How do you stay up-to-date on social media trends with your SMO team?

1 Follow the leaders

One of the easiest ways to stay up-to-date on social media trends is to follow the leaders in your industry, niche, or topic. These are the influencers, experts, or brands that have a large and engaged following, and that set the tone and direction for the social media conversation. By following them, you can learn from their strategies, content, and interactions, and see what works and what doesn't. You can also follow the official accounts of the social media platforms themselves, as they often announce new features, updates, or best practices. You can share these insights with your team by creating a list of the leaders you follow, and regularly discussing their posts, campaigns, or tips.

2 Use tools and resources

Another way to stay up-to-date on social media trends is to use tools and resources that help you monitor, analyze, and discover what's happening on different platforms. For example, you can use social media analytics tools to track your own performance, engagement, and reach, and compare them with your competitors or industry benchmarks. You can also use social media listening tools to monitor what people are saying about your brand, products, or topics, and identify the keywords, hashtags, or sentiments that are trending. You can also use social media research tools to find out what content is popular, viral, or influential, and what formats, styles, or topics are attracting attention. You can share these tools and resources with your team by creating a dashboard, report, or newsletter that summarizes the key findings, insights, or recommendations.

3 Experiment and test

Another way to stay up-to-date on social media trends is to experiment and test different ideas, approaches, or techniques on your own accounts. This way, you can learn by doing, and see what works for your audience, goals, and brand. You can experiment and test different aspects of your social media strategy, such as your content types, formats, topics, tone, frequency, timing, hashtags, captions, or calls to action. You can also experiment and test different features or functions of the social media platforms, such as stories, reels, live videos, polls, stickers, filters, or ads. You can share these experiments and tests with your team by creating a plan, a hypothesis, a metric, and a result, and discussing what you learned, what you improved, and what you can do next.

4 Join communities and networks

Another way to stay up-to-date on social media trends is to join communities and networks that are relevant to your industry, niche, or topic. These are the groups, forums, chats, or events that bring together people who share your interests, challenges, or goals, and that provide opportunities for learning, networking, or collaboration. By joining them, you can get access to valuable information, insights, or feedback from your peers, mentors, or experts, and see what they are doing, thinking, or planning on social media. You can also contribute to the communities and networks by sharing your own experiences, opinions, or questions, and building relationships and trust. You can share these communities and networks with your team by creating a list of the ones you join, and regularly updating them on the key takeaways, contacts, or opportunities.

5 Be curious and creative

Another way to stay up-to-date on social media trends is to be curious and creative. This means that you are always looking for new ideas, inspirations, or innovations that can help you improve your social media strategy, content, or engagement. You can be curious and creative by exploring different sources of information, such as blogs, podcasts, newsletters, books, or courses, that cover social media topics or trends. You can also be curious and creative by trying different methods of brainstorming, ideation, or problem-solving, such as mind maps, sketches, prototypes, or games, that can help you generate new concepts or solutions. You can share your curiosity and creativity with your team by creating a space, a time, or a process that encourages them to learn, experiment, or collaborate on social media projects.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?