Picture this: social media isn’t just part of our lives anymore—it’s the lifeblood coursing through our daily interactions and experiences.
More and more, businesses are grasping this truth and harnessing the raw power of social media to reel in their desired audience.
But, keeping up with the breakneck speed at which social media trends evolve—well, that’s a whole different ball game.
To truly ace this game, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and delve into the inner workings of these trends.
Only then can you unlock their full potential and catapult your brand’s impact to new heights.
This blog post is your guide to do exactly that—we’ll spotlight the importance of spotting and harnessing social media trends, and reveal the superpowers of Keyhole, a cutting-edge tool designed to give you an edge in the social media battlefield. Let’s get started.
Why identifying and capitalizing on social media trends is important
If you’re not using social media to your advantage, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to grow your brand. Social media is one of the most powerful tools, and businesses need to identify and capitalize on social media trends. Here’s why.
The magic of relevance: Why it matters
When you’re up-to-date on social media trends, you’re able to stay relevant and keep your brand top-of-mind with your target audience. By doing so, you’ll be able to connect with your audience on a deeper level and build brand awareness and loyalty.
Engagement: The heartbeat of social media success
Social media is all about engagement, and following trends is one of the best ways to encourage that engagement. Using popular hashtags, creating viral content, and staying up-to-date on meme culture, you can create content that resonates with your audience and encourages them to engage with your brand.
Skyrocketing your reach: Getting your message heard
Creating content around a trending topic makes you more likely to reach a wider audience. People are always searching for the latest and greatest, and if your content is part of that trend, you can tap into that demand and increase your reach.
Gaining the upper hand: Turning competitive advantage into your secret weapon
If you’re one of the few businesses in your industry staying on top of social media trends, you’ll have a significant competitive advantage. By identifying what’s hot and creating content around those trends, you’ll be able to set yourself apart from your competitors and position yourself as a leader in your industry.
Sealing the deal: How social media fuels sales
The goal of any business is to make sales. Social media trends can help you do just that. By creating relevant and engaging content, you’ll be able to attract new customers, increase customer loyalty, and ultimately drive sales.
3 Brands riding the trend wave
1. Oreo and the Super Bowl blackout
During the 2013 Super Bowl, a blackout lasted for more than half an hour. Oreo took advantage of that moment and created a tweet that said, “You can still dunk in the dark.” This social media campaign went viral, and Oreo was able to capitalize on the moment to increase its brand awareness and engagement.
2. Nike and the #Breaking2 campaign
Nike’s #Breaking2 campaign was all about breaking the two-hour barrier for running a marathon. The campaign included a 2-hour live stream event broadcast on social media. This campaign was a huge success, and Nike generated a ton of buzz and excitement around their brand.
3. Wendy’s and #NuggsForCarter
In 2017, a Twitter user named Carter Wilkerson asked Wendy’s how many retweets he would need to get free chicken nuggets for a year. Wendy’s responded with “18 million.” Carter then created the hashtag #NuggsForCarter, and the hashtag went viral. Wendy’s was able to capitalize on the trend by creating a campaign around the hashtag, generating a massive amount of engagement and brand awareness.
How to identify social media trends
Now that we’ve discussed why it’s important to identify social media trends, let’s take a look at how you can do it.
1. Keep an eye on hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to stay in the loop of popular topics and conversations. By searching for relevant hashtags related to your industry, you can see what people are currently talking about and join the conversation.
This is especially relevant when using Instagram marketing strategies. Incorporating these hashtags into your social media posts increases your visibility and reach.
You can simply use Keyhole’s hashtag tracking feature and gather details about any hashtag campaign. It can be from your competitors’ or your own branded hashtag campaigns.
2. Monitor industry leaders and competitors
Identifying social media trends also means keeping tabs on what your competitors and industry leaders are doing. By monitoring their social media accounts, you can see what type of content they’re posting and what’s resonating with their audience.
You can also see what they’re doing differently than you and potentially incorporate that into your social media strategy. With Keyhole, you can simply add your competitor’s social media profiles under profile analytics. Once added, you can dissect their posting strategy and get insights into their best times to post, most engaging media types, top posts, engagement rate, follower growth, etc.
3. Use social media analytics tools
Social media analytics tools are a must-have when trying to identify social media trends. By analyzing your social media performance, you can see what type of content gets the most engagement and what times are the best to post. Additionally, you can use these to see what content is going viral and replicate that for your business.
Identifying social media trends takes a little effort and research, but it can pay off big time for your business. By keeping an eye on hashtags, monitoring industry leaders and competitors, and using analytics tools, you can stay on top of the latest trends and use them to your advantage.
Keyhole got the perfect trend analysis feature. All you need to do is add relevant keywords and select the custom time period. And lo behold, it digs in the historical data for you. This will help you analyze if the trend is worth the hop or is a passing fad.
Read More: Instagram Analytics Guide 2024: Metrics, Tools & Experts’ Tips
How to capitalize on social media trends
Once you’ve identified the latest trends, it’s time to capitalize on them. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of social media trends.
1. Use hashtags strategically
Hashtags are essentially how people search for and find content on social media, so if you’re not using them, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. But using random hashtags isn’t going to cut it—you need to use ones relevant to your business and the trend you’re trying to capitalize on.
For example, let’s say you run a bakery and want to promote your pumpkin spice latte for fall. Instead of using #fall or #pumpkinspice (which are way too broad and competitive), try something more specific and niche, like #pumpkinspicebakery or #fallcoffee. This way, you’ll be more likely to reach people interested in what you’re offering rather than getting lost in a sea of irrelevant posts.
2. Jump on the trend early
The earlier you can jump on a trend, the better. This is because social media moves fast, and what’s hot one minute can be old news the next. So by being one of the first businesses to hop on a trend, you’ll be able to get ahead of the competition and get more engagement with your posts.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should blindly jump on any trend without researching. You must ensure it’s relevant to your business and aligns with your brand voice and values. But if you can find a way to genuinely tie in a trending topic with your products or services, go for it!
Tip: Make sure you schedule your content in prior. Opt for Keyhole as it lets you schedule unlimited posts to multiple social media platforms at your optimal time to post.
Read More: How To Calculate Twitter Engagement Rate? (Formula + Free Calculator)
3. Create shareable content
Finally, to capitalize on a social media trend, you need to create content that people will want to share. This means going beyond just posting a photo with a few hashtags—you need to put in the effort to make your content stand out.
This could mean creating a meme or GIF that plays off the trend, filming a funny video, or creating a visually stunning graphic using online posters. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that people will want to share with their friends and followers.
Final Words
In the ever-changing world of social media marketing, staying current on the latest trends and capitalizing on them quickly is essential. Identifying and capitalizing on social media trends can give you a massive advantage over your competitors by increasing visibility, connecting with customers in new ways, and gaining valuable insights into what works best for your business.
Keyhole can be a great way to identify and capitalize on these trends simply and easily—allowing you to stay ahead of the competition while driving better campaign results. With its suite of features, Keyhole gives you all the tools needed to succeed in today’s digital landscape. Why wait to up your social media game?
Start your journey with Keyhole today and transform the way you navigate the digital landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best way to capitalize on social media trends?
The best way to capitalize on social media trends is by creating content that people want to share. This could mean creating memes or GIFs based off popular topics; filming funny videos that tie into trending subjects; or designing visually stunning graphics related to emerging topics. Additionally, it's important to use hashtags strategically as they are how people search for relevant content on various platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
2. How can I identify the latest trends in social media?
Identifying the latest trends in social media can be done by looking at hashtags, monitoring industry leaders and competitors, and utilizing analytics tools. Keeping an eye on hashtag usage will enable you to see which topics are resonating with people and gaining popularity. By following industry leaders and competitors, you'll gain valuable insights into what strategies they're using to succeed—and you may even be able to come up with creative ways of adapting these strategies for your own business.
3. Why is it important to capitalize on social media trends?
Capitalizing on social media trends is important because it allows businesses to get ahead of their competition, increase visibility and connect with customers in new ways. Additionally, monitoring trending topics can give valuable insights into what content works best for a particular audience or industry.
