The Biggest Social Media Marketing Trends for 2026 by LocaliQ

When you're growing your business, social media is likely an essential part of your marketing and advertising mix. In fact, our study found that organic social media marketing and paid social ads are the top two marketing channels small businesses are taking advantage of this year.

With even more competition and changing platforms, just being active on your brand's social accounts isn't enough. What worked last year may not deliver the same results moving forward. To stay competitive, you'll want to understand which trends are shaping the social media landscape so you can pivot your business's strategy accordingly.

Luckily, we're breaking down the top social media trends for 2026 and how your business can use them to drive real results.

Social media marketing trends SMBs need to know for 2026

Here's every social media marketing trend you need to know to effectively promote your business across social platforms in 2026.

1. Social media marketing and AI will be intertwined

This wouldn't be a proper social media marketing trends post without first addressing AI on social platforms! 35% of businesses have been using AI for social media management, making it one of the top use-cases for AI in small business marketing and advertising. If you haven't started intertwining AI with your social media strategy, this year is the year to do it.

Of course, you'll want to proceed with caution when it comes to using AI for social media in 2026. Audiences are keen to spot AI-generated content, which can make your brand seem inauthentic. However, AI can definitely come in handy for brainstorming posts, caption ideas, custom images, and more. Just be sure to give any AI-boosted social content a final, manual review before you publish. You can use these copy-and-paste AI prompts for social media as a jumping-off point.

2. Social media marketing and advertising will be a top priority for businesses

If you think social media marketing and advertising will be back-burner strategies for businesses like yours in 2026, think again. 66% of small businesses are actively leveraging social media marketing, and 56% are also taking advantage of social media advertising.This data proves your competition is likely already prioritizing social media. This year, it will be best for your business to shift focus and budget towards your current social accounts, or even to build new ones (more on this later).At a minimum, you'll want to be incorporating top social media platforms into your 2026 marketing plan. For instance, 91% of businesses use Facebook for marketing, 74% use Instagram, and 48% use LinkedIn.

3. Competition will increase as businesses invest more in social ads

47% of businesses plan to invest more in social media advertising, and 30% say they'll also be investing more in social media marketing. While this trend proves social media marketing and advertising will be thriving strategies in 2026, it also indicates an increase in competition. As small businesses increase their budgets, getting the algorithms to choose your brand when serving content to users (and potential customers) will be tricky.

To combat rising competition on social media, focus on unique, quality content that's customized to what might perform best on each platform. While that's easier said than done, there are plenty of social media tips and tools out there that can help perfect your business's approach to posting.

Be open to different types of social ad formats you may not have tried before to make your business stand out. For example, instead of reverting back to the same-old, same-old single image posts that you may have paid to promote on Instagram or Facebook, try dipping your toes into more short-form video ads to cater to Meta's algorithms.

4. Emerging and community platforms will be on the rise

The number of social media platform options has increased over the last couple of years. For instance, BlueSky became accessible to thepublic in 2024, and Threads, an extension of Instagram, launched in 2023. Now, over half of social media users plan to spend more time on emerging, community-driven, and creator-driven platforms in 2026. It's a good idea to keep your marketing and advertising strategy open to other platforms to maximize your business's reach this year. For example, you could start representing your brand in conversations on Reddit or Threads to further connect with your target audience.

5. Influencer partnerships will matter more than brand-owned content

In 2026, it won't necessarily always be about what your business account is posting, but more about who is posting on your behalf. Contentfrom influencer accounts will naturally get more attention and trust from your target audience. In fact, 36% of businesses say that their partnered influencer content outperforms their own content.

"The future won't be focused on the growth of traditional B2C brand handles, but by a more diversified organic social ecosystem, including influencer collaborations, B2B storytelling, and exec-level personal brands. As consumer trust in brands continues to dissipate, audiences will gravitate toward individuals and communities that feel more human and transparent," said Tameka Bazile, Creator and Associate Director of B2B Social and Content at Business Insider.To jumpstart your influencer partnerships this year, check out this helpful article on how to make influencer marketing work for your small business.

With the rise of TikTok and the introduction of Instagram Reels, short-form video has exploded in popularity. Social platforms are prioritizing this content type to keep users engaged (and spending more time in the apps), which means your business needs to jump on the bandwagon to get found in evolving algorithms.

For example, YouTube Shorts have their own easily accessible tab within the browser and app version of YouTube. Moreover, Instagram rearranged its tabs in late 2025 to make the Reels tab more prominent and navigable.

To step up your short-form video content in 2026, check out these YouTube Shorts ideas, Reels ideas, and TikTok ideas. 

7. Social search will be factored into businesses' strategies

While traditional SEO will always be a core pillar of any small business growth strategy, social search will be giving it a run for its money in 2026. About a third of consumers are now skipping traditional search methods altogether in favor of platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube when trying to find information online.

This means that you'll need your social media accounts (and the content you share on them) to be keyword optimized and relevant to what your audience may want to know about your business's product or service offerings. 

8. Businesses will post more frequently to maintain an agile social presence

Responding to social trends instantly and addressing new developments in real time will make a difference in saturated social spaces this year. Just about every platform gives accounts the ability to "go live" now, and as time spent on social media increases, your potential customers will be quick to look on social platforms for instant updates on hot topics.

Plus, top accounts are now posting more frequently, knowing not every post will be a hit, but it increases the chances overall of going "viral." In fact, accounts with more followers tend to also have more posts per week, and it's been proven that posting more often will improve your business's visibility, rather than hurt it.

Your best bet this year? Lean on posting more, rather than less, even if you're not 100% confident every post will be a hit, because social media trends fluctuate, and what audiences appreciate is becoming more unpredictable. Try using a social media marketing calendar, like this free one below, to plan out your post ideas for every day of the year.

9. Social selling won't just be for mega ecommerce brands anymore

Our final social media trend is one that might surprise you. You may have heard of Instagram Shop or TikTok Shop and immediately ruled them out if you're a smaller brand or have limited products and services to offer. Contrary to popular belief, social selling isn't just for big names like Nike or Sephora.

Many platforms have expanded their content creator tools and shopping capabilities—making it easier for small businesses to upload shoppable inventory or integrate service booking options.

With this, audiences will expect to take action directly on the platforms they scroll rather than jump off to your website (though you'll still want to optimize your site in 2026, too). Even if you just start with a few items in your shops, an effective social selling strategy will position your business ahead of the competition in 2026.

How to use these social media marketing trends to your advantage this year

Honestly, this list of social media marketing trends could continue on. What's popular on social media is changing fast, and the tactics businesses are leveraging in their social strategies fluctuate just as much. It's recommended that you stay looped into what your competitors may be posting and engage with influencers relevant to your industry to see how you may want to shift your strategy as the year progresses.

However, the social media trends we covered above can act as a guiding light as you shape your social approach this year. Plus, for more help with your business's social media marketing and advertising