Combining authenticity with precision targeting: how SMBs can master social media in 2025

The social media marketing landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade, evolving from an experimental channel into a core pillar of modern marketing strategies. As we reach the midpoint of 2025, our social media marketing brands Metricool and Kolsquare analyse what is truly working in today's social media landscape. In this blog, they share their key insights and strategies for SMBs to succeed in a space that is driven by technological advances, changing consumer behaviour, and an increasingly complex regulatory environment. 

When Kolsquare's founder launched their first agency back in 2011, it focused on matching brands with celebrities, a precursor of what would later be known as “influencer marketing”. At the time, social media was still in an early stage as a marketing channel. Instagram had just been born and relationships between brands and public figures were handled offline through traditional relationship-based approaches. 

Fast forward to 2025, performance metrics, audience insights, and sophisticated segmentation guide every strategic move, allowing brands to optimise campaigns in real-time through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and to integrate them across PR, communications, and product development. However, at its core, social media remains a space to build communities - not just push content. 

What’s driving success in 2025: the top trends  

• Micro-influencer power: one of the most significant trends reshaping the industry is the strategic shift toward micro-influence. Creators with smaller audiences – typically under 100,000 followers – are characterised by stronger, more personal connections with their audiences, which translates to higher engagement rates and more authentic brand partnerships. SMBs should prioritise partnerships with local micro-influencers who authentically engage with their products and focus on those creators within their community who demonstrate genuine brand affinity, maintain highly engaged audiences, and align with the company values. 
   
• Video format dominance: content format preferences continue to evolve, with vertical video emerging as the dominant force across platforms. A Metricool’s recent study shows that vertical videos dominate in reach, interaction, and the ability to be attention-grabbing. Content showing products in action, giving behind-the-scenes looks of the business and quick tips are among the most effective formats for building deepened connections.  
   
• Community-driven engagement: brands that invest in niche communities, private groups, and genuine two-way conversations are experiencing stronger brand loyalty and improved organic reach. For example, French SMB Bioviva, which makes eco-friendly children’s games, used Kolsquare to find gaming and collector influencers beyond its usual family-focused audience for a new product launch. With just 47 pieces of content, the campaign drove over 23K engagements, proving the impact of authentic community connection.  This trend reflects a broader shift away from broadcast-style content toward more intimate, community-focused engagement strategies. Best practices to provide a distinctive touch include implementing personalised response protocols, maintaining customer relationship continuity, and developing content that addresses specific client challenges.  
   
• Authenticity and responsible influence: users are increasingly tuning out from low-quality, overtly commercial content. This shift has created demand for greater realness from creators, who must now be more selective about brand partnerships and more transparent about commercial content labelling. The concept of responsible influence has moved from industry buzzword to essential business practice. Customers resonate with transparent leadership and authentic team narratives. Rather than projecting artificial scale, businesses should capitalise on their personal relationships and direct customer access as key differentiators. 
   
• Platform-specific funnel strategies: As Metricool's study shows, growth and engagement require platform-specific strategies, with businesses needing to align their content with the strengths of each platform. Social media networks now show content to users based on individual preferences—not just topics but also preferred formats like reels or carousels—making multi-platform strategies essential for reaching diverse audiences effectively. For example, LinkedIn is the go-to for professional insights and B2B, Instagram is ideal for visual storytelling, TikTok thrives on demographic-specific content, and Facebook continues to be a stronghold for community engagement.

Navigating 2025's key challenges 

In the current economic climate, marketing budgets face increased scrutiny. While the impact of influence marketing is now proven, the pressure to demonstrate ROI makes sophisticated measurement and optimisation tools essential for demonstrating clear return on investment. 

Content saturation presents another major challenge. To stand out, brands must focus on content that goes beyond mere promotion and is tailored to the audience’s interests and needs, and pair it with authentic, relatable presentation. Constant algorithmic shifts mean businesses must remain agile and invest in diversified, multi-platform strategies rather than relying heavily on single channels. 

In response to these challenges, 2025 is seeing a continued shift toward the professionalisation of influencer marketing. Brands and creators alike are adopting more strategic, data-driven approaches, supported by AI tools that enhance everything from influencer selection to content optimisation. 

Smart tools: the key to fuel growth 

The fragmentation of consumer behaviour across regions, combined with the complexity of managing multi-platform campaigns at scale, means manual processes simply cannot deliver the precision and efficiency required for success. 

As a leading digital solutions provider, we are dedicated to supporting SMBs in navigating the complexities of social media marketing and unlock their full potential. By combining our portfolio brands’ expertise with the latest advancements in AI, data analytics, and influencer marketing, we are poised to help shape the future of social connection and drive meaningful growth to make online business success simpler.  

Our market-leading tool Kolsquare provides essential capabilities including targeted influencer selection based on verified audience data rather than vanity metrics. Another tool in our portfolio, Metricool, offers real-time performance tracking, comprehensive audience analysis, competitor benchmarking, and intelligent campaign optimisation across multiple markets. These platforms enable brands to measure metrics like EMV (Earned Media Value), engagement rates, conversions, and share of voice versus competitors, which are crucial to measuring the success of a brand’s social media efforts. 

These tools enable SMBs to improve efficiency and ROI through automation, analytics, and AI-assisted content creation, while providing the deep audience insights and competitor analysis needed to stand out in saturated markets. At the same time, it’s important to remember that underpinning all data strategy and analysis remains the human element – maintaining strong, personal relationships with creator partners and their audiences is essential for achieving sustainable impact. 

Looking forward: the future of social connection 

As social media platforms evolve with new features and increasingly sophisticated algorithms, the fundamental challenge remains unchanged: creating genuine connections in an increasingly complex digital environment. Success in 2025 and beyond will belong to brands and creators who can effectively leverage advanced tools while never losing sight of the community-building purpose that makes social media powerful. Those who master this balance will define the next phase of social media marketing's ongoing revolution.