The Most Effective Types of Content on Social Media in 2024 [New Data]

It’s 2024, and the highest-ROI marketing channel is still good ol’ social media. 

Our State of Marketing & Trends Report shows that 43% of marketers use it as a marketing channel. I wonder why that number isn’t even higher.

These days, sharing content on social media is a no-brainer for brands. Whether you’re looking for a strategy refresh or trying out the channel for the first time, this post is your guide to the different types of social media content, what works best, and how it can empower your business.

Different Types of Social Media Content

1. Video (Short-form, Specifically)

Social media marketers are still placing their bet on short-form videos in 2024, some even upping the ante: 

• 67% plan to increase their investment in short-form videos
• 31% will maintain their current investment 
• 33% plan to invest more in short-form videos than any other content form

It’s not surprising, considering short videos yield the highest ROI for social media marketing, according to HubSpot’s 2024 Social Media Trends Report.  

Some common examples of short-form videos are TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts. This TikTok below is from Candeeze, a small husband-and-wife brand that sells freeze-dried candy online. It racked up 1.8 million views by showing the behind-the-scenes of their business operation. 

Don’t forget live video — they gained steam during the pandemic allowing remote participation in events. Twitch and other popular live-streaming platforms let people interact with their favorite creators in real time. This format has the second highest ROI of all social media content types, according to 57% of marketers.

Long-form videos are also popular, despite having lower ROI than short-form. They’re more costly to produce; consumers expect high production quality from them while lacking the attention span...