
The world of social media moves so fast that it's hard to keep up, especially for businesses. It can be tempting to hop on every online trend in an effort to seem relevant and modern, especially with a younger customer base. Thing is, just because you can do a thing, doesn't mean you should.
So how do you know when to be aware of what's trending... and when to beware?
Here are 3 ways you can capitalize on trending topics without negatively affecting your brand:
1. Know who you are, and who you aren't.
If you're a quirky, fun company, it might make sense to take part in some weird online challenges that would resonate with younger or more high-energy customers. But if you're trying to be seen as a more conservative, traditional company, then those trends may fall flat with your audience. It doesn't mean you should avoid any online trends; it just means you should only explore ones that fit with your and your business' personality and goals. A great start is to search for what's trending in your particular industry or location, and to look at the types of content your competitors might be posting. Twin Pines Marketing can help you with this competitive research.
2. Go where your audience already is.
There's nothing wrong with trying to expand your audience into new demographic areas. But if you're new to social media, it usually makes sense to tap into the platforms and trending topics that are already active with your core audience. For instance, YouTube Shorts may not be especially popular with the factory supervisors your manufacturing company is going after, but they may be more active on LinkedIn. If you're a style brand going after younger customers, you're better off creating a strong Instagram campaign versus ads on Facebook. Find out where your audience already is and go there, before venturing into untested waters.
3. Know the goal of the online trend and accept it.
At their core, most online trends are created for fun. But don't be fooled: there is a strong marketing aspect to them as well, and businesses can leverage that to bring in new traffic, followers and customers. Ultimately, the silly videos and weird challenges are designed to get likes and clicks, affecting the viewer's algorithms on the particular platform to serve its own advertising needs. But you can ride that wave as well, if you know what the goals are and accept the odd response you might get. To do that, you need to create content that is appropriate for you, for the trend itself, and that can be shared quickly and easily.