Social Media ins and outs for 2025

If you’re feeling lost with your social media strategy for 2025, we’re here to give you some much needed direction! As Melbourne’s most fun and best boutique social media agency, we’re here to share some knowledge on what we see working this year on social media.

Brands that want to stay relevant in 2025 need to be agile, creative, and in tune with what actually resonates with audiences. This year, authenticity and high-quality content are taking centre stage, while overly branded, outdated formats are being left behind. From the rise of employee-generated content to the decline of overt branding, knowing what’s in (and what’s out) will help you craft a strategy that feels fresh, engaging, and aligned with the latest trends.

Let’s dive into the key ins and outs shaping social media in 2025.

IN: Employee Generated Content

We’ve known for a long time that audiences are getting fatigued with brands on social media. Let’s face it, most of them are just a little bit boring. You know what’s not boring though? Your employees? We’d bet at least some of them are super charismatic and fun. Tap into that real and raw energy and be open to featuring your employees in your social media content.

What’s key here is doing so in a way that is highly tailored for each platform. So on TikTok, it’s more about jumping on trends, being creative and having a laugh, as the audience there primarily wants to be entertained.

On Instagram, it’s about featuring team members in a way that is a little more aesthetic and meaningful, rather than having them have fun and be silly. Think about using your team members in a way that adds value to your audience, whether that’s through educational content or just something that is highly visual and inspiring.

OUT: Overtly Branded Content

There are still some brands out there that get away with posting polished, but boring branded content on social media. I want you to repeat after me, they are the exception, not the rule. Often they have built their brand presence for YEARS. If you try and complete with them, you will not win. You can’t beat them by doing the same thing when you haven’t built up the same amount of brand awareness and equity. Some of the things we advise our clients to stop doing immediately include: adding end cards to Reels videos (ew, so inauthentic) and adding their logo to absolutely everything (no one wants to see this). If you can loosen the reins a little and lighten up, you might find your desired audience is more open to connecting with you.

In: Absurdity and Uniqueness

Check out the screenshot above and then go and view Loewe’s content on TikTok. I guarantee your first reaction will be, “what the ….”. But ask yourself why this brand is currently one of the most in demand luxury good brands in the world right now. Then ask yourself if this is a coincidence.

Whether it’s using a drone to fly a handbag to the tune of Defying Gravity, or working with someone’s dad for an unboxing, Loewe embrace the power of absurdity in their content marketing. And it’s clearly working.

Of course, this level of uniqueness and unbridled creativity isn’t right for every single brand out there. But there are lessons to be learned that I argue can be applied to every brand on social media. Lesson number one: just let go of your expectations and be willing to try something new.

OUT: Big Creators over Community

If the recent fall from grace of huge TikToker Anna Paul tells us anything, it’s that people on social media are over big creators and are being more critical of what they have to say than ever. Consumers don’t want to hear from a paid creator who has no credibility, they want to hear from smaller creators who they trust. Even better, they want to see brands working with and rewarding real life customers, because it’s more accessible!

So if you have some budget to play with and were thinking of giving it all to work with a big creator or influencer, I would highly recommend you re-think your approach and invest in a community event or something more wholesome and grassroots. I think you will see a much better return on your investment if you show your local community how much you value them rather than line the pockets of a big influencer who really doens’t need the money.

I’d love to know what you think of these tips! Thank you so much for taking the time to read. If this advise has resonated with you, and you think we might be the right social media agency to align with your vision, we’d love to hear from you! Connect with us here.