Published: July 17, 2025
In 2025, outdoor brands navigate a challenging landscape: inflation, rising tariffs, and disrupted supply chains have led to revenue shortfalls and layoffs for many. Yet, consumer passion for outdoor recreation is at an all-time high. The OIA’s 2025 Outdoor Participation Trends Report reveals a 3% increase in outdoors participants, reaching 181.1 million people. Despite financial pressures, the outlook for consumers getting outside and active remains strong.
Digital marketing is critical for outdoor, travel, and adventure brands to thrive. Winning on social media requires more than beautiful product shots of mountains. It demands strategic, value-driven content, authentic partnerships, and seamless sales integration.
This guide, crafted for brand managers and owners, provides actionable strategies to lead on social media in 2025.
1. Break Through With Consumer-First Content
Your audience is flooded with content – memes, viral reels, and creator posts vie for their focus and screen time. To break through the noise, outdoor brands must create content that educates, entertains, or excites, positioning your brand as a go-to resource. Brands must shift from broadcasting information to delivering genuine value.
Consumer-first content goes beyond surface-level information. It offers unique insights, actionable tips, or exclusive formats that your audience can’t find elsewhere. This approach positions your brand as a trusted resource and not just another voice in a crowded feed.
Strategies for Success
- Educate & Become a Trusted Guide: When you teach your audience something new, you’re instantly elevating your brand from seller to trusted guide. These moments build credibility, spark conversation in the comments and create long-term value as people will save and share this content, coming back to it over time. Share practical knowledge, like how to waterproof a tent or break in your hiking boots.
- Entertain & Connect Emotionally: There’s been a huge shift in social media use over the past few years, from a way to connect with friends and family towards an entertainment platform. Social platforms like Instagram and TikTok are now amusement hubs, and fun content humanizes your brand.
- Spark Adventure: Inspiration is the spark that turns interest into action. A sunrise time-lapse over your flagship store or a high-energy montage of paddlers carving rapids can ignite your audience’s desire to get outside.
Actionable Checklist
✅ Ensure every post answers: “Why would my audience share this?”
✅ Include hashtags like #OutdoorAdventure or #TravelInspiration for discoverability.
2. Creator Partnerships That Build Loyalty and Lift
Creators shape consumer decisions. The LTK’s 2025 Creator Marketing Trends Report notes 73% of Gen Z and 57% of Millennials trust creators like close friends, making partnerships key to building loyalty.
These creator endorsements build brand credibility and loyalty. But this trust isn’t built overnight, it’s cultivated through authentic, ongoing relationships. One-off sponsored posts might spark a momentary boost, but long-term loyalty comes from ongoing collaborations where creators feel like true brand partners, not paid billboards.
Strategies for Success
- Select Aligned Creators: Collaborate with outdoor influencers like climbers or overlanders who share your brand’s ethos. Popfly is a UGC management platform that can help you weave creators into every stage of your funnel from building awareness to driving in-store foot traffic and online conversions.
Winning Ideas:
- Focus on micro-influencers (10K–50K followers) for high engagement.
- Prioritize creators who value sustainability or adventure.
- Build Long-Term Bonds: Ongoing partnerships foster longevity over one-off posts.
Winning Ideas:
- Co-create content, like a gear review series.
- Offer creators exclusive product previews.
- Leverage Creators Across the Funnel: Use creators for different stages of your marketing funnel: awareness (e.g., storytelling), consideration (e.g., demos), and conversions (e.g., discount codes).
Actionable Checklist
✅ Set KPIs like engagement or sales conversions.
✅ Find niche influencers.
3. Social Commerce: Turn Scrolls Into Sales
Social media drives purchases. The DHL 2025 Social Commerce Trends Report states 70% of global shoppers buy via social apps, with 37% shopping more often due to social influence. Seamless experiences convert inspiration into sales.
Strategies for Success
- Enable Shoppable Features: Add shoppable tags on platforms like Instagram for instant purchases.
- Use UGC for Credibility: Display customer reviews and photos as shoppable galleries on your site.
- Adopt AR Technology: Offer augmented reality try-ons for gear like sunglasses or packs.
Actionable Checklist
✅ Add shoppable links to all product posts.
✅ Monitor conversions with Google Analytics.
✅ Test AR tools to enhance shopping experiences.
✅ Schedule a Popfly Demo for creator commerce.
4. Think Bigger with AI as Your Creative Companion
AI is no longer a distant, futuristic concept, it’s become a critical tool increasingly integrated into our everyday lives. When it comes to outdoor brands, we like to think of AI as your brainstorming partner, supportive collaborator and trusted sidekick. Use it to help guide your content creation process by sparking ideas, shaping narratives, and streamlining execution.
We see AI not replacing creativity or human connection but as amplifying it. Whether you're crafting a campaign, managing a retail operation, or designing gear for the backcountry, AI is becoming the co-pilot that helps you move faster, think smarter, and connect deeper.
Let AI support your:
- Content Ideation: Brainstorm content ideas by sourcing emerging trends and surfacing fresh ideas.
- Personalization Engines: Sift through customer data like past purchases and browsing behaviors to deliver relevant product suggestions.
- Ad Optimization: Use AI to personalize ads and A/B test different creative versions. Tools like Meta’s Advantage+ will optimize your creative, targeting, placements and budget automatically.
Of course, guardrails are crucial. Always layer in human touch to maintain authenticity and ensure factual accuracy. When used correctly, AI can transform your digital marketing—making it faster, smarter, and more resonant with your audience.
Actionable Checklist
✅ Test AI-generated captions for engagement.
✅ Audit AI content regularly for factual accuracy.
✅ Use Canva AI Tool for quick graphics.
5. Lead With Purpose
Consumers are craving trust and authenticity after years of global disruption. In 2025, brands that clearly articulate their mission and values are pulling ahead. Younger generations are leading the charge with 94% of Gen Z consumers believing companies should address social issues according to Forbes.
It’s not about taking sides or weighing in on polarizing topics, it’s about consistently showing up in alignment with your values to build trust. According to the Salsify 2025 Consumer Research Report, 87% of consumers say they will pay more for a product because they trust the brand.
Trust isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s the foundation of modern commerce. Shoppers today aren’t simply buying products; they’re choosing brands they want to connect with, align with, and return to again and again.
So spotlight your environmental initiatives, share authentic stories from the field, and host fundraisers or volunteer events that align with your company values.
Purpose unites communities and elevates brand value beyond just the gear they sell.
Strategies for Success
- Highlight Your Mission
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