Social Media Marketing ROI: How to Measure and Grow Yours for Your Next Content Calendar

Across the world, the average person in 2025 spends 6 hours and 40 minutes per day in front of screens. 

With over 5.45 billion social media users worldwide who are projected to spend more than $ 6.8 trillion online this year, investing in social media marketing in 2025 is a no-brainer. 

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing (also known as SMM) uses social platforms to build a brand, increase sales, generate leads, and connect with customers. 

The old adage “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is still true. Social media marketing increases the “who”. 

There are two different ways to increase the “who” of people viewing your content: organically or through paid marketing. 

Organic vs. paid marketing

Organic Marketing: As its name suggests, organic marketing is a more natural form of marketing. It uses unpaid content, such as high-quality articles, interactive posts, or engaging videos, to build a following or increase sales.

• Pros: Builds an audience, and there is no cost to reach followers. 
• Cons: Takes patience and requires time to build a following.

Paid Marketing: This method uses paid advertisements to reach customers. 

• Pros: Instantly connects your product or service with the ideal customer.
• Cons: Ad fatigue can lead to fewer clicks, some people are skeptical of paid advertisements, and marketing can be costly to run. 

Due to ongoing costs, the best marketing plans combine organic and paid marketing. 

What are popular social media platforms in 2025?

The average person tends to use seven different platforms a month. As a business, that’s too much to focus on. Your best bet is to pick one or two platforms, build your following on them, and once you’re established there, expand to more platforms. 

Start small, do it well, then expand. 

Now let’s look at the most popular platforms: 

➡️ Facebook: 

In terms of social media, Facebook is a classic. Last year, over 637 million messages were sent to Facebook through Sendible alone. It has earned the honour of being the largest social media platform used worldwide in 2025.

What’s more, over half of its users utilize it to follow brands or research products. 

• Monthly active users: 3.065 billion
• Largest age group: 25-34
• Best practices in 2025: 
  • Use engaging short-form reels
  • Vertical video with audio have a 12% higher conversion rate
  • Build community with user-generated content
  • Engage with your customers
  • Optimise your page and groups with Sendible’s free Facebook checklist

➡️ Instagram: 

Not only a favourite of Gen Z and Millennials, Instagram is also the top pick for product discovery. Over 60% of its consumers use it to discover their next purchase, and 72% of Gen Z use Instagram for customer service. 

• Monthly active users: 2 billion
• Largest age group: 18-24 
• Best practices in 2025: 
  • Prioritise short-term reels
  • Quality is better than quantity
  • Use trending audio
  • Post interactive content
  • Follow SEO best practices
  • Optimise your Instagram account with Sendible’s free Instagram checklist.

➡️ X (Previously Twitter)

Formerly Twitter, X users love interacting with brands. In fact, 35% interact with brands daily, and 23% interact with brands weekly. By consistently joining conversations, your brand can leverage this platform to its advantage.  

• Monthly active users: 611 million
• Largest age group: 25-34

• Best practices in 2025:

• Keep it short
• Join relevant trending topics
• Use specific relevant hashtags (2-3 per tweet)
• Check for previous conversations for background context when interacting with customers.
• Optimise your X account with Sendible’s free X checklist.

➡️ Threads

Part of the Meta family, Threads has experienced tremendous growth since its launch in 2023. Its seamless integration with Instagram makes it an easy way to connect with customers. 

• Monthly active users: 400 million
• Largest age group: 25-34
• Best practices in 2025:
  • Use Threads to connect with customers
  • Use GIFS and memes
  • Use your voice and personality
  • Learn more about using Threads here

➡️ TikTok

Popular with Millennials and Gen Z, TikTok is a Gen Z favourite, with 82% most likely to have a TikTok account. 77% of Gen Z users go to TikTok for product discovery.   

• Monthly active users: 2 billion
• Largest age group: 18-24 
• Best practices in 2025: 
  • Keep it short, funny, and entertaining
  • Craft TikTok videos for SEO by using hashtags, captions, and sounds
  • Focus on creating original, niche content to connect with your followers
  • Optimise your TikTok account with Sendible’s free TikTok Checklist

➡️ LinkedIn

A favourite among professionals, LinkedIn dominates B2B and B2C. In fact, 78% of B2B consumers check sellers on LinkedIn before making a purchase. It’s also great for personal branding. 

• Monthly active users: 1 billion
• Largest age group: 25-34 
• Best practices in 2025:
  • Post videos native to the LinkedIn Platform rather than external links
  • Ensure you have a completed profile
  • 2-3 high-quality articles a week is better than daily general articles
  • Be very specific with hashtags
  • Use one of LinkedIn’s highest-performing content in 2025: 
    • Story-driven posts
    • Carousels (PDF format
    • Native videos 
    • “Hot take” commentary
    • Data backed by insights
  • Optimise your LinkedIn account with Sendible’s free LinkedIn Checklist.

➡️ YouTube

In the U.S., YouTube has surpassed Facebook in popularity. 

In the UK, 34% of people watch YouTube on their TV at home. Although the majority of users watch YouTube for entertainment purposes, 70% of consumers admit to being swayed by YouTube content to make a purchase. 

• Monthly active users: 2.504 billion
• Best practices in 2025:

• Focus on YouTube Shorts
• Make your content discoverable by following SEO best practices
• Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments
• Optimise your YouTube channel with Sendible’s free YouTube Channel and Video Checklist

➡️ Google Business Profile

When customers “Google” your business, this is the first result they see. Whether you have a single store, multiple locations, or offer a service to a specific area, having a strong Google Business Profile (GBP) is a must, especially in an age dominated by Google results. 

• Best practices in 2025: 
  • Post weekly to increase SEO results AND appear active
    • For multiple locations, post weekly for EACH location
  • Build a dedicated content calendar and schedule posts with Sendible
  • Use GBP insights to improve your reach
  • Increase engagement by following this advice for the best types of GPB posts

➡️ Bluesky:

Formed in protest to policy changes at X, Bluesky is a relatively new but growing platform. It offers its users more control and privacy.

To date, Bluesky does not provide monetisation.

• Total Users: 38 million
• Largest Age Group: 18-24
• Bluesky Resources: 
  • What is Bluesky? A Social Media Marketing Guide for Businesses
  • What to Post on Bluesky: 21+ Content Ideas for Different Industries

Why do businesses use social media marketing?

Eighty-seven per cent of buyers in the US believe that social media helps them make purchasing decisions.

In fact, businesses with at least one social media account have 32% more sales than those without. 

Social Media Marketing offers businesses the following benefits: 

• Brand awareness: the general public becomes aware of your brand.
• Engagement: customers connect with you and your product
• Traffic: increased visits to your company’s website. 
• Lead generation: connecting with possible future customers. 
• Customer service: retaining the customers you have by maintaining and building relationships. 

Now that we’ve looked at what social media marketing is, let’s check out its importance. 

Why does social media still matter in 2025?

The average person spends about 2 hours and 24 minutes every day on social media, and the average mobile phone user checks their phone 150 times every day. 

Not only is social media still relevant, its record-high use makes it more essential than it has ever been. 

Sometimes taking a step back and looking at some simple facts is enough to remind us how important it is to include social media in the company’s overall strategy:

➡️ Social search is now mainstream. 

Google now pulls content from Instagram for SEO results. 

➡️ Shift from viral to valuable content

Previously, social media content was focused on likes and views. Now, yes, a viral video may produce a brief increase in views, but consistent, valuable content builds your brand and establishes trust with customers. 

➡️ First-touch channel for brand discovery

In the past 90 days, 64% of Gen Z users found a new product through social media.

And it’s not just the younger generation. As people spend more time on social media, it often becomes where customers first see a new brand. 

➡️ Central to customer service, trust-building, and SEO

Social media is often the first place a customer will go with a complaint. 

In fact, 80% of customers expect a response within 24 hours. Responding wisely and promptly helps maintain your customers and attract new ones. 

Because 99% of customers look at reviews when shopping online, your positive online presence and your customer service build trust. 

In addition, positive reviews and increased traffic to your website also boost SEO. 

➡️ Hub for community building

Social media, as the name suggests, is a place of socialising. Connecting your product with niche followers helps build loyalty and reach.

What’s new in social media marketing in 2025?

As technology evolves, so do social media trends. Here are some of the updates to keep in mind going forward:  

• Social content is now search content- That’s right. Social media posts can now be found on Google. 
• Google is indexing Instagram posts- This means Instagram business and creator accounts should follow best SEO practices. Businesses should also review old content and make sure it follows best SEO practices.  
• LinkedIn’s search visibility is growing- LinkedIn articles have high credibility.  In fact, 83% of executives trust LinkedIn’s advice more than any other platform. Not only that, but LinkedIn’s connection with Bing AI and the Microsoft universe means that LinkedIn articles appear high in Google search results.
• TikTok and YouTube are now featured in rich search snippets- Google is now pulling videos to answer questions. This requires the poster to optimise the content for SEO by answering one specific question, including timestamps, a transcript, and keywords. 
• AI is reshaping workflows- From generating captions to improve algorithms for customers to find content, AI is changing social media in various ways. 
• Content ideation, repurposing, and captions- Using algorithms to cater to your specific audiences is one of the strengths of AI. Using AI to improve captions saves you both time and energy. However, be cautious of too much AI. Some platforms, like LinkedIn, are using AI to flag articles that sound like ChatGPT or that are spammy or clickbait. 
• YouTube’s crackdown on AI-only videos- While AI can make your job much easier, YouTube will not monetise fully generated AI content. 
• Importance of human + AI balance- AI should be helping you with social media, not doing all the work for you. People can tell when content is fake or when something seems unnatural. For that reason, it’s best to follow the 80/20 rule. Let AI complete 80% of the work, and you spend the rest of the time perfecting it. 

Updates across social media marketing platforms

➡️ Threads is gaining traction for business updates & engagement.

In the first quarter of 2025, Threads grew by 30 million users, and by May 2025, it had 350 million users. Its connection to Instagram makes it easy to use, and its growing number of users makes it one to watch.

➡️ LinkedIn’s algorithm improved for company pages.

On LinkedIn, forget about likes, shares, or emojis. In 2025, its algorithm now favours: 

• in-depth discussions
• high-value content 
• 100% complete profiles
• Native videos, not external links

➡️ Instagram’s “Sends per Reach” is now a key metric.

Instagram’s algorithm now favours: 

• Saves
• Direct message shares
• Engagement
• Content that sparks conversation

➡️ X's monetisation is tied to community notes & engagement quality.

Posts that are flagged by community notes on X are NOT eligible for monetisation. Spammy or low-quality content are also NOT eligible for monetisation.

X favours: 

• • Replies over retweets
  • High-quality content

Insight from Sendible’s 2025 report

You talked. We listened. Here’s what we’ve learned: 

Multi-location businesses struggle with reporting, consistency, and content creation. 

Distance drives a wedge in consistent branding.

However, scheduling content and creating a content calendar fills in the gap. Maybe that’s why over 600 million posts were scheduled through Sendible last year. 

• 66% say planning & approval takes too much time: When working, bureaucracy interferes with productivity. You want results, not red tape. Sendible’s easy approval process is a big hit with clients and social media managers. 
• 73% want better ways to reuse content across locations: Because, of course, who wants to reinvent the wheel? Last year, 59 million+ posts were bulk uploaded and scheduled with Sendible, and one client noted spending 50% less time by using Sendible. 
• 58% plan to increase focus on community building in 2025: With algorithms now favouring engagement, community building is the way to go. 

Sendible saves you time, makes approvals a breeze, and simplifies social media marketing across different locations.

Benefits of social media marketing for businesses

A good social media presence helps your business succeed. Some benefits include:

➡️ Increases brand visibility

You might have the best product on the market, but if no one knows about it, you might as well not be in business. 

That’s where SMM steps in. It helps more people know about your product and their need for it. 

➡️ Builds trust and brand personality

A good name is better than riches. Well, maybe not in business. In a business sense, a good name leads to riches.

Social media helps people know your brand is and what your brand is about. 

➡️ Drives local and online conversions

Let’s be real: conversions are the goal of marketing. SMM can increase conversions by increasing followers and by increasing traffic to the website which in turn, increases sales. 

It all starts with a high-quality post. 

➡️ Improves SEO and social proof

In a world driven by digital results, SEO matters. Without it, your product remains the hidden needle in the digital haystack. 

In a world where AI is constantly increasing, social proof also matters. Social proof squashes scepticism by showing that your product is genuine, not an AI bot or phishing scheme.  

➡️ Enables 1:1 engagement with customers

You might be connected to your customers, but do you have connections with them? Interacting with customers one-on-one helps give them the attention they crave.

➡️ Measurable ROI through analytics

The digital nature of social media allows easy analysis of best practices. You can discover: 

• Best platform
• Customer reach
• Best day and time of day to post
• Most effective post style

And so much more. The data finds what’s working and what’s not.

How to build a social media marketing strategy that actually works

Enough of the “why’s” and the “what’s”. Let us walk through building a strategy step by step.

Step 1: Define your audience 

As you think through your ideal customer profile, determine: 

• Customer’s demographic: What is your ideal customer’s age, gender, income, and education level?
• Customer’s location: Where is your ideal customer located?
• Customer’s mindset: What are your ideal customer’s interests, values, attitudes, and lifestyle?
• Customer habits: What is their preferred method of communication, purchasing habits, and online habits?

Step 2: Choose the right platforms

Each platform appeals to a specific ICP. When selecting a platform, keep in mind: 

• The ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)- What platform would your ICP most likely use?
• The campaign goal- What platform would most easily help complete the social media campaign goal?
• The resources available- How much time and money does your brand have to spend on marketing? Which platform will help you accomplish those goals within budget?

Step 3: Set clear, measurable goals

The best way to create a good goal is to use the acronym SMART. 

S. -Specific

It should be a specific goal, not a generic oversight. 

Examples:

• Yes: Create one 15 second Instagram Reel
• No: Post content

M. -Measurable

The goal should have some form of measurement, such as numbers, hours, days, pounds, miles, etc.

Examples: 

• Yes: Write a 3500-word article about social media content for Sendible in 5 days
• No: Write a blog about social media for Sendible

A. -Achievable

The goal should be realistic and achievable. If it involves elements beyond your control, it may not be achievable. 

Examples:

• Yes: Create a 3-minute YouTube video that explains best SEO practices, has a transcript, and time stamps by Friday at 3 pm. 
• No: Create a 3-minute video that goes viral, and has over 3M views in 3 hours

R. -Relevant

The goal should be relevant and relate to the task at hand. 

Examples:

• Yes: Comment on 8 Instagram posts by 1 pm
• No: Research best practices for X when creating an Instagram gardening reel

T. -Time 

The goal must have a reasonable and realistic timeline.

Examples: 

• Yes: Write a 1,500 LinkedIn article about best SEO practices in 4 days. 
• No: Write a 1,500 LinkedIn article about best SEO practices

Step 4: Pick your content pillars.

Think through what type of posts are best for your ICP. Just like a house needs more than one pillar to be stable, you will want to have a few content pillars to draw from. 

The most common content pillars are: 

• Educational: informs or teaches your audience 
• Promotional: promotes a sale, a new product, or a new release
• Community: fosters community; can be customer reviews, testimonials, employee or customer spotlights, or influencer connections.
• Entertainment: entertains; can be a story, mystery, humorous content, etc.

Each industry is specific, and you do not have to reinvent the wheel. 

Sendible has specific guides for specific industries. You could start by reading pillar guides for your industry here.

Step 5: Build a posting calendar 

Plan, plan, plan, and plan some more. If you have multiple locations, make sure there is centralised oversight. 

Step 6: Plan for engagement 

With the emphasis on social media engagement, make sure you plan for it. Before posting, plan your engagement workflows and priority inboxes.

Step 7: Refine your approach with reporting

If you are using a social media management software like Sendible, you can see what trends work and don’t.

Find which hashtags bring the most engagement, which day and time are best for posting, and which types of posts generate the best leads.

You have the data; now focus on what’s working and improving what’s not. 

Social media marketing resources by industry

Struggling to know where to start? Here are some resources that could start as a jumping off point for different industries:

Real Estate

• Social Media Marketing for Real Estate Agents: 6 Tactics to Get More Clients
• Real Estate Social Media Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide & Template

Car dealerships

• Social Media for Car Dealerships: How to Drive Sales and Build Community
• 6 Content Pillar + Social Media Post Ideas for Car Dealerships

Dental & vet clinics

• Dental Social Media Marketing Guide for 2025
• How Dentists can get more patients using Instagram and Facebook 
• Dental Holidays 2025: Social Media Calendar and Ideas

Restaurants & hospitality

• Social Media Strategies for Restaurants: 
• Guide to Restaurant Social Media Marketing (6 examples)

Property management

• Foundations of Social Media Marketing for Property Management
• Social Media Content Calendars for Property Managers
• Social Media Visual for Property Managers: Attract Tenants & Build Trust

Retail chains

• The 10 Keys to Social Media Success for Retail Companies
• Social Media Management for Franchise Businesses with Sendible
• How often should you post on Google Business Profile? A Multi-Location Guide for 2025
• LinkedIn Company Page Best Practices for Big Grands - 2025 Guide

Healthcare clinics

• Healthcare and Social Media -Marketing Guide for Health Professionals
• Brand Ambassadors: Turning Local Voices Into a Scalable Social Strategy
• Social Media Best Practices for your Boring Brand

Key features of a good social media tool

A tool is great, if you know how to use it. A good social media tool will have: 

• Scheduling & calendar views: When you post something is just as important as what you post. For example, the algorithm for LinkedIn favors content that has meaningful interactions within one hour of posting. LinkedIn engagements also peak on Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-11am. 
• Approval workflows: Approvals shouldn’t be buried under red tape. Having a quick system in place to approve posts will increase productivity and decrease frustration.
• AI caption generation: Having an AI caption generator allows for work to be completed faster. Of course, a person should always go over everything before posting. But tweaking an AI post may be easier than rewriting everything from scratch. 
• Engagement inbox: Since interactions are a key metric in a post’s success, a good SMM tool will have a plan in place to respond to comments and engage with customers. 
• Analytics and white-label reporting: The data generated by social media helps improve posts. A good tool will help you analyze that data so you can keep improving. And it will make it look like it came from your company. 

Social media marketing FAQs

What’s the best platform for business in 2025?

This depends on your industry and audience—but Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google Business Profile dominate the landscape for most B2C and local brands.

How much should I post?

This depends on your goal and team size, but consistency matters a lot more than frequency. Quality over quantity is a good way to look at this as well. If you want to get an idea of what is common in your industry, looking at competitor pages is a good place to start. 

How can I measure ROI?

To track ROI effectively, you could consider tracking metrics like your engagement levels, leads, conversions (via UTM tracking), and customer touchpoints.

Is paid social media worth it in 2025?

Yes, but it works best when paired with a focus on other digital marketing segments as well. 

This includes focusing on things like having a strong organic content strategy, tracking SEO performance, as well as GEO marketing. Staying aware of changes in the digital marketing landscape is also extremely important since it is such a fast-paced environment.