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ocial media — whether you love it or hate it, you can’t live without it as a hospitality brand. Building engagement is essential, and to do so effectively, you need to know about the seemingly countless social media updates happening on the daily. In this post, we focus on a handful of major updates from the past year or so that will change how hospitality marketers approach their social strategy in 2025.
1. Instagram’s New Vertical Aspect Ratio
In mid-January 2025, Instagram made a paradigm-shifting change (literally), switching from the iconic square format to a vertical one (4:5 ratio). While many users are grieving the demise of their perfectly symmetrical grids, Meta says it made the change to accommodate the fact that most photos and videos uploaded to the platform are vertical; this way, users don’t have to crop their content to avoid distortion. (If you’re unhappy with how the change has impacted the thumbnails of your old square posts, you can make it better by tapping the three dots next to the post, selecting Adjust Preview, and choosing either Fit or Fill.)
Going forward, you can still upload square images and videos, but they’ll be automatically cropped with black borders added at the top and bottom. To fit the new format, your photos and videos should be 1080 x 1350 px, with a 4:5 aspect ratio. It might take a minute to get used to the new look, but ultimately, this change does make it quicker and easier to post — maybe not a plus for artists, but definitely a benefit for most brands.
2. Improved Video Features on LinkedIn
In 2024, LinkedIn introduced a short-form video feature, allowing users to create and engage with bite-size content like they do on TikTok and Instagram. Given its professional nature, LinkedIn has always had the stuffiest vibe of all the platforms, and short-form video offers a fun way for brands to portray their personality and authenticity. Now, hospitality marketers can give a tour of their meeting spaces or corporate event venues, film guest testimonials, and offer travel tips.
Creating video content takes time, but if you’ve already been making it for Instagram or Facebook, you may be able to repurpose this content for LinkedIn. Just be aware that people come to LinkedIn with different goals and needs, so think about your audiences and find that sweet spot that works across platforms.
3. The Return of TikTok and Its Ever-Changing Features
It’s impossible to talk about changes to the TikTok platform without noting the biggest news that rocked the social media landscape — TikTok was removed from U.S. users’ mobile devices in mid-January, only to return after less than 24 hours. Now that TikTok is back in full force and available to download from the App Store, it seems there are more updates than ever to keep track of, plus changes from a few months back that marketers may not have had time to fully implement into their strategy. (Think: new automated ad targeting options that rolled out in the fall, or the ability to pre-schedule posts through TikTok Studio.)
One TikTok feature our social media team finds most helpful when creating content for clients is downloading videos from TikTok without the watermark, which makes it simple to repurpose content for other platforms without any strange distortions to the original video. The platform has also recently begun favoring image-based content, like photo carousels. But, don’t take this as a sign to post a few static videos on the app and call it a day — this strategy works best when you tell a story throughout your post. Try adding text over your images, from an engaging introductory hook on the first slide to a clear CTA at the end. You can even add music to give your image-based post an extra layer of interest.
4. Snapchat: Advertising and Subscription Growth
Snapchat has perhaps the most playful feel of all the platforms — that mischievous little ghost! — and most users (48% in the US) are young, between 15 and 24. But that leaves a whole other half made up of older users with more disposable income. (Here are some tips for reaching different generations on social media.) Starting last year, Snapchat introduced two new advertising features: Sponsored Snaps and Promoted Places.
Through Sponsored Snaps, brands can engage customers via a full-screen vertical video sent directly to users. Users can opt in by opening the Snap, directly messaging the advertiser, or opening a link. Sponsored Snaps are clearly distinguishable from users’ other videos, and if they’re left unviewed, they will be removed from the inbox — so while you might want to mirror the feel of a traditional Snapchat video, know that users who watch your content are consciously choosing to engage with an advertiser. In other words, don’t try to be something you’re not.
Promoted Places could be a great way for hospitality brands to experiment with Snapchat marketing. This feature allows you to sponsor a spot on the Snap Map, where users can see what their friends are up to, find out what’s available nearby, and view “Top Picks,” as determined by how many Snapchat users report a visit. According to Snapchat, marking places as “Top Picks” drives a typical visitation lift of 17.6% for frequent users, so investing time and money here could be a productive way to bring travelers to you.
5. Ad Testing on Threads
As of January, Threads had over 300 million monthly active users, and the platform reports that three out of four people follow at least one business. Earlier this year, Threads began testing ads with a small group of businesses and consumers in select regions.
Once Threads expands that capability, the process should be seamless: You’ll be able to simply check a box in Ads Manager to extend your existing Meta ad campaigns to Threads, reaching even more users and potential leads.
6. The Evolution of the Fediverse
A combination of “federation” and “universe,” the fediverse harks back to the idealistic early days of the internet. David Pierce does a nice job of summarizing it in his post on The Verge: “The fediverse is as if you took [all the social media platforms] and made them all interoperable so you could post anything from anywhere, and all your followers would be guaranteed to see it. And if you wanted to leave one platform for another, you could bring all your content, all your followers, all your everything with you.”
Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon are currently the best-known players in the fediverse, alongside tons of smaller blogging, video-streaming, and discussion platforms. It’s an ad-free space, but brands can reach users through organic content and explore strategies like influencer collaborations and building communities. Speaking of the latter …
7. The Rise of Private Communities
Social media used to be a place where you could find your niche and your people. Now that the platforms are oversaturated and less differentiated, more users are seeking out private communities on platforms like Facebook Groups, Keek Flex Groups, Discord, and Slack. About two-thirds of internet users participate in online communities, and research finds that brand loyalty increases when the brand builds this type of community. Apple, Sephora, and Airbnb are some of the best-known companies to benefit from community connections and engagement.
To build a brand community, you need to define your audience, tap into their needs and interests, and tailor your offerings accordingly. In the hospitality industry, that might mean special deals, insider events, and sneak peeks at new projects or renovations. Equally important: Elevate the voices within your community by giving members the chance to share their experiences with your brand.
8. AI Features Across Platforms
It’s happening: AI is everything, everywhere, all at once, and 2024 was a year of exponential growth in AI’s impact on our lives. In response, various platforms launched new AI features last year. Facebook’s Movie Gen provides AI content creation and editing tools, and Facebook also launched tools for creating marketing materials through generative AI prompts. TikTok’s AI ads tool, Symphony Creative Studio, is now available to all advertisers and includes the ability to activate virtual AI influencers. Keek — a lesser-known video- and image-sharing app — now has AI tools that provide video translation and digital avatars.
If you choose to use generative AI tools to create social media content, proceed with caution. Users are increasingly, and understandably, suspicious of anything they can’t put a real name or face to, so be sure to prioritize authentic, human content over all else. In fact, that’s a good rule of thumb for every post you create, regardless of the platforms you use or the changes those platforms make.
Need support building a cohesive social media marketing strategy? Hawthorn’s experts can help you translate your brand into meaningful, inspiring content — learn more about our social media marketing offerings.