Will the social media marketing trends of 2026 take your company in a new direction? What should you focus on when planning your social strategies?
Wondering where to put your energy in social media marketing next year? You’re not alone. A new survey asked over 500 marketers what they’re betting on for 2026, from AI tools and influencer partnerships to short-form video. Here’s what they said about what’s working and where they’re putting their budgets.
Where should you spend your time and energy?
Every year, new trends in marketing appear. The social media marketing trends for 2026 are no different. Should you incorporate more AI into your strategy or focus on influencers? What videos perform the best, and how should you present them to your audience? Here are some of the key marketing trends to help you plan for a successful 2026.
AI & Efficiency
How can you improve your productivity and efficiency? It might be time to add more AI marketing tools to your social media strategy. As many as 82% of marketers have reported that AI saves them time, which means you should embrace its use and begin to add it to your workflow. AI is quickly becoming a standard in marketing circles, making it much easier to manage each process to get the best results. Many marketers are implementing AI content creation and workflow automation. You still might want to allow actual creators to complete your content, but AI can get them started.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing continues to be one of the most important social media marketing trends going into 2026. It’s been successful enough that as many as 67% of brands intend to increase their influencer budgets in 2026, showing serious confidence in this strategy. Many brands, as high as 58%, are looking for ways to explore the use of virtual influencer partnerships to expand their reach. Influencer content drives purchases nearly three times as effectively as company-created content, which shows why it should be a focus for 2026.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Many companies should focus on user-generated content in their future strategies. A recent marketing survey shows that it’s one of the most underutilized but critically useful marketing strategies available. Only about 31% of current marketers utilize UGC, but more should. The most popular forms of this content are photos, which are great for social media, but testimonials and videos also do very well. UGC is one of the most affordable forms of marketing and makes it easy for future customers to enjoy feedback from previous customers.
Create Strong Social Media Goals
Social media marketing can’t be successful without goals that you’re working toward all year long. Unlike the New Year’s Resolutions that you break every year, these goals should be attainable and measurable. Some of the top goals are brand awareness, conversions, and community loyalty. In order to build a better community and bring more customers to your door, as many as 73% of marketers prefer short-form video to make that happen. Have you created the goals that will help you win in 2026?
Challenge Your Team Toward Success
Balance within your team can be one of the most important parts of building success for the next year. You might not consider it one of the social media marketing trends of 2026, but ensuring your team doesn’t feel burned out is important. Create a strong balance and clear goals to ensure your team doesn’t become stretched too thin. Currently, 57% of social teams have fewer than six people, and 76% of team members feel they are burned out on occasion. This means you need to add the benefits of:
- Streamlined tools
- Clear goals
- More personnel
- Improved collaboration
How can you challenge your team toward success and build the right balance to ensure productivity without burnout?
2026 Success Strategies to Win at Social Media Marketing
In addition to the social media marketing trends going into 2026, you need to have a sense of purpose and know how to lead your team to success. The marketers who will thrive in the next year will:
- Increase AI use for efficiency
- Invest in long-form content
- Scale UGC and video-led advocacy
- Build stronger communities
- Connect product teams with customer care
- Invest in team resources to prevent burnout
What will your team begin with? How will you ensure success in the upcoming year? These social media marketing trends for 2026 should be pretty easy to implement, and you’ve probably already begun adding many of them to your workflow. Get ready for success in the next year.
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