So, you want to hop on a social media trend, eh? Cool! Social media trends are topics, behaviors, challenges, or hashtags that are popular (i.e. viral) at any given moment. Participating in trends can be a great way for brands to increase visibility, build engagement, exhibit authenticity, amplify reach, collaborate with influencers, and more! But, that doesn’t mean brands should latch onto just any trend that pops up on their explore page. It’s important to look at your social media strategy and choose to participate in trends that align with your brand and goals. Here’s a short list of some of the latest trends on social media:

• Short-form videos

• Nostalgia content

• Sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives

• Virtual events and live experiences

• Dance challenges

• Educational content

• Self-care and wellness

• Remote work and productivity hacks

• Supporting local businesses

• AR filters and effects

You might already be thinking, Some of these trends don’t make sense for my business. And you’re right! Just because something is trending does not mean you should automatically jump right on the bandwagon. Hopping on just any old trend (or the wrong trend) can diminish your brand’s reputation as quickly as strategizing the right trend can make you go viral. Here are Media À La Carte’s 5 ways to adapt trends to fit your brand the right way:

5 Ways to Adapt Trends to Fit Your Brand

1. Stay on top of current trends 

Keep an eye out on various social media platforms for new trends, challenges, and hashtags. You want to be posting content that’s topical and not passé. This means your social media schedule has to be flexible for new and last minute additions. Keep abreast and agile as you carefully (and quickly!) work trends into your plan. Trends come and go fast, so you don’t want to miss out or plan the current popular trend to be posted too far in the future.

2. Circle back to your goals 

Trends aren’t just about being silly, they can help build awareness, push sales, raise money for a worthy cause, or foster trust in your company. Choose trends that will help you to reach your short and long-term goals. And don’t get us wrong—Sometimes being silly can have a great impact on your brand!

3. Don’t compromise your brand to fit the trend 

This means succumbing to language that isn’t ‘on brand,’ visuals that aren’t your traditional aesthetic, or content that’s potentially controversial. If anything, adapt the trend to better align with your brand. You can often still participate in the trend with a simple adjustment of the wording or video specifications.

4. Engage with your audience 

Encourage your followers (and new viewers) to participate in the trend, respond to their comments, and cultivate a sense of community around the experience. Many trends have a back-and-forth banter to them. It’s important to keep this up so your content doesn’t just seem like it’s in place of an ad. 

5. Remember that the trend is meant to serve your brand, not the other way around 

Don’t just participate in a trend. Find ways to highlight your brand, offerings, people, or culture. There should be a reason behind why you’re hopping on a trend. Don’t just do it because everyone else is. Worst case, poor timing, legal concerns, misappropriation, insensitivity, misalignment with your brand values, lack of relevance with your audience, or jumping into an overcrowded space can do much more harm than good. Put simply, if it’s not going to make people excited about your brand, it’s not worth your effort.

Want to learn more about how to hop on the right social media trends for your brand? Step 1: Follow @mediaalacarte on Instagram for insight on how we incorporate trends into our content. Step 2: Schedule a discovery call with us to get more specific guidance for your business.