Social media trends can change in the blink of an eye, and keeping up with these trends is important for maintaining relevance and engagement.
Planning content around these trends can significantly boost your visibility and allow you to forge connections with your audience.
This article will guide you through the steps to effectively incorporate trending topics into your social media content calendar, ensuring your brand stays ahead of the curve while aligning with your overall strategy.
Stay Ahead of Trends with Social Listening Tools
The first step in planning content around social media trends is identifying what’s currently trending and predicting what might be next.
Tools like Hootsuite’s Talkwalker or Sprout Social’s Listening feature allow you to monitor conversations across platforms, track hashtags, and stay updated on emerging trends. By regularly checking these tools, you can quickly identify which trends are relevant to your industry and audience (Social Media Manager, Sprinklr Platform).
Pro Tip: When a trend aligns with your brand, consider how you can incorporate your product photography into the narrative. For example, if a new color palette is trending in fashion, you can highlight your products using those colors in your social media images, making your posts both visually appealing and on-trend.
Align Trends with Your Brand’s Voice and Values
Not every trend will be a good fit for your brand, so it’s important to evaluate each one before jumping on board.
Consider how the trend aligns with your brand’s voice, values, and overall message.
If a trend doesn’t fit naturally with your brand, forcing it can come off as inauthentic and may alienate your audience (Later).
For instance, if your brand focuses on sustainability, you might want to capitalize on trends around eco-friendly practices.
Showcasing your products in environmentally conscious settings, perhaps through product photography that highlights recyclable packaging or green processes, can resonate deeply with your audience while staying true to your brand.
Plan and Schedule Trend-Driven Content
Once you’ve identified a trend that fits, plan how you will integrate it into your content calendar. This might involve creating specific posts, stories, or even a series of content that revolves around the trend.
Utilize scheduling tools like Buffer or Later to ensure that your trend-driven content goes live at the optimal time, maximizing engagement (Later, Sprinklr Platform).
Pro Tip: When planning your content, don’t forget to incorporate high-quality visuals. Product photography that aligns with the trend can significantly enhance the appeal of your posts.
For example, if minimalism is trending, your product photos should reflect clean, simple aesthetics to match the trend.
Be Ready to Pivot Quickly
Trends can be fleeting, so it’s important to remain flexible with your content plan. If a trend begins to fade, or if a new, more relevant trend emerges, be ready to adjust your content strategy.
Keep some flexibility in your content calendar to allow for these quick pivots (Sprinklr Platform).
Pro Tip: Having a library of versatile product photos can be incredibly helpful when you need to quickly adapt to new trends. These photos can be repurposed across different trends, saving time and maintaining consistency in your brand’s visual identity.
Engage with Your Audience
Trends are often driven by conversations, so engaging with your audience around trending topics is crucial.
Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and encourage user-generated content.
This not only boosts engagement but also shows your audience that your brand is actively participating in the trend (Social Media Manager, Sprinklr Platform).
Pro Tip: Encourage your followers to share their own photos using your products in the context of the trend. This user-generated content can then be shared on your social media channels, further amplifying the trend and adding authenticity to your brand’s presence.
Remember …
Planning content around social media trends requires a balance of staying current while remaining true to your brand.
By using social listening tools, aligning trends with your brand values, and being ready to pivot quickly, you can effectively incorporate trends into your content strategy.
And don’t forget, high-quality product photography plays an important role in making your trend-driven content visually appealing and engaging.
Start integrating these strategies today to keep your brand at the forefront of social media conversations.
Discover How Professional Photography Can Elevate Your Brand
Get a Custom Quote Tailored to Your Specific Needs
Take a minute to fill out the form below. Doing so will help me understand your product photography needs. Once I receive your information, I'll reach out to you personally to discuss the project in more detail and create a customized quote for you.
You may also text me at: 410-596-4127 or E-mail me at: tom@tomcrowl.com