Est. reading time: 4 minutes
It is well known that staying updated on social media trends is critical to establishing a dominant presence on any online platform. One reason this is important is that it helps content creators create content that aligns with the desires of their target audiences. In this article, we will be looking at how we can use social media trends to boost our online presence and stay ahead of the competition in the media world.
Understanding Social Media Trends and Identifying Relevant Trends for Your Brand
Social media trends are constantly changing ideas, topics or behaviours that become popular based on the number of times social media users discuss or post content that addresses the topic. Examples of social media trends include the End SARS Campaign (#endsars), the Justice for Mohbad movement (#JusticeForMohbad), The Black Lives Matter Movement (#BlackLivesMatter), the End Bad Governance Protest (#EndBadGovernance), the Get Ready with Me (GRWM) trend, the POV (Point of View) trends, the Fit Check trends (#OutfitOfTheDay), etc.
Social media trends increase a brand’s visibility. It helps maintain a consistent presence on social media platforms, boosting your brand’s online presence. Social media trends evolve quickly; one way to keep up with them is to participate in the trends on social media platforms and actively engage in them.
Identifying relevant trends for your brand involves first determining one’s target audience. Then you would research and analyse their preferences, interests, things that stand as a turn-off for them and what social media platforms they are most interested in (Such as TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, WhatsApp, Pinterest, etc.). Social media analytic tools can also help to give knowledge about your audience’s engagement patterns. Examples of these social media analytic tools include Sprout Social, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, HubSpot, TikTok Analytics, X Analytics, Instagram Analytics, LinkedIn Analytics, etc.
It is also important to note that while including current social media trends in brand advertising can be advantageous, it is better to use mostly social media trends that align with your brand. Another option is to personalise and tailor social media trends to match your brand’s needs.
How to Measure Social Media Success and ROI (Return On Investment)
Social media success and ROI define the outcome of your social media effort. This involves using various kinds of measurement systems to evaluate the success of your social media marketing efforts and the extent to which your goals have been reached.
Setting goals and monitoring one’s progress towards that goal can be useful in measuring social media success. Various measurement systems can be used to measure social media success. These include engagement rate (likes, comments and shares), growth of followers, conversion rates (this refers to the ratio of users who interact with your content and then take the intended response), etc. Also, using social media analytic tools can help measure social media success and ROI. Examples of these social media analytic tools include Instagram Analytics, LinkedIn Analytics, Pinterest Analytics, X Analytics, TikTok Analytics, Sprout Social, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, Facebook Analytics, Social Bee, Zoho Social, Hubspot, etc.
Tips for Creating Viral Content On Social Media
1. Produce High-Quality Content
The peripheral route to persuasion from the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) can be used to explain how producing high-quality content can help create viral content on social media. The peripheral route involves using peripheral cues to attract audiences who are not willing to engage in the processing of information from content on social media. High-resolution images, memorable graphics, colourful backgrounds, attractive fonts, etc. can help create viral social media content.
2. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience can help you create viral content on social media because it allows you to tailor your content to the needs of your audience. It is important to understand:
- what your audience cares about.
- the tone and language style they respond best to.
- the social media platforms and the latest social media features that they engage on social media platforms.
These would help you create content that is more likely to resonate with your audience. Also, these types of content have a high chance of being shared.
3. Create Engaging Content
Creating engaging content involves:
- using appealing and attention-grabbing headlines.
- creating content that stimulates emotions.
- creating content that encourages interaction through the use of questions, prompts, polls and other interactive elements.
For example, creating content that encourages interaction propels viewers to comment, like and even share content. This would help you create viral social media content and stay ahead of the competition.
4. Platform-Specific Contents
Different platforms serve different target audiences. Understanding this and recognising the audience type specific to each platform would be useful in creating viral content on social media and maximising social media reach. For example, professional individuals are the main users of LinkedIn. LinkedIn content should focus on careers or be specific to the work industry. Short, interesting videos containing user-generated content and brand advertisements can be made on Instagram. The primary uses of YouTube include the creation of vlogs and tutorial videos.
5. Collaborating with Influencers
One reason why collaborating with influencers would help to create viral content on social media is because of the established trust that these influencers have built with their followers and the expertise which they have acquired in creating engaging content. Viewers are more likely to engage with content that includes the familiar faces of influencers, which they believe are authentic and more trustworthy. Collaborating with influencers that engage the same niche of audience as you would help to increase engagement from your target audience.
6. Take Advantage of Social Media Trends
Social media trends are constantly changing ideas, topics or behaviours that become popular on social media, depending on the number of times that social media users discuss or post content addressing the topic. Creating content relating to social media trends increases the engagement of your content. It gives you more opportunities to use your creativity.
7. Consistency
Consistency is key! It’s important to emphasise this. Consistency helps to build familiarity. Remain consistent in your content. Consistency builds anticipation for your content in your audience. You can maintain consistency by creating a monthly or weekly plan for your content.
Conclusion
Using social media trends is a great way to boost your online presence and reach new heights. Remain consistent in your content. And even with your consistency, be spontaneous. Build on what you know that your audience would love. Figure out what interests your target audience and use that to your advantage. Make sure to check our blog for other articles that can help you reach your social media goals.
