What's your social media trend tracking strategy?

1 Identify your goals and audience

Before you start tracking social media trends, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you want to reach. What are your objectives for using social media? What are your key performance indicators (KPIs)? Who are your target customers and what are their interests, preferences, and pain points? Having these answers will help you narrow down your focus and prioritize the most relevant and impactful trends for your brand.

2 Choose your sources and platforms

Next, you need to decide where and how you will track social media trends. There are many sources and platforms available, but not all of them are equally useful or reliable. Some of the factors to consider are: the size and engagement of the audience, the quality and credibility of the content, the frequency and recency of the updates, and the relevance and specificity of the topics. Some of the common sources and platforms for tracking social media trends are: social media analytics tools, social listening tools, industry blogs and newsletters, influencer accounts, hashtags, and online communities.

3 Analyze and interpret the data

Once you have collected the data from your sources and platforms, you need to analyze and interpret it to extract meaningful insights and actions. You can use various methods and techniques to do this, such as: sentiment analysis, keyword analysis, content analysis, competitor analysis, and trend forecasting. The goal is to identify the patterns, themes, gaps, and opportunities that emerge from the data and understand how they relate to your goals and audience.

4 Apply and experiment with the trends

Finally, you need to apply and experiment with the trends that you have identified and interpreted. This means creating and testing content, campaigns, products, or services that align with the trends and resonate with your audience. You can use different formats, channels, and strategies to do this, such as: videos, stories, live streams, podcasts, blogs, infographics, quizzes, polls, contests, collaborations, user-generated content, or advocacy. The key is to measure and monitor the results and feedback of your experiments and adjust accordingly.

Tracking social media trends can be a rewarding and fun way to grow your brand and connect with your audience. However, it also requires a strategic and systematic approach to avoid getting overwhelmed or sidetracked by the noise and hype. By following these tips and tools, you can develop a social media trend tracking strategy that suits your needs and goals.

5 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?