A survey of nearly 1,000 U.S. social media users reveals that brands must prioritize authenticity, quick response times, and meaningful engagement to succeed in 2025’s social media landscape.
The research, published in Emplifi‘s “The Social Pulse” report, indicates that traditional approaches to social media marketing are becoming increasingly ineffective as consumer expectations change.
Value-Driven Following
The report finds that consumers don’t follow brands simply because they exist—they follow them for specific benefits. The top three reasons cited for following brand accounts are:
News about promotions, sales, and discounts (64%)
Entertainment (58%)
Learning about new products and updates (57%)
“People follow brands that give them value,” the report states, emphasizing that companies failing to provide clear value propositions on social media risk being ignored entirely.
Purchase Drivers
When examining what prompts social media users to make purchases, the data shows that price incentives outweigh other factors:
60% cite discounts or promotions as the primary driver
51% purchase when they were already shopping for the product
35% are influenced by the visual appeal of posts
28% respond to content featuring people like themselves
25% are persuaded by humorous content
21% are motivated by topical or current content
Celebrity endorsements have minimal impact, with only 14% of respondents saying celebrities influence their purchasing decisions. In contrast, 65% report that user-generated content (UGC) significantly influences buying behavior.
Response Time Expectations
The research identifies a key shift in customer service expectations on social media platforms. One-third of consumers expect responses to tags and direct messages within one hour. The survey reveals a tiered breakdown of response time expectations:
32% expect a response within 1 hour
23% expect a response within 6 hours
17% expect a response within 12 hours
17% expect a response within 24 hours
8% are willing to wait 48 hours
Only 4% consider response times over 72 hours acceptable
The data suggests severe consequences for brands that fail to meet these expectations. “The longer it takes a brand to respond, the more likely it is to lose customers. If you take more than 24 hours, you risk losing a third of them instantly,” the report warns.
Platform Preferences
Facebook (55%) and Instagram (47%) remain the primary platforms where consumers seek customer service assistance. However, the report emphasizes that brands must provide support across all platforms where their audience is active, including emerging channels like TikTok and Snapchat.
Content Strategy
The survey indicates that posting frequency matters to consumers:
25% want multiple posts per week
23% prefer daily posts
23% desire multiple posts per day
18% are satisfied with weekly posts
The research also highlights generational differences in content preferences. Baby Boomers prefer short, concise videos under 30 seconds, particularly for product information and deals. In contrast, Gen Z demonstrates a higher tolerance for longer-form content, including live streams lasting 20+ minutes, provided the content is entertaining.
Customer Retention
The report identifies data on customer retention as crucial as consumers have little patience for poor experiences:
46% leave a brand after two bad experiences
24% abandon brands after just one negative interaction
19% depart after three poor experiences
11% stay until experiencing four or more issues
The report notes that “customers aren’t just leaving over price—they’re leaving over poor experiences,” emphasizing that every customer touchpoint matters.
Human vs. AI Interaction
Despite advancements in AI customer service technology, approximately two-thirds of consumers still prefer human responses over automated ones. The report advises companies to “use AI to triage, but prioritize fast human follow-up,” particularly for social media interactions.
Recommendations
Based on these findings, the report offers several strategic recommendations for brands:
Content Approach: Keep videos under 60 seconds and prioritize authenticity over production value. Leverage user-generated content, which builds more trust than polished campaigns.
Customer Service Excellence: Implement systems for rapid responses, as delays directly correlate with lost business. While AI can help with efficiency, it also ensures that customers can easily reach human representatives when needed.
Retention Tactics: Focus on making customer service effortless. Publicly resolving issues fixes immediate problems and demonstrates trustworthiness to potential customers. Use AI and social listening to catch complaints early.
Community Building: Position brands as active conversation participants rather than conversation starters. Consumers expect brands to engage authentically and join discussions organically.
As the report concludes, “The brands that master content, engagement, and customer care will own the space. Those that treat social as an afterthought? They’ll be forgotten.”
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
A survey of nearly 1,000 U.S. social media users reveals that brands must prioritize authenticity, quick response times, and meaningful engagement to succeed in 2025’s social media landscape.
The research, published in Emplifi‘s “The Social Pulse” report, indicates that traditional approaches to social media marketing are becoming increasingly ineffective as consumer expectations change.
Value-Driven Following
The report finds that consumers don’t follow brands simply because they exist—they follow them for specific benefits. The top three reasons cited for following brand accounts are:
“People follow brands that give them value,” the report states, emphasizing that companies failing to provide clear value propositions on social media risk being ignored entirely.
Purchase Drivers
When examining what prompts social media users to make purchases, the data shows that price incentives outweigh other factors:
Celebrity endorsements have minimal impact, with only 14% of respondents saying celebrities influence their purchasing decisions. In contrast, 65% report that user-generated content (UGC) significantly influences buying behavior.
Response Time Expectations
The research identifies a key shift in customer service expectations on social media platforms. One-third of consumers expect responses to tags and direct messages within one hour. The survey reveals a tiered breakdown of response time expectations:
The data suggests severe consequences for brands that fail to meet these expectations. “The longer it takes a brand to respond, the more likely it is to lose customers. If you take more than 24 hours, you risk losing a third of them instantly,” the report warns.
Platform Preferences
Facebook (55%) and Instagram (47%) remain the primary platforms where consumers seek customer service assistance. However, the report emphasizes that brands must provide support across all platforms where their audience is active, including emerging channels like TikTok and Snapchat.
Content Strategy
The survey indicates that posting frequency matters to consumers:
The research also highlights generational differences in content preferences. Baby Boomers prefer short, concise videos under 30 seconds, particularly for product information and deals. In contrast, Gen Z demonstrates a higher tolerance for longer-form content, including live streams lasting 20+ minutes, provided the content is entertaining.
Customer Retention
The report identifies data on customer retention as crucial as consumers have little patience for poor experiences:
The report notes that “customers aren’t just leaving over price—they’re leaving over poor experiences,” emphasizing that every customer touchpoint matters.
Human vs. AI Interaction
Despite advancements in AI customer service technology, approximately two-thirds of consumers still prefer human responses over automated ones. The report advises companies to “use AI to triage, but prioritize fast human follow-up,” particularly for social media interactions.
Recommendations
Based on these findings, the report offers several strategic recommendations for brands:
As the report concludes, “The brands that master content, engagement, and customer care will own the space. Those that treat social as an afterthought? They’ll be forgotten.”
Get the full report here.