From viral challenges on Instagram to trending audios on TikTok, social media platforms have become the heart of trend culture. With each platform offering its own unique influence on what’s popular, it’s important to make the most of what’s trending to benefit your brand.
While jumping on the latest trends has its advantages, you also want to ensure that you add your own twist to what’s trending to stay true to your brand and keep your audience engaged.
As a leading digital marketing agency on the Sunshine Coast, we understand the pressure of keeping up to date with trends and the challenges of constantly creating unique and original content that aligns with both your audience and the most recent trends.
In this blog, we will outline the current trends and how you can put your own spin on them to elevate your online presence.
The rise of trend culture.
The rise of trends on different social media platforms has changed the way we consume and interact with content online, so using the latest trends to interact with your audience will make you stand out from the rest. With people spending more and more time online, there’s been a shift away from traditional media like magazines and newspapers with trends mainly taking off on social media platforms.
Channels such as Instagram and TikTok have made content creation accessible to all, allowing anyone with a smartphone to become a trendsetter. Celebrities are no longer the only people influencing society and setting trends.
The new era of trend culture is largely due to the viral nature of Reels and TikTok videos, which have redefined how trends are spread and adopted. Instagram, having 2 billion monthly active users, is a breeding ground for trends with Reels having an average reach rate of 30.81%, doubling any other Instagram content forms.
Whether you partner with other influencers in your industry, create sponsored content or work towards marketing campaigns that go viral, recognising the power that TikTok and Instagram have on increasing your brand awareness is the first step in benefiting from the marketing opportunities these platforms offer. Keep reading to find out how your business can benefit from Instagram and TikTok’s highly engaged user base.
Staying up to date with the latest trends.
Trends can change monthly, weekly and even daily- and trust us, we get it – it can be a full-time job staying up to date with what’s popular. Luckily, as a digital marketing agency, we are here to help you stay in the know with what’s trending online. Make sure you follow us on social media to keep up to date with recent trends, updates and everything digital marketing-related.
Each social media platform has its unique features, algorithms and trends. You will often hear a tune used in a video on TikTok or Instagram, and then all of a sudden hear it in every second video. You might see the same meme circulating on your Instagram feed, where multiple creators have put their own spin on it. It’s common to see a dance trend or an audio clip from a popular movie or TV show go viral. So how do you stay up to date with these trends?
1- Taking control of your time is your key to success.
Spending as little as 10 minutes a day browsing your social media and creating folders to save ideas for later will boost your idea generation when it comes to making your own content.
2- Make sure you are following the leaders in your industry.
Their insights and opinions can give you valuable information on emerging trends. They are experts for a reason, so gain a competitive edge by following their success and understanding how they got there.
3- Newsletters & industry news.
Stay ahead in the social media game go that extra step further and sign up for social media newsletters to receive the latest insights. Blogs like Social Media Today, The Moz Top 10 or The Social Media Hat, will provide you with information on trends to keep you on top of your game. Sign up to our newsletter list for industry updates and marketing tips, on our website here.
4- Join professional networks.
Networking will allow you to receive feedback, access resources, create connections and participate in discussion forums to exchange valuable information with other like-minded business owners.
Current social media trends.
You won’t know if you don’t try, so we recommend putting these tips to work and experimenting to find out what works for your business. Here are some of the most recent social media trends that we’ve picked up on:
1- Trending audios.
Using trending audios on your Instagram Reels and TikTok videos will boost your brand’s visibility and reach. The best way to understand what’s trending is to simply scroll on the Instagram reels tab or your For You Page and you’ll instantly find what the current viral audios are. Check out this new feature to find trending audios:
Find a Reel using an audio with the diagonal arrow – this means the audio is trending. Click the audio, and it will open it to the page shown in the 2nd image above. Above the “save audio” blue button, at the top of the page, you will see it has a ranking of where it’s trending. Click this link, and it will open a list of trending audios in order of ranking. Use this feature to find the best trending audios!
dash. suggests: only using audios that are relevant to your brand regardless of the trends (e.g. if your brand has a professional tone of voice, avoid using the audios that swear or use suggestive language).
2- Short, aesthetic videos.
We have recently seen that aesthetic, short-form videos have become more popular. Short snippets that are 3-7 seconds long featuring simple videos of everyday tasks such as making your coffee, sitting at your desk “working”, talking on the phone, etc. When paired with trending audios, we have seen this style of video be the most successful in the past few months.
dash. suggests: only using this style of video if your audience would resonate with it, and if you have something valuable to add along with it (e.g. is your caption sharing a valuable tip? Does your video have text with a hook?)
3- Behind the scenes.
Creating content that relates to your customer in the form of “day in the life” style vlog or a “behind the scenes” video, shows your audience the ins and outs of your life and business, allowing them to form personal connections with your brand.
dash. suggests: people are curious, so show your audience as much as you can BUT make sure you don’t breach your privacy boundaries. Ensure that everything you share aligns with your business goals.
4- UGC – User Generated Content.
Using UGC builds trust and authenticity with your audience. Encouraging users to create content related to your brand’s products or services is a powerful marketing strategy. Often, UGC is successful because your target market sees themselves using or buying your product, and because the UGC looks authentic, it works almost as well as word-of-mouth recommendations.
dash. suggests: only reach out to and use content from users that have a profile and personal brand that promotes similar values to those of your brand, otherwise it can have a negative impact on your brand.
5- Sustainability and social responsibility.
Highlighting your brand’s efforts towards sustainability and social responsibility is highly valued amongst consumers. Transparency with your audience and your brand’s action towards improving the environment is more important to your consumer than you think. 81% of consumers believe in the importance of a brand’s sustainability approach with 47% of consumers avoiding products or services that don’t align with their values and intentions.
If your business aligns with the sustainability ethos that is trending online listen closely. While promoting social responsibility is valuable, it can be easy to greenwash your business. Make sure you focus on the WHY and be transparent with your audience by standing by your business’ intention and goals in everything you do and promote.
Make sure you focus on your target audience. If you are a hospitality business owner, address your shift towards organic or plant-based dining options. If you’re in the fashion industry, make your view towards the unethical practices behind ‘fast fashion’ known to your audience. This is a super effective approach to not only increase awareness but show your consumers there’s more to your business’ purpose than simply boosting profits.
dash. suggests: communicate with your consumer through conversational videos like those of @ReLauren, who has mastered the art of engaging her audience through short educational videos where she explains her latest environmental ideas or concerns.
6- Pop culture references.
Giving a nod to the latest popular movies, tv shows, celebrities, or songs, in your marketing strategy will boost engagement and reach. For example, current trends using memes and sounds from the Barbie movie, reviving classic Barbie songs or recreating Barbie-inspired outfits will increase your brand’s relevancy.
dash. suggests: if the current pop culture trend is relatable to your audience and relevant to your brand, then definitely jump on the trend. BUT when trends like the latest Barbie movie go so viral and are seen on every social media channel, you do run the risk of getting lost in the noise. So don’t overuse a trend and only use it if it resonates with your brand.
The wide range of social media platforms, each different in their own way, allows you to get creative and follow trends across several channels.
While using these trends increases brand visibility, creating content that encourages your customers to take the next step and check out your brand takes a bit of extra effort. Plus, you always want to be able to apply a trend to your own brand, so it resonates with your target market and your brand personality. Putting your own spin on trends is important to avoid just copy and pasting, and to stand out in a sea of sameness.
Putting your own spin on the latest trends.
While following social media trends and using what’s popular in your own marketing strategy is a powerful tool, there is a fine line between leveraging trends and outright copying them.
The key to staying relevant and standing out in a sea of trends, is mastering the art of adapting, interpreting, and applying your unique perspective to these trends.
As a marketing agency, we value creativity, relevance, and timeliness and like to keep up to date with the latest trends, while staying consistent with our client’s brand values.
No one wants to see the same post, Reel or meme over and over. So make it fun, engaging and unique to your brand.
Here’s a few tips on how to achieve this:
1- Following a trend doesn’t mean being a follower.
Instead of following the same storyline, consider flipping it around to offer a fresh perspective. If appropriate, challenge the mainstream, and add your own controversial opinion, sparking conversation and engagement with your customer. Putting a twist on something that already exists will increase your brand’s awareness more than simply echoing what’s been done before.
2- Add unexpected twists.
While it’s essential to start your content using the audio or format that’s trending, surprising your audience with an unexpected twist will draw attention to your brand and potentially even start a new trend. For example, when creating a Reel, use the trending audio but take the trend in your own direction by using different text or videos after 3 seconds.
3- Be relatable.
Trends often revolve around universal themes, but their true power lies in how relatable they are to your audience. Focus on the customer’s pain points, how you can apply the trend to your customer’s situation and offer solutions to problems specific to them. Tailor your content and position yourself as the problem-solver to your customer, offering real value to your audience while seamlessly integrating the trend into your marketing strategy.
While it is important to be timely when following trends, understanding the trend is key to producing quality content that appeals to your audience. Once you’ve understood how to execute the trend, be authentic and put your own twist on it so you stand out.
As a marketing agency, our goal is to create unique content for each of our clients and achieve the best possible results. If you’re still unsure how to be true to your brand and stay up to date with the mainstream trends, we are here to help! Want to optimise your brand awareness, social media engagement, and brand visibility? Take a look at our social media packages now.
