How to keep up with trends and incorporate it with your social media?

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Gone are the days when big hoardings and 30 second TV spots could propel a brand towards fame and profits. Although still huge mediums of advertising, they are objectively what marketers call a 'one-way street.' People now look for a more personal connection with brands, and Social Media has done wonders to increase the interaction between brands and followers.

Nowadays, marketing exists beyond its age-old practises and has become a very integral part of people's lives. Whether people are surfing the net or scrolling through social media, they come across hundreds of ads per day. Nevertheless, consumers do sift through the omnipresent noise of modern-day marketing and pick brands to associate with and buy from. But how? By connecting with moments and brand experiences. Trends created by brands and major events have proven to be an incredible factor in swaying consumer buying decisions. As mentioned before, people want to feel a connection with a brand, and trends give brands a way to communicate with their followers. Trends are a powerful force in today's marketing sphere and some brands that have capitalised on this have often been catapulted on to the world stage. But how does a marketer track such trends and how do they get ahead of the curve? Here's how:

View: From #BottleCapChallenge to Kiki: Social media trends that went viral and became a craze!

Trending Hashtags: Trending hashtags on social media are perhaps the most obvious indicators of a trend in play. Whenever a trend starts to gain momentum, people tend to share their take on the subject on their respective SM feeds. The more people use a hashtag, the bigger its SM footprint gets. This continues until it's big enough for global consumption. Not all hashtags become relevant. Some don't even make an impression. But the ones that do are sure to show up as 'trending.' Big events usually have a trending hashtag of their own. Just last year, #IPL got over 10 million impressions. Brands use these hashtags in what they call collaborative hashtagging. This means to post content relevant to the event while using its trending hashtags. By doing this, brands get to interact with potential consumers who are interested in the event and who might
even share, repost, or comment on it.

Industry Leading Influencers: Top influencers are often great indicators of an upcoming trend. Brands want to get the word out and influencers in various industries like food, travel, photography, fashion, and sports, often are the best means to reach an organic audience. Moreover, people idolise their influencers and want to be more like them. As basic rules of brand ambassadorship go, associating with influencers helps position the brand closer to their ideal life.

Moment Marketing: Capturing moments by framing content tailor-made for special events can go a long way in reaching a consumer base. Whenever there is an update that affects large audiences, brand tend to get involved with moment marketing, i.e. publishing content that is congratulatory or referencing to the larger event. This is shareable content and will lead to increased impressions.

By Anushree Pacheriwal, Navigator at Gemius

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