Social Messaging Marketing 2025

Should Brands Slide Into the DMs?

Report by Minda Smiley  | Jan 7, 2025
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Executive Summary
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Social platforms and marketers are leaning into the messaging craze
Meta’s WhatsApp may be a harbinger of messaging marketing’s future
Takeaways for marketers
EMARKETER Interviews
Sources 
Media Gallery
About This Report
As social messaging takes off, marketers are trying to figure out how to show up within that context, whether through advertising, shareable posts, or customer service.
Topics
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Usage
Marketing Spending
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Social platforms and marketers are leaning into the messaging craze
Meta’s WhatsApp may be a harbinger of messaging marketing’s future
Takeaways for marketers
EMARKETER Interviews
Sources 
Media Gallery

Marketers are taking an increased interest in social messaging as social users spend more of their time in direct messages (DMs). Brands are using advertising, content, and customer service tactics to break into this space. And Meta is prioritizing WhatsApp growth in the US.

Key Question: How can brands incorporate social messaging into their marketing strategies?

People Primarily Use Social Media To Connect With Friends and Family
E-Mail ChartDownload

Key Stat: A significantly higher percentage of social media users (62%) used platforms to keep in touch with friends and family than to share updates, per a December 2023 YouGov survey.

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5expert perspectives

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    Table of Contents

    1. Executive Summary
    2. Social platforms and marketers are leaning into the messaging craze
    3. Meta’s WhatsApp may be a harbinger of messaging marketing’s future
    1. Takeaways for marketers
    2. EMARKETER Interviews
    3. Sources 
    1. Media Gallery

    Charts in This Report

    People Primarily Use Social Media To Connect With Friends and FamilyRoughly a Third of Consumers Prefer Brands Use Social Messaging to Follow Up After a Purchase (% of consumers worldwide, Nov 2023)
    Social Users Are Most Likely to Share Brand Content That They Agree With via DMs (% of social media users in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia who follow brands on social media, Dec 2023)Few Social Shoppers See Shopping-Related Content in Creator Messages (% of US social shoppers, March 2024)
    WhatsApp Surpassed $1 Billion in Business Revenues in 2024 (millions in WhatsApp business revenues worldwide and % change, 2023-2027)More Than Half of Consumers Worldwide Use WhatsApp When Messaging Businesses (% of consumers worldwide, Nov 2023)
    WhatsApp Business Account Users Have Grown Rapidly, but Growth Is Slowing (millions of WhatsApp Business account users worldwide and % change, 2022-2026)

    Interviewed for This Report

    Yi Chen
    Media by Mother
    Communications Strategy Director
    Interviewed November 6, 2024
    Darren D’Altorio
    Wpromote
    Vice President, Social Media
    Interviewed November 1, 2024
    Jake Guria-Garnett
    Billion Dollar Boy
    Account Manager
    Interviewed November 6, 2024
    Rachel Karten
    Milk Karten
    Social Media Consultant
    Interviewed November 4, 2024
    Amy Rumpler
    Basis Technologies
    Senior Vice President, Search and Social Media Services
    Interviewed November 4, 2024

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    authors

    Minda Smiley

    Contributors

    Rahul Chadha
    Director, Report Editing
    Vladimir de Leon
    Chart Editor
    Jasmine Enberg
    Vice President and Principal Analyst
    Donte Gibson
    Senior Charts Editor
    Kyndall Krist
    Senior Copy Editor
    Tracy Tang
    Senior Researcher
    Paul Verna
    VP, Content