Long gone are the days of planning social content months in advance…we now must be more trend-driven to increase our visibility on social media. And it’s not just creating content to stay on top of trends, it’s ensuring you are aware of the current cultural events of the moment, engaging effectively with your community and staying ahead of the curve.  

At Liquid, we follow a reactive social approach for our clients, and the results speak for themselves. But how is it possible to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, recreate them AND ensure you are building an engaged community?  

Our senior social media executive, Charlotte, gives her advice on how brands and social media agencies can stay on their t-game (trend game…see what we did there?) — read on… 

Video content is your friend

Research shows that the average person spends 100 minutes a day watching online videos, meaning you now can’t afford not to be making video content for social. And as our consumption of video content increases, that means the trends move faster…and you do too.

But remember, trending video content doesn’t always have to be glossy, 30-second videos. Over the past year or so, CapCut templates have taken off on TikTok and Instagram, and it’s no wonder – because they are just so easy to create.

CapCut templates are pre-designed in the CapCut video editing app, providing a ready-made structure for users to create videos quickly and easily. The templates include a combination of preset transitions, effects, text, music, and more.  

Not only do they often have a funny side to them, making them the perfect form of social entertainment, but they are also a sneaky way to get your marketing message in front of your audience.

At Liquid, we’ve found great success using CapCut templates for one of our clients, the Copper Sustainability Partnership, on TikTok. Despite the topic of choice being copper pipes (some would say it’s quite dry), we’ve gone viral several times using CapCut templates, including this video, which gained 310k plays, 24.6k likes and 1k saves.

So, remember, trending video content doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as a CapCut template or seeing a trend and making it your own in a spin-off. The most important thing is that you simply try it and see what works for you!  

Not every piece of content will be a great success, but if you keep creating trend-driven content, you will find what works for you, and be able to create more of it.

@cuspuk From copper pipes used in plumbing systems to copper wires found in electronic devices, all types of copper products can be recycled.    And the best part, the is no difference in properties between recycled and virgin copper, so it can be recycled again and again and again! ♻️   This is just one more reason #ChooseCopper!   Don’t forget to follow us for more #CopperFacts 🤩   #Copper #CopperPipes #Sustainability #CopperRecycling #RecycledCopper #SustainableMaterials #SustainableConstruction #Construction #CopperPiping #Pipefitter #Installer #Pipefitting #Plumber #UKPlumber #PlumbingApprentice #PlasticPipes #Plastic #PlasticIndustry #ConstructionIndustry ♬ Electric Avenue Kid – I Green Screen Things

Don’t overcomplicate

There are a huge number of trends circulating on social media, which can make it an overwhelming space. To reduce the clutter, we recommend following 3 to 5 key accounts within your space and checking in on them weekly to use them as inspiration for your future content.  

Don’t forget that your casual scrolling time is also the time you are likely to be presented with organic trends you can use for your brand, so always hit the ‘save’ button to add them to an inspiration folder for future ‘no-idea’ days.  

Also keep top of mind that when you see a trend and want to recreate it, you don’t need to change every single piece of the puzzle. By that, we mean you can still use the basis of the trend, but give it a slight twist to work for your market or niche.  

An example of this would be our ‘Back in Chicago’ TikTok we created for our client Maple from Canada. The sound ‘Back in Chicago’ by Djo was trending, with people sharing their favourite places they would like to revisit. We did a spin-off of this trend, ‘Back in Quebec’, which was our highest-performing video of the month, gaining 5,000 views.  

Trending content doesn’t have to be complicated…make it easy for yourself!

Remember your audience engagement

You can jump onto all the relevant trends and see great reach — but if you don’t engage with your audience, you’re never going to build a community that cares about your product and brand.

We can’t stress enough the importance of daily community management for brands and social media agencies — engaging with those in your niche and building relationships with your audience is key!

Even if you aim for just five minutes a day, consistently engaging with others will develop a community that not only is primed to purchase from you but genuinely cares about your product.

Your daily community management is also a fantastic time to keep up to date with trends, and even if you can’t jump onto a trend yourself, engage with those who have!

Want to be more trend-led on social media but still not sure how? As an experienced Birmingham social media agency with proven results in creating reactive content, we’re perfectly placed to help! Get in touch with us today.