Social media has evolved from a platform for marketing and brand awareness into a critical space for responsive customer service and even direct revenue generation. But in order to unlock the full potential of social channels, brands must demonstrate authenticity, consistently deliver value and keep pace with rising customer expectations.

According to a new report by Emplifi, “The Social Pulse: The state of consumer-brand engagement on social media in 2025,” which surveyed 965 U.S. consumers in November 2024, about half of shoppers bought something through social media within the last 90 days; consumers were most likely to make purchases because they saw a promotional offer (60% of respondents). Folks also bought items through social channels because they were already shopping for the product (51%), liked the look of a post (35%), the post featured people they could relate to (28%) and the content was funny (25%).

Add it all up, and marketers looking to drive more social commerce revenue should lean into discounts for social offers, craft visually appealing posts that resonate with their audience and sprinkle a little humor into the mix.

Social Commerce Success Starts With Authenticity

Consumers don’t follow brands for the sake of it. They follow brands because they consistently deliver value. According to the report, consumers are most interested in seeing news about sales and promotions (64%), being entertained (58%) and learning about new products (57%) on social channels.

Marketers who want to grow their social audiences need to give customers a reason to follow. That starts with clearly demonstrating why following your account is important (e.g., by pinning a promotional offer to the top). At the same time, brands should provide early access to sales and social-only deals, and they should also use social proof—leveraging real-world customer reviews, posts and other pictures—to build trust.

According to the report, 65% of shoppers are influenced by UGC compared to just 14% who are influenced by celebrities. “I don’t think enough brands are understanding the value of user-generated content (UGC) in social media,” says Susan Ganeshan, Emplifi’s Chief Marketing Officer. “It gives that authenticity that a lot of buyers are looking for.”

Meeting Rising Customer Expectations

In addition to being authentic and continuously delivering value, the report highlighted the importance of brands meeting rising customer expectations.

To do that, marketers should:

• Post every day. While some marketers might be hesitant to post regularly on social channels, the report found that nearly half of consumers expect brands to share content at least once a day. “Being in front of them continually is a really good thing,” Ganeshan says. “Consumers are actually saying, ‘Remind me that you’re here.’”
• Respond to customer inquiries quickly. When customers reach out to brands on social channels, marketers need to respond—and quickly. According to the report, 58% of customers say it’s important to see brands address customer concerns on social media. And when those concerns are raised, they need to respond right away; 32% of consumers expect a response within an hour, 23% are okay waiting six hours, 17% are good with 12 hours and another 17% are willing to wait 24 hours. Bottom line? If you take longer than a day to respond, 89% of customers won’t be happy.
• Prioritize the customer experience. Twenty-four percent of customers ditch brands after a single bad experience while 46% leave after two and 19% leave after three, Emplifi’s research found. Ganeshan recommends brands make it as easy as possible for customers to interact with them over multiple channels—including the phone, since 40% of customers still call when they need answers. While you might be tempted to use AI to ensure you respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner, be careful; two-thirds of consumers prefer human responses. “If a company responds with the same message every time, that’s the same as not replying at all,” Ganeshan says.