Instagram Trends Every Small Business Should Watch in 2025

By Shepherd's Guide | February 7, 2025

This article was written by Chad Schoonmaker and published by Crossroads Professional Coaching.

One of the first posts I remember seeing on Instagram was… unforgettable to say the least. It was 2010 and a friend proudly uploaded a close-up shot of her son’s very dirty (yes, that kind of dirty) diaper. She had no idea that Instagram was a social media platform for curated, filtered photos to share with your friends. She thought it was just a photo editing app.

Fast forward to today, and her son is in middle school while Instagram has transformed into a marketing powerhouse with an estimated 2.4 billion daily users. 

Thankfully, we’ve all learned a lot about what (and what not) to share since then!

We know Instagram is continuing to evolve, making it a crucial platform for small businesses looking to build relationships, grow their brand, and drive sales. With new trends shaping how people engage with content, staying ahead of these changes can help your business stay relevant and connect with your audience.

Here are the top Instagram trends to watch in 2025 and how small businesses can use them effectively.

1. User-Generated Content (UGC) is More Important Than Ever

Consumers trust real people more than brands. That’s why user-generated content remains one of the most powerful tools for building credibility. Featuring photos, testimonials, and videos from customers adds authenticity to your brand and encourages engagement.

How to use it:

  • Ask customers to tag your business in their posts.
  • Feature user content in your Instagram feed and stories.
  • Run a contest where customers submit photos using your product or service.

Homebuilders: Host an Open House and invite influencers to come tour the home. Cook them a meal in the spacious, luxurious kitchen, offer champagne and charcuterie as an added bonus. 

Main Takeaway. When people see others enjoying your product or service, they are more likely to trust your brand and become a future customer. 

2. Nostalgia Filters and Throwback Content

Everyone loves a little nostalgia. When incorporated into your marketing strategy it can create a strong emotional appeal with potential customers. With Instagram’s built in vintage-style filters and consistently adding existing throwback content as posts, this will remind followers and customers of past decades.

How to incorporate this trend:

  • Share throwback moments from your business journey. 
  • Edit photos with your favorite vintage inspired filter. 
  • Engage your audience by asking them to share their own nostalgic memories.

Main Takeaway. If you’re looking through old photos of your early days in business and think, “No one wants to see this,” that is actually the exact photo that people want to see! This trend is a great way to connect with your audience on a more personal level.

3. Polls, Questions, and Interactive Stickers

Meta constantly updates the interactive features users can add to Stories, posts, and Reels. These features are a simple way to boost engagement. Polls, Q&A boxes, and reaction sliders encourage your audience to interact with your content.

Ways to use interactive stickers:

  • Run a poll to get audience feedback on new products or services.
  • Use the Q&A box to answer FAQs.
  • Create a “this or that” series to encourage audience participation.

Main Takeaway. Stay on top of new features. Instagram will increase visibility on posts that use the latest features because they want more people to see and use the feature. And the more engagement your content receives, the more likely it is to be seen by a larger audience.

4. Behind-the-Scenes Content

People want to see the real side of a business. Behind-the-scenes content allows followers to connect with your brand on a more personal level. It may feel embarrassing to share, but it puts a face and person to the brand. This type of content can be reserved for Story posts. Stories will only stick around for 24 hours so there’s no major commitment. 

Ideas for behind-the-scenes posts:

  • Show a team lunch selfie.
  • Introduce team members and their roles.
  • Share the process of creating your product or service.
  • Got an office plant? Share its life cycle and how you’re keeping it alive! 

Main Takeaway. Authenticity builds trust, and behind-the-scenes content helps humanize your brand. Post BTS content on your Stories. 

5. Memes and Relatable Content

Memes aren’t just for entertainment—they can be a great marketing tool. Relatable, humorous content encourages shares and increases organic engagement.

How to use memes effectively:

  • Create industry-related memes that your audience will understand.
  • Put a fun spin on common challenges in your niche.
  • Use trending meme formats while keeping them relevant to your brand.

Main Takeaway. Memes can help your business stay top-of-mind while keeping content light and engaging. Just look at the stats. 

  1. Meme Engagement is High – Memes get 60% more engagement than traditional business posts on Instagram.
  2. Virality Factor – More than 55% of users share memes weekly.
  3. Consumer Preference – 75% of millennials and Gen Z prefer brands that use memes as part of their social media strategy.
  4. Memes Influence Purchase Decisions – A study found that 38% of users are more likely to buy from a brand that makes them laugh or entertains them with memes.
  5. Memes Drive Save & Share Metrics – Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes saves and shares over likes and comments. Since memes are one of the most shared content types, they help brands get higher visibility on Instagram’s Explore Page.
  6. Cost-Effective Marketing – Compared to paid ads, meme marketing can be up to 7x cheaper while driving similar or even higher engagement rates.
  7. Fast Growth for Meme Pages – Accounts that focus on memes grow 1.5x faster than traditional brand pages, proving that humor and relatability are key drivers for audience retention.

6. Localized Content

Consumers love supporting local businesses, and creating content tailored to your community can help you build stronger connections.

Ways to make your content more local:

  • Tag your location in posts and stories.
  • Reference local events, sporting events, or landmarks.
  • Partner with other local businesses for cross-promotion.

Main Takeaway. When your content feels personal and relevant to your audience, engagement increases.

7. Collaborations and Partnerships

Collaborating with other businesses or influencers can introduce you to new audiences and increase engagement.

Ideas for collaboration:

  • Partner with a complementary brand for a giveaway.
  • Work with an industry influencer to showcase your product.
  • Create co-branded content that benefits both businesses.

Main Takeaway. Collaborations are a cost-effective, fast way to expand your reach and build brand credibility.

8. Music-Driven Content

Music selection plays a bigger role in engagement than ever before. The right song can enhance a post’s emotional impact and make it more shareable.

How to use music effectively:

  • Select trending audio that aligns with your brand.
  • Use upbeat music for energetic posts.
  • Choose calming or emotional tracks for more heartfelt content.

Main Takeaway.  What’s charting on Billboard may not be what’s trending on Instagram. So keep an eye (or ear) on Instagram’s trending music. 

9. Long Captions and Storytelling

Short captions still have their place, but longer captions are trending for storytelling and deeper audience connection.

How to make the most of long captions:

  • Share personal stories behind your business. Remember the nostalgia posts? Here’s another opportunity to connect with your audience with your business on an emotional level. 
  • Provide educational or how-to content. Sharing step by step process 
  • Use bullet points and emojis to keep longer captions readable.

Storytelling helps build a loyal audience and keeps followers engaged with your content longer.

Instagram is constantly evolving, so it’s important to keep up with changes. Here are a few ways to stay ahead:

  • Follow industry leaders, podcasters, and influencers to see what’s working.
  • Experiment with new Instagram features as they are released.
  • Monitor your insights to see which types of content perform best.
  • Engage with your audience regularly to stay relevant.

Keeping up with Instagram trends can feel overwhelming, but small businesses don’t need to follow every single one. Instead, focus on trends that align with your brand and the audience you’re after. 

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