Social media marketing trends are not always a bad thing. In fact, some trends have the ability to help you connect with your audience in a way that triggers engagement across the board. While trends themselves are not bad, what can be bad is following trends blindly. Many companies are so focused on keeping up with current trends that they forget how important it is to have a cohesive brand across all of their social media channels.
How do you avoid losing that cohesion, while still keeping your channels fresh and topical? Keep reading to find out how to use social media trends in a way that does not harm your brand.
The Danger of Blindly Following Social Media Trends
Remember the ice bucket challenge? What about the cinnamon challenge? In addition to those fads, we have also seen others, such as planking, dabbing, Harlem Shake, Gangnam Style, and twerking, to name just a few. Over and beyond these fads, there have also been various social media trends that have changed the face of social media marketing, from virtual reality to the rise of video, user generated content, brand influencers, and ever-changing hashtags.
To give you an idea of what makes these social media marketing trends a potential risk to your brand, here are a few things to consider:
A one-size-fits-all approach never works
Some industries may be better suited to certain trends than others. If hilarious cat videos or virtual tours are not compatible with your brand, the result will be a major disconnect. If you cannot use any given trend naturally, it is best to avoid using it all.
Trying to do all the things can backfire
Video is an incredible tool for many brands, but you may find that your brand gets higher engagement from images rather than video. Likewise, not every company will see a genuine investment from social influencers if the influencers do not fit your brand.
What is better than following trends is to have a cohesive presence
This means focusing on your overall brand rather than individual strategies and fads. For example, that could mean dedicated brand hashtags, content tone and style that is unified across all channels, images and videos that are consistent across all channels, and posts that follow your brand guidelines to the letter. This is far more powerful than keeping up with the latest fad because it helps you build a solid reputation. It also tells your audience exactly what to expect when interacting with your brand. Ultimately, it comes down to being authentic.
Stay true to your brand, and you can decide which social media trends are truly worth considering, and which are better left to the masses who are not concerned with authentic branding.
