The 2025 Social Media Landscape: A Technical Guide for B2B Marketers

“Should we be on…?” is the question that lives rent-free in every marketer’s mind, and for good reason. We are focused on reaching our audiences where they are, and that could be on any number of social media platforms.

Right now the social media ecosystem is not only a little, well, weird, but it also presents an intriguing paradox. As platforms add AI-powered features, humanization is simultaneously being emphasized by pushing for more direct user engagement and interaction. This duality creates opportunities (and yes, some challenges) for B2B marketers looking to optimize their social media strategy.

Speaking of, that AI/human duality is just the first in our list of what to expect this year…

How to Decide Which Platforms Deserve Your B2B Focus

2024 was the year of marketers being asked to do more with less, and not much has changed early on this year. With limited resources, strategic platform selection is crucial.

Before diving into each platform, ask yourself:

1. Where does your target audience actually spend their time? (Not where you think they "should" be)
2. Do you have the capacity to consistently create platform-specific content?
3. Does this platform support your primary objectives?
4. Can you repurpose existing content for this platform, or does it require entirely new assets?
5. Can you effectively track ROI?

The answers to these questions will guide your platform decisions as we explore each option below.

What to expect in 2025

Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Most – if not all platforms – are pushing for their unique AI tools to be used in every aspect, from creating posts on a company page to cover letter recommendations to designing paid advertisements and everything in between.

All of this is pretty ironic considering that the other push is to focus on the human element that encourages direct user engagement and interaction, meaning there will also be a focus on engagement metrics (likes, comments, sharing, etc.). Certain platforms are even focusing on community meet-ups. Social platforms are trying to find the balance between automation and genuine human interaction.

Video
Video will still be king across all platforms, and everyone will be focused on repackaging or reshaping video content to better suit specific platforms.

LinkedIn is currently doing a large push for it, others are trying to compete with the force of nature that is TikTok (Instagram just announced their plan to launch Reels as a separate app), and yet other platforms are trying to figure out new versions of video to add such as shorts, live broadcasts, etc.

Subscription as a service
Subscription as a service will also be getting a bigger push by some of the platforms (like Snapchat and BlueSky) as a way to keep paid advertising in check and to use the paid audience as a place to roll out and test new features.

Cross-channel consistency
It used to be the rule of thumb that a company’s presence should be hyper-consistent across all social media platforms. With the enforced push on genuine human engagement, that is likely going to have to change platform to platform.

Data transparency
Most platforms will continue to focus on data transparency and audience targeting. How these platforms tackle these issues are going to vary by platform, but Facebook, for example, is introducing a new ad category to focus and refine targeting for financial products and services.

The state of advertising and social platforms in 2025

Facebook & Instagram

Artificial Intelligence Integration
Meta continues aggressively pushing advertisers toward its creative AI-based tools, pitching them as time and effort savers when creating digital ads. While these tools streamline production, they often lack the human element and authenticity that truly resonates with users. But, the uncomfortable truth is that these automated ads (created via Advantage+ options) are now, on average, delivering better results than manually targeted campaigns. Going forward, AI will analyze even more user behavior and preferences to serve increasingly personalized ads, furthering Meta's long-standing mission to optimize the user experience while maximizing advertiser results.

New Ad Category
Meta will be rolling out a new ad category in 2025 specifically for financial products and services. This strategic move aims to enhance user experience by providing more tailored ads while creating a more controlled environment for financial advertising. Advertisers utilizing this category will need to appropriately categorize their promotions and likely adhere to stricter guidelines, ensuring users receive relevant and compliant content. This represents Meta's ongoing effort to balance advertiser needs with user experience and regulatory considerations.

Focus on Engagement Metrics
This isn’t entirely a new concept that Meta is focusing on more engagement-based metrics (likes, comments, sharing, etc.), but the reasoning they provide for it is to create a healthier ecosystem and allow advertisers to have cleaner ad performance. (Of course, the irony here is that while they’re focusing on engagement metrics, they’re also relaxing their factual information standards.)

Updated Video Player
Meta will be focusing on making video a full screen experience, whether Reels, longer videos, live broadcasts, or others. Updated features could include auto-play, curated recommendations, and other interactive elements.

SHOULD MY B2B COMPANY BE USING FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM?

Yes, if:

• • You're targeting mid-level professionals who may use these platforms in their personal time but are still in a business mindset.
  • You have a visual component to your B2B story (product demos, workplace culture, behind-the-scenes).
  • Your sales cycle incorporates retargeting and you want to stay visible across multiple touchpoints.
  • You're in the financial services sector and can leverage the new ad category.

No, if:

• • You lack the capacity to create regular visual content.
  • Your targeting parameters are exclusively job-function based (LinkedIn would be more efficient).

YouTube

Shorts
Don’t be surprised if YouTube starts pushing video shorts in 2025 as their own bid to compete with TikTok. The fact that YouTube gets 70 billion views daily, with over 2 million monthly users, and is still trying to compete with TikTok speaks volumes about the position TikTok has in the world of social media.

Live Streaming
This will only continue to grow in the upcoming year as it’s proving to be extremely profitable for influencers and advertisers alike.

Communities
I am betting that YouTube – much like Meta – is going to be focusing on human interaction in 2025. As such, they are looking to create a similar experience to Facebook’s groups/pages. The focus will be direct audience engagement.

Shoppable video ads
Not going anywhere especially with platforms like TikTok where it is extremely easy for the brands to reach out and engage users via influencers or directly.

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Much like all other platforms, one of the larger themes this year will be the continued focus on AI and machine learning.

Data Privacy & Transparency
This is part of a larger Google initiative as they are starting to lose space in the marketplace. I predict there will be an increased focus on data privacy and transparency because it’s moving from a nice-to-have to a need-to-have.

SHOULD MY B2B COMPANY BE USING YOUTUBE? 

Yes, if:

• • You have complex products or services that benefit from visual explanation.
  • You're investing in thought leadership content that requires depth.
  • You want to build a searchable library of evergreen content (YouTube is the second-largest search engine).
  • Your sales team needs demonstration content to share with prospects.

No, if:

• • You can't commit to consistent video quality (poor production can harm brand perception).
  • Your budget doesn't allow for proper video production.
  • Your content strategy doesn't include educational components.

LinkedIn

Video
They have already started rolling out videos on the platform and uploads are on the rise. There will most likely be an increased focus on things like live event broadcasts and webinars. According to LinkedIn, they have already noticed a 14% increase in videos, generating 40% more engagement than other posts.

Authentic Content
There will be an increased focus on the human element and human interaction – emotional authenticity is going to be critical in this new AI robot-driven landscape.

Artificial Intelligence Tools
There will be a continued expansion of AI tools like post-creation prompts, job applications and cover letters, profile improvements, etc.

Audience Targeting will be shared across platforms
Microsoft Ads is expanding its use of LinkedIn insights by enabling advertisers that are using its Performance Max ad option to utilize LinkedIn member data for campaign targeting. In Microsoft’s latest ads update, they state, “Advertisers in six major markets (US, Canada, UK, Australia, France & Germany) will now be able to tap into LinkedIn’s professional targeting data, including company, industry, and job function signals [for Performance Max campaigns]. This is in addition to in-market audiences by job title and company size.”

SHOULD MY B2B COMPANY BE USING LINKEDIN?

Yes, if:

• • You're targeting specific job functions, industries, or company sizes that are active on the platform. LinkedIn's targeting precision is unmatched for B2B but will be of no use to you if your target audience only exists on the platform and never engages.
  • Lead generation is a primary goal.
  • You have a thought leadership strategy that positions your company as an industry expert.
  • Your team can produce business-relevant content consistently.
  • You're planning to use Microsoft Ads and want to leverage the cross-platform audience targeting.

No, if:

• • Your content strategy is primarily visual with minimal business context.
  • You lack the resources to engage with comments and conversations (authentic engagement is crucial here).
  • Your sales cycle is extremely short and doesn't benefit from relationship building.

TikTok

It is still up in the air here in the US, but let’s assume for a moment that the 800 million American users will continue to have access this year.

Shopping
In 2025 shopping will continue to be a large element for this platform as it’s proven to be successful for users across the globe. I believe in the upcoming year, there will be more focus on live stream purchases, although some of those might come from AI live stream avatars currently being tested in the Chinese market. With the increase in shopping, I believe there will also be a continued push for an expanded in-app marketplace for things like ordering food, hailing rides, buying event tickets, etc.

In-Video Searching
The Chinese equivalent app of TikTok, Douyin, already has in-video searching. In 2025, it’s only going to be a matter of time before it comes to TikTok.

Searching with Artificial Intelligence
This is only a hop, skip and a jump away from in-video searching and this will most likely go hand-in-hand, leading to an AI chatbot with expanded discovery.

SHOULD MY B2B COMPANY BE USING TIKTOK?

Yes, if:

• • You're targeting younger decision-makers or influencers within organizations.
  • Your brand can authentically embrace creativity and trends without seeming forced.
  • You have the resources to create platform-specific content (not repurposed corporate videos).
  • Your products/services can be demonstrated in short, engaging formats.
  • You're willing to experiment and adapt quickly (platform trends change rapidly).

No, if:

• • Your target audience consists primarily of senior executives (though this demographic is growing on the platform).
  • You're in a highly regulated industry with strict content guidelines.
  • Your marketing team is already stretched thin.
  • You can't commit to regular content creation specifically for this platform (you need to post a LOT).

SnapChat

AR Development
This will still be a top priority with the platform and I believe it will transfer and continue into some version of a wearable device.

SnapChat +
There will be a continued push for this premium, paid subscription version of the platform. It already has over 12 million subscribers and it's likely that new features will arrive and be tested here before it goes out to the general public.

Real Life Connections
Similar to other platforms, SnapChat will continue to focus on real life connections for its users. There will be more focus on the Snap Map to encourage more real life engagement. This will include more meetup messages and could also incorporate various ad opportunities down the line with location-based targeting.

Sponsored Snaps
There will be a continued push with sponsored snaps and more of a focus on inMail type ads (very similar to LinkedIn).

SHOULD MY B2B COMPANY BE USING SNAPCHAT?

Yes, if:

• • You have a specific use case for AR that demonstrates your product/service.
    PS. CID has expertise in AR, so even if you're not sure, we can help you figure that out.
  • You're targeting Gen Z professionals or early-career decision influencers.
  • You have a physical presence (stores, events, trade shows) that benefits from location-based marketing.
  • You have dedicated social media resources who understand the platform's unique format

No, if:

• • Your typical buyer is mid-career or senior-level.
  • Your marketing resources are limited.
  • Your content strategy doesn't include ephemeral, casual content.
  • You need detailed analytics for ROI tracking (Snapchat's metrics can be more limited)

Pinterest

Product Discovery Engine
The platform itself has claimed that it is shifting focus from user engagement to product display and in 2025 it’s more than likely going to complete that shift.

Enhanced AI Try-on Tools
There will be a continued push into the ability to filter by body type, evolving into image matching and discovering relevant matches across the platform, along with an increase in try-on options. They might have an integration with AR Glasses down the road, but I wouldn’t be surprised if something is announced this year.

Streamlined Catalog Ingestion
With the tools mentioned above, the platform is more than likely going to make their catalog of products as easy as possible to navigate and search.

SHOULD MY B2B COMPANY BE USING PINTEREST?

Yes, if:

• • Your products have strong visual appeal (architectural products, office design, workplace solutions, etc.)
  • You target industries where aesthetics matter (design, architecture, events, hospitality, etc.)
  • Your content strategy includes infographics and visual how-to guides.
  • You're focused on building a visual resource library that prospects can save and reference. 

No, if:

• • Your products/services lack strong visual components.
  • Your target audience is primarily in technical or operational roles.
  • You need immediate lead generation (Pinterest is more about inspiration and discovery).
  • Your marketing team lacks bandwidth for visual content creation.

BlueSky vs Threads vs X

The Bluesky vs Threads vs X debate is interesting because each of the platforms is in polar opposite places heading into 2025. Let’s cut through the noise.

X (formerly Twitter) X remains in flux.

Advertisers began departing in 2022 following Musk’s acquisition, and many haven’t returned. While the platform still offers unmatched real-time conversation, brands must weigh the benefits against potential brand safety concerns.

With BlueSky and Threads now offering similar functionality, X faces genuine competition for the first time. Its ad tools, never particularly sophisticated to begin with, haven’t significantly improved, leaving B2B marketers questioning its ROI.

Threads

Meta's Twitter competitor maintains the "new platform" feel while leveraging Meta's established infrastructure. Key considerations:

• The audience continues to grow steadily.
• Meta is relaxing political content restrictions.
• The platform will likely integrate with Meta's robust advertising ecosystem
• Native-style ads embedded within the feed are being tested with select advertisers.

For B2B marketers, Threads offers intriguing potential: native ads (which typically outperform standard display) and access to Meta's sophisticated targeting capabilities.

BlueSky

The newest contender has gained traction with users seeking a Twitter-like experience but with different ownership. Despite CEO Jay Graber's initial promise that BlueSky "will not enshittify the network with ads," the platform hasn't ruled out future advertising.

The challenge: BlueSky's open protocol model makes traditional in-feed advertising technically difficult, and its decentralized architecture means advertising decisions require broader consensus. Its subscription model currently keeps the platform ad-free, but B2B marketers should monitor developments closely.

SHOULD MY B2B COMPANY BE USING X, THREADS, OR BLUESKY?

All said and done

We all fall into the trap of, "Are we missing out on major success by not joining XYZ platform?" But a scarcity mentality is not the way to look at it. When the FOMO of a new, shiny platform creeps in, start by being curious. Sign up for an account yourself to see what all the fuss is about and then determine if the platform will help your company reach its goals.

As platforms continue to evolve, the most successful B2B marketers will be those who can keep their audience #1 and build authentic human connections regardless of platform. The social media landscape of 2025 demands that B2B marketers maintain a focus on their core business objectives and audience needs.

If you need help developing your digital marketing strategy and determining which social media platforms will serve your B2B company best, drop us a line. We'd love to help.