How to Create a Holistic Social Media Strategy That Works in 2025

If 2024 taught marketers anything, it’s this: social media is more unpredictable than ever. From platform algorithm changes and political drama to shifts in user behaviour and brand boycotts, no single channel can be counted on to deliver consistent results.

So what’s the solution for 2025? A holistic, cross-platform strategy that strengthens your brand’s voice across every touchpoint.

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Let’s explore why this is no longer optional, and how to build one that works.

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1. Consumers Expect Consistency

A fragmented approach to social media leaves brands vulnerable to being misunderstood - or worse, forgotten. 55% of consumers feel brand communication is inconsistent across platforms, while 75% expect consistent messaging and 79% expect a unified experience across all touch-points.

When brands fail to deliver a unified narrative, they lose trust. And trust is everything in today’s crowded content landscape.

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2. Your Business Goals Deserve Better Integration

Posting for the sake of presence is no longer enough. The most successful brands now align their social content with specific business goals like revenue growth, brand awareness, or customer retention.

The Playbook offers a five-step process to write aligned goals:

1. Start with the business goal
2. Define a measurable social media goal
3. Align content and platforms
4. Link social metrics to business impact
5. Track, optimise, and adjust (p.14)

This strategy turns every post into a potential business driver, not just a performance metric.

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3. Cross-Platform Synergy Drives Results

Having a presence on multiple platforms isn’t enough; your campaigns must work together, creating a seamless experience across organic content, influencer marketing, paid media, and production.

According to the Playbook, maintaining consistency across platforms can boost revenue by up to 23% (p.15). That means less “start-from-scratch” content, and more cohesive brand storytelling that actually resonates.

One brand message. Multiple delivery vehicles. Maximum impact.

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4. The Role of Data in Connecting the Dots

A holistic strategy doesn’t mean copy-pasting content. It means using data to refine targeting, content types, and audience engagement based on each platform’s strengths (p.16).

The Playbook emphasizes the importance of:

• Insight-Driven Growth: Using analytics to inform decisions
• Consistent Brand Voice: Tailored yet cohesive messaging
• Integrated Influence: Partnering with the right creators for synergy
• Seamless Engagement: Creating connected customer journeys

This isn’t about volume—it’s about smart strategy.

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5. Future-Proofing Your Social Presence

With platforms like Meta adjusting their stance on misinformation and TikTok weathering bans and reinstatements (p.9), brands must prepare for instability.

The only safety net? A diversified strategy that doesn’t rely too heavily on one platform’s ecosystem. As the Playbook wisely states:

“By diversifying your presence across platforms, you can safeguard against instability, algorithm changes, and shifts in user behaviour…”.

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How to Get Started

Here’s a quick checklist to begin building your 2025-ready strategy:

✅ Audit your current brand messaging across platforms
✅ Align social KPIs with broader business objectives
✅ Develop content themes that work across organic, paid, and influencer campaigns
✅ Use analytics to tailor content per platform while maintaining cohesion
✅ Establish a quarterly sync across teams to ensure ongoing integration

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Final Thoughts

Social media in 2025 isn’t about chasing trends - it’s about building a resilient, unified brand presence that evolves with your audience. A holistic strategy is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a survival plan.

Download our 2025 Social Media Marketing Playbook for free.