Still running your social media like it’s 2020?
Posting 3 times a week on Instagram, checking off platform boxes, and expecting growth?
Then it’s time for a serious upgrade — because the game has changed.
In 2025, brands like Zomato and Nykaa aren’t just posting clever captions or hashtag stuffing. They’re using AI-driven listening, micro-influencer networks, and raw content formats to drive engagement, conversions, and community like never before.
Let’s break down what’s working right now in social media and how you can replicate it for your own business.
🎯 1. Content Planning Isn’t Enough — It’s About Content Experimentation
The days of fixed content calendars with “Motivation Monday” and “Fun Fact Friday” are over.
Modern brands are now treating social media like a live feedback loop — experimenting, listening, redesigning content in real-time, and playing with trends as they happen.
Take Zomato or Swiggy for example. They jump into trending reels, drop quirky comments on viral posts, and ride the meme wave even when it’s unrelated to food. Why? Because attention is the new currency, and these micro-moments of engagement build loyalty.
What You Should Do:
- Post less predictably, more contextually
- Follow trending audios, hashtags, and public moments
- Redesign content styles weekly based on what actually works
- Treat engagement (likes, comments, replies) as your north star
🤝 2. Talk With Your Audience — Not At Them
Here’s a secret: people don’t want to follow brands.
They want to follow humans, personalities, and relatable voices.
That’s why today’s best-performing social handles don’t sound like corporate scripts — they sound like real people replying to comments, cracking jokes, and jumping into conversations like friends.
Brands like CRED, Zomato, and SG have built entire online personas that engage like humans — not marketers.
What You Should Do:
- Ditch generic replies like “Thanks for your feedback 🙏”
- Create a brand voice doc that feels like a person
- Assign a “persona” to your brand account (the intern, the founder, the dog — whatever)
- Respond to user comments, threads, and DMs like you’re texting a friend
💡 Pro Tip: Jump into comment sections on trending creator posts — just like your audience does. It builds visibility and personality.
🎥 3. Video Still Reigns — But Raw Content Is Outperforming Polish
In 2020, heavily edited, cinematic reels were the goal.
In 2025, it’s reversed.
Audiences crave authenticity over perfection — raw behind-the-scenes clips, storytelling, product unpacking, even bloopers. No heavy transitions, no flashy overlays — just relatable content that feels real.
Case in Point:
Check out Parul Gulati’s brand “Nish Hair”. Her Instagram presence is 100% raw, personal, and real — and it crushes in both sales and reach.
What You Should Do:
- Mix polished and raw content — don’t only rely on edited reels
- Share founder moments, product fails, and “building in public” clips
- Let your team or real users create content without filters
- Lean into stories, not just sales
👥 4. Micro-Influencers Are Outperforming Celebs
Influencer marketing hasn’t died — it’s evolved.
Instead of spending thousands on a big-name creator, smart brands are tapping into micro-influencers with <10k followers, who offer tighter communities, higher trust, and way more bang for the buck.
Take Nykaa, for example. Their influencer strategy includes regional creators across India with smaller followings — and it works. These creators speak directly to their niche, and their content drives actual behavior.
What You Should Do:
- Build a database of micro-creators by region, language, or niche
- Run small $50-$100 campaigns with each — test before scaling
- Focus on creators with engaged comments, not just likes
- Offer affiliate deals or brand collaborations, not just one-off payments
Tip: Micro-influencers are often open to gifting, trials, or long-term collabs — making them cost-effective and brand-friendly.
🧠 5. AI + Social Listening = Smarter Content Decisions
The smartest brands today aren’t guessing what to post — they’re listening.
Using tools like Brandwatch, Sprout Social, or even free X/Twitter search, brands monitor what their audience is saying and build content from real conversations.
Whether it’s memes, complaints, desires, or trending keywords — social listening helps brands stay relevant, reactive, and ridiculously efficient.
What You Should Do:
- Set up alerts for your brand/product category on Reddit, X, YouTube
- Create content based on top questions, frustrations, or memes
- Use AI tools (like ChatGPT or Jasper) to repurpose those insights into hooks, captions, or scripts
⚡ 6. Moment Marketing: Strike While the Feed Is Hot
You’ve seen it.
A cricket match ends, and boom — every brand is dropping memes about the losing team. Or a celebrity does something viral, and your feed is suddenly full of posts referencing it.
That’s called moment marketing, and it’s your shortcut to virality.
Done right, it makes your brand part of the cultural conversation without needing a big budget.
What You Should Do:
- Build a “trends task force” — 1-2 team members tracking Twitter, trending sounds, Google Trends
- Create templated formats to plug into viral moments quickly
- Don’t overthink — speed > perfection in trend timing
- Always ask: “Can we connect this back to our product, even loosely?”
🧵 Final Takeaway: In 2025, It’s Not Social Media. It’s Social Movement.
The platforms are the same.
The algorithms still evolve.
But the brands that win are the ones who move with the culture, not against it.
If you want your brand to grow in 2025, here’s what you need to do:
- Experiment more than you plan
- Talk like a human, not a marketer
- Embrace messy content
- Go small with micro-influencers
- Listen before you post
- Move fast on cultural moments
Social media isn’t a tool anymore — it’s a brand-building machine.
And it rewards those who adapt.
Written by Qausain Anwar
Founder of BranxHQ
Helping brands grow through raw content, social intelligence, and agile digital strategies.
