Social media is ever-changing in every possible way; there is a constant emergence of new platforms, evolving functionalities, random viral memes and trending conversations that seem to be old news within the blink of an eye. Although it would be impossible to predict the next viral trend, we can help you master tracking current trends to create relevant content. Here are some helpful tips to put you at the forefront of social conversations:
#1 Be Active
Being active on social media will be the most efficient way to understand what is relevant to your consumers. In order not to get sucked into the social media rabbit hole and waste hours, we recommend managing your time and allocating even just 10 minutes a day to explore your brand’s social media feeds, the conversations your followers are having, and possible trends you can jump on that can strengthen the image of your brand.
#2 Subscribe to Social Platform Blogs
There is no better way to stay informed than getting news straight from social media platforms via blogs. All major social media platforms have their own blogs where you can read on the latest key updates, developments, and tips for optimal content! We even encourage that you subscribe to blogs of social platforms that you would not typically use to simply understand new consumer trends.
#3 Stay Up To Date With ‘Explore Pages’
For intel on what’s trending, go straight to the source. Looking through ‘Explore Pages’ will ensure that your content is relevant to real-time conversations. Bookmark each platform’s trending/explore pages for the sake of accessibility. For example, Twitter’s ‘What’s Happening’ section is a crucial starting point to chime in and participate in trending hashtags and conversations as they are happening. We recommend only jumping on hashtags that are relevant to your brand and community.
#4 Keep A Social Media Calendar
An easy way to be at the forefront of social conversations is to generate content for national, international, and social media/hashtag holidays. Our biggest recommendation here is to be mindful of the communities that associate with social media days and do your research very carefully before posting.
#5 Follow Accounts That Inspire You
Surround yourself with accounts that inspire you! Whether it’s a brand you aspire to emulate or your competitor’s account, integrating competitive analysis into your feed-monitoring will give you valuable insight on the industry and help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of other brands so that you can create informed and purposeful content. In addition, there are many accounts that focus on consolidating social trends, for example Instagram’s own @creators account. Following or subscribing to curated social media e-news or turning on notifications for top influencers in your industry will deliver the next trend straight to you!
Bonus: Get Help!
Embark is staying up to date with social trends so you don’t have to! We understand that keeping track of social media trends is a time-consuming and continuous task. That’s why we offer our clients content development services in which we produce relevant, high-converting, personalized content. Embark frees up your time by finding the trends, producing, scheduling and managing your social media channels – imagine all the time you could save! To tap into our trend-finding skills, connect with us to discuss ways we can support!
