Trending is the term used to describe topics that are currently popular on social media. These topics are identified and promoted by each site’s algorithm, which is tailored to a user’s location and interests, as well as the accounts they follow. Trending topics can be spotted across most major social platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Several tools exist that can help businesses identify trends, including Google Trends and BuzzSumo. These free and paid tools allow users to search for a specific keyword or topic and see how it’s performing on various social channels over a given time period. These tools can also give users insight into keywords that are gaining popularity or losing momentum, which is valuable when planning out content marketing campaigns.
YouTube’s “Trending” section came under fire recently when an insensitive video accusing Parkland shooting victim David Hogg of being a crisis actor made its way to the top of the list. It’s impossible for YouTube to moderate the thousands of videos uploaded to the site each minute, so it’s understandable that some videos might make it to the “Trending” section even if they are offensive or inappropriate. YouTube does state, however, that it tries to promote videos that don’t mislead viewers.
When a business identifies a trend, it can create relevant and engaging content to attract potential customers and build brand awareness. Creating quality content on a consistent basis is important for building a loyal following. Consistently uploading quality content can also improve a brand’s image as a budding influencer, demonstrating that they’re reliable and can be counted on to publish fresh and interesting content.
In order to be considered a trend, a hashtag must be searched for and appear frequently in conversations on Twitter. A company can then capitalize on the trend by posting relevant and timely tweets using that hashtag. This will increase visibility, potentially leading to increased website traffic and sales.
Twitter has a “Trending” section on its homepage and in its sidebar, where the current most popular searches are listed. The trending topics can be filtered by hashtags, locations, or categories. In addition to the trends that Twitter lists, the platform also offers an Explore tab that shows trending topics personalized for each individual user, taking into account their likes and the content they share.
Google Trends is a tool that allows businesses to see what topics are most popular in real-time. This can be useful for finding topics to write about or share on social media, and it can be particularly helpful for businesses that want to expand their audience reach. This tool is available for free, but premium services such as Ahrefs offer deeper insights into keywords and search volume which can be useful when planning content. Ultimately, the best way to determine what’s trending is to spend time on social media and research your audience. This will provide a more accurate picture of what people are interested in.