When something trends on a social media platform, it’s seen by more people than usual and usually receives more visibility and engagement. This often translates into higher brand awareness and an increase in followers or subscribers.
The trending feature of a social media app is based on algorithms that analyze the activity of users and determine what content is popular. These algorithms take into account location, previous likes or searches and who a person follows or interacts with on the site. Trending topics can be hashtags, keywords or phrases and appear in the sidebar of the home page or within a search. A person can also access a list of trending topics on the Explore tab of their profile.
Getting a topic or hashtag to trend can be difficult and time consuming, but there are some tactics that can help make it more likely. First and foremost, posting regularly to your social accounts is key. A consistent presence will keep you top of mind for your followers and other potential customers and could lead to more exposure if you use the right hashtags. Using unique hashtags for each campaign is also important and can make it easier to track the success of each.
Another way to increase your chances of a hashtag or topic going trending is to have someone with a large following share it on their own account. This will give it more traction and can have an immediate impact on the number of views a video or post receives. Influencers are a great tool for this because they have the ability to reach a wide audience quickly. Lastly, a video can also be promoted through YouTube’s Trending feature and can see significant increases in view counts when it is featured on the Trending page.
Twitter has modified its algorithm in the past to prevent people from gaming the system, but there is no guarantee that any one strategy will work. Generally, trends are based on how many views a video or post receives in a short period of time and the amount of engagement the content generates.
A video can also be trending on YouTube if it is promoted through a channel with a large viewer base and a high level of engagement. This can be achieved through the use of a unique hashtag that is associated with a specific campaign and by leveraging existing content on a channel to drive viewers to the video.
There is no guarantee that a hashtag or topic will go trending and even if it does, there’s no guarantee how long it will last. Trends come and go and the most successful strategies are those that can be flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions. For example, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral in 2014 and the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge raised safety concerns in 2015. While some challenges have short lifespans, others have become enduring trends. Regardless of how long a trend lasts, it is important to stay informed of what is currently popular in order to stay ahead of the competition and connect with consumers.