Forget the old days of selling dreams—2025 is all about keeping it real! Social media marketing has ditched the filters and embraced authenticity, engagement and genuine experiences.
Let’s explore the latest trends and tactics that are shaking up marketing strategies for three of the hottest platforms:
With over two billion active users monthly, Instagram remains a top social media platform.
Reels
If you thought the dominance of Reels would fade, think again. Since Reels took over as the dominant video format for the platform, Instagram has been doubling down with new editing features and analytics. As short-form video is king, other popular platforms YouTube Shorts and TikTok have ramped up their offerings, but Instagram isn’t backing down—expect even bigger updates and new tools aimed at keeping Reels in the spotlight.
Social Media Managers as Brand Spokespeople
Gone are the days of polished actors delivering your brand’s message. In 2025, social media managers are stepping up as brand spokespeople. Why? Because they know the brand’s voice and values inside and out, allowing them to create content that’s genuine and relatable. Plus, it’s a more authentic approach that fosters deeper connections with your audience. A familiar face humanizes your brand and builds stronger, more personal relationships with followers.
Video Memes: The Meme-ification of Marketing
Memes continue to be the heartbeat of Internet culture, and, in 2025, video memes are dominating Instagram Reels. Brands are taking trending audio and remixing it with their own twist on pop culture, creating content that feels fresh and relevant. Take Lego, for instance: They jumped on the “the photo we posted vs. the conversation we had” meme, putting their unique spin on it to connect with their audience.
What’s the secret? Authenticity. Stay true to your brand’s personality, and don’t force it. When done right, these memes not only showcase your brand’s fun side but also boost engagement in a big way. Memes aren’t just for laughs—they’re a powerful tool for building connections.
Point of View (POV) Videos: Get Personal with Your Audience
If you want to create relatable, immersive content, POV videos are a must in 2025. No longer confined to being shot from the viewer’s perspective, these videos are now focused on conveying a certain feeling or experience—often accompanied by a text overlay that makes the content feel deeply personal. Brands like Kayali Fragrances have embraced POV videos to offer sneak peeks of upcoming products, pulling the audience directly into the brand experience. This trend creates a powerful connection by allowing followers to feel like they’re part of the story.
“Send This To…” Reels: Boost Your Reach with Shares
Want to increase engagement and extend your reach? The “Send This To…” trend continues to gain momentum in 2025. These Reels feature a simple video with a text overlay prompting viewers to share it with someone—a friend, a family member or even the first person on their “Share” list. Chipotle has expertly infused their own humor into this trend, encouraging followers to share content in a way that feels personal and fun. By incorporating these prompts, you’re encouraging followers to spread your message far and wide, which boosts views, shares and engagement.
Engage Directly with Stories
Instagram Stories are evolving, and direct commenting is a must for brands. It’s the perfect way to engage followers in real-time—whether it’s through comments, polls or quizzes. Plus, with the new “Cutouts” feature, you can create custom stickers that add personality and flair to your Stories. This interactive approach keeps your content fresh, fun and impossible to ignore.
Want more control? You can easily disable comments in settings, but when enabled, these tools help deepen connections and boost engagement. Don’t just create Stories; create conversations.
Leverage Notes for Instant Impact
Instagram Notes have become a key tool for real-time engagement and urgency. Perfect for time-sensitive updates like sales or promotions, Notes let you capture attention without cluttering the feed. A simple “Weekend Sale: 20% off” or “Last Call! 2 hours left to shop!” can drive traffic fast.
Maximize their impact by pairing Notes with trending music to enhance visibility and emotional connection. Keep it concise, catchy and actionable—your followers won’t miss it.
Unleash AI for Social Content Creation
Meta is all in on AI, and it’s about to level up how marketers create content. Here’s what’s cooking:
- AI Stickers: Create custom stickers using prompts, then share them in chats or Stories.
- Chat with AI: Get recommendations, explore interests and even follow AI profiles.
- AI Backdrops: Change up your Story background with AI-generated options based on text prompts.
- AI-Powered Reels: Instagram’s new AI tool creates ready-to-use Reels with your photos and videos—edit them however you like.
AI is here to speed up your content creation while keeping it fresh. Get ready to take your social game to the next level.
Facebook remains an advertising powerhouse. The platform attracts more than three billion monthly active users, and research suggests that Facebook often delivers the highest ROI among all social media networks.
Prioritize these four key trends to optimize their strategies and maximize your marketing results:
Short-Form Video (Reels)
Reels, capped at 90 seconds, perform best with educational and inspirational content rather than straight-up promotion. The key? The first three seconds are pivotal—start strong to capture attention fast. Stick to one main point and avoid cramming too many messages into a single video. Instead of focusing solely on your products, highlight staff and customers to give your brand a more human touch.
If you’re using Facebook, remember that while their short-form video tools have improved, Instagram’s features still reign supreme—consider creating your Reels on Instagram and sharing them across both platforms for maximum impact.
User-Generated Content (UGC) & Micro-Influencers: Building Real Connection
In 2025, UGC is all about where people are posting and engaging—many fans are sharing their content quietly in Facebook Groups or smaller online communities. As a brand, if you want to leverage UGC, you need to know where your audience is hanging out and start connecting with them there.
Micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) are your ticket to tapping into niche, engaged audiences without breaking the bank. Combine this with the rise of Facebook Groups, which have become essential for cultivating loyal communities and fostering deeper relationships. Whether it’s fitness lovers, entrepreneurs or hobbyists, these groups allow brands to gather feedback, build loyalty and drive long-term engagement.
In short? UGC in 2025 isn’t just about content—it’s about collaboration and community. Brands that nurture these connections (think reposting fan content, offering perks or featuring customers on their pages) create a cycle of loyalty. More engagement means more authentic content, which fuels the community even further. It’s all about building relationships that last.
Meta’s Enhanced AI Tools for Businesses
Meta’s rolled out some seriously game-changing generative AI features to level up your ad game. Generative AI is all about creating fresh content—whether it’s text, images or videos—based on simple prompts. So, think faster, smarter content creation. Here’s what’s new:
- Image Generation: Need new ad images? Done. Generate fresh versions, swap backgrounds, add text overlays—perfect for fitting your creative across all platforms.
- Text Generation: Let AI whip up text variations for your headlines and ad copy, all while staying true to your brand voice. With Meta’s new Llama 4 model, this just got even sharper.
- Advantage+ Creative: All these AI tools live together in Ads Manager, making ad creation smoother and faster. Plus, dynamic catalog ads now serve up personalized product recommendations.
Bottom line? AI tools make it easier to create, engage and optimize—so you can spend less time on the grind and more time growing your business
TikTok
TikTok’s power as a social platform is undeniable, and if your brand isn’t tapping into it, you’re missing out. Trends on TikTok can feel like a nonstop race, but they’re key to staying relevant. The truth? Chasing every trend is exhausting and doesn’t always pay off. For brands targeting Gen Z and Millennials, success means fitting into their world—either by jumping on trends or creating your own. The good news? It’s not as chaotic as it seems.
In 2025, focus on identity-driven content, micro-influencers and long-term cultural movements that truly connect with your audience. Authenticity is the name of the game.
Trends
TikTok’s trends—hashtags, sounds, dances, challenges and editing styles—offer endless creative opportunities for brands to connect with audiences. The platform’s algorithm boosts trending content, increasing reach and engagement. By tapping into viral and evergreen trends, brands can amplify their impact. Stay on top of trends both industry-specific and app-wide and you’ll boost brand exposure and user interaction.
Talking Sensitive Subjects
Navigating vulnerability on platforms like TikTok is both challenging and rewarding for brands. While genuine storytelling fosters trust and deepens connections with audiences, the risk of appearing inauthentic looms large. Tackling sensitive topics authentically can spark meaningful conversations and position brands as empathetic and relatable. However, feigned vulnerability risks damaging brand integrity and alienating audiences. To capitalize on this opportunity, brands must prioritize authenticity, ensuring their storytelling aligns with their values and resonates with their audience’s experiences.
Identity Osmosis: Letting Your Audience Shape Your Brand
Identity osmosis is all about aligning your brand’s identity with the values of your audience. In today’s world, consumers are increasingly driven by personal growth, inclusivity and breaking free from outdated milestones. They want brands that reflect these shifts and speak to their evolving aspirations, whether it’s mental health, self-expression or redefining success.
For brands, this means listening to what your audience cares about and weaving those values into your messaging. For example, Cash App aligns with women’s empowerment by hosting events during the WNBA Finals, and Rare Beauty uses TikTok to promote self-acceptance and mental health awareness. These brands aren’t just selling a product—they’re supporting movements that resonate deeply with their audiences.
To stay relevant, brands must connect with their audience on a deeper level. It’s about embracing and celebrating the values that matter most to them—whether that’s mental health, personal growth or breaking societal norms. By aligning your brand with these shifts, you create a more authentic and meaningful relationship with your followers.
TikTok’s Symphony Assistant: AI-Powered Creativity at Your Fingertips
Symphony Assistant is TikTok’s AI tool designed to make video creation smarter, faster and more effective. Integrated within the TikTok Creative Center, it helps you brainstorm ideas, refine scripts, uncover trends and gain inspiration from top-performing ads.
Here’s what it can do:
- Trendspotting: Quickly discover what’s trending, understand why certain concepts go viral and explore related videos and audio.
- Content Ideation: Stuck for ideas? Symphony Assistant can help you generate TikTok concepts and write scripts that align with best practices.
- Video Analysis: Get insights into successful ad structures, including script breakdowns and component analysis, to improve engagement.
- Adobe Express Integration: Now available through Adobe Express, Symphony Assistant allows for easy creation, launching and ideation directly within their platform.
Symphony Assistant serves as a creative partner to guide you through ideation and execution, no matter where you’re starting from.
Partner with Influencers in TikTok’s Creator Marketplace
Creator Marketplace offers a comprehensive suite of creator marketing tools conveniently consolidated in one platform. From creator discovery to campaign management and reporting, businesses can seamlessly collaborate with creators aligned with their industry, budget and specific business objectives.
Staying on top of social trends is more than a strategy—it’s survival. With tactics overlapping across platforms, the key is giving people what they crave: entertainment, trust and quick hits of value. Brands don’t need to do it all—just the things that fit their vibe, bandwidth and budget. Leverage the right tools and trends and nail a strategy that’s both efficient and impactful. That’s the golden ticket for brands looking to crush it in the digital wild.
