms daily. The challenge facing brands nowadays is the need to tailor content specifically for each platform, as cross-posting will no longer yield the same results. Rather than striving to maintain a presence on every platform, brands are now looking to focus on those that yield the highest ROI. This focused approach may lead some brands to reduce their presence, possibly even exiting one or two platforms. In essence, excelling on a few key platforms is becoming more valuable to brands than lower engagement across many.

Key Takeaway: This report is reinforcing our stance that it is more effective for you as a brand to focus your spending on 2-3 channels and optimize the platforms fully vs spreading your budget thinly over 4-6 channels and achieving lower reach & effectiveness across the board. When producing content, make sure that you are considering the platform you are producing content for, so that it feels authentic to each platform. Cross-posting is no longer guaranteed to yield even results.

3. Entertainment the key to unlocking ROI for 2024

The survey showed that people are increasingly using social media for entertainment and mental relaxation, with 34% expressing dislike for overly self-promotional brand content. This contrasts with the current practices of brands who frequently post product updates, creating a bit of a disconnect between brand content and consumer preferences.

The report suggests that brands focusing on publishing entertaining content are expected to gain more engagement and market share, as opposed to those continuing with traditional promotional posts. The survey further emphasizes this point, with 56% of consumers believing that brands should be more relatable on social platforms, underscoring the need for brands to make engaging and enjoyable content more prominent in their awareness/engagement strategies.

Key Takeaway: Use this report as an opportunity to analyze your content. Compare all your underperforming posts and see if they have anything in common. What is your tone of voice? Is your accompanying imagery engaging? Creative needs to be engaging for media to reach its full potential. How much of your content is designed with entertainment in mind? Remember, that's the main reason why people take to social media (and Media in general!). Analyze your content and creative in real-time, set benchmarks, and be ready to pivot and adjust your strategy based on the engagement results you are seeing.