How to make social media trends work for your content

Whether it’s a format trend, an audio clip that’s doing the rounds or a reaction to a cultural moment, if your brand is on Instagram or TikTok, there’s no doubt that you’ll be seeing numerous social trends pop up on your feed.

They’re fun, light-hearted and if they strike a chord, they offer a chance for high engagement numbers. So, should you be adopting them as part of your social media strategy?

Well, social media is a hungry machine, constantly chewing through formats, jokes, dances, and filters. Trends move fast. Blink and the meme you thought was hilarious yesterday looks tired today. The TikTok audio that was everywhere last week? Long forgotten.

So how do brands keep pace or even (whisper it) stay one step ahead of the social trends? Here’s what you need to know…

1. Get plugged into your social feed

To understand what’s going on in the world of social media, you need to live in it. Being immersed in the platforms is the only way to catch trends as they are emerging.

Get to know what type of content is popular, follow accounts you think are creative, find out who your audience is following and get a deeper understanding of what they like in a social post.

2. No more mindless posting

Not every trend is going to be your trend. In fact, most aren’t. The best social strategies filter through the noise and discard anything that doesn’t serve them. Ask yourself:

• Does this trend align with your brand’s tone?

• Can you add something particularly original or witty?

• Would your audience actually care?

If you can’t say yes to at least two of these, skip it. Sitting one out is better than posting something that adds no value, just because you think you should.

3. Speed matters

Social trends have shorter lives than mayflies. Timing really is key, so if you know you need to wait for approvals to crawl through a three-week process, they’re probably not for you.

If you can, streamline the process as much as possible and if social trends are a key part of your content, reiterate the importance of a nimble approach to your team when creating and approving content.

4. Give social your own spin

Just because speed is of the essence doesn’t mean you should be rushing out lazy copycats. The best social trend content adds its own twist to make it unmistakable to your brand. Things to consider:

• Is there a template format you could utilise to identify content as yours?

• Is there a particular face or personality within your company that could tie this trend to your brand instantly?

• What tone or style will make this instantly recognisable as belonging to you?

If it’s a choice between putting out something mediocre quickly, or spending (a little) more time to make it more entertaining and original – quality always wins.

5. It’s all about balance

If social trends are the sugary treat of social media, evergreen content is your fruit and veg. It’s nice to have both, but you need to pair reactive posts with steady, always-relevant formats that are useful and stay true to your brand message.

That way, even when your audience gets sick of trends, your feed will stay fresh.

Should you be using social trends as part of your brand strategy?

Social media trends are tools, not strategies. The smartest brands know when to jump in, when to remix, and when to walk away. Play with them, but do not allow your channel to be ruled by them.

Want to learn more about creating a buzzing social presence? We’d love to chat.