Trending is the term used to describe popular topics, hashtags, events, and news stories that gain a large amount of attention on social media platforms. This can include breaking news, viral videos, memes, and other content. Trending topics reflect a social media community’s interests, discussions, and collective attention at a given moment. They can be a result of current events, holidays, pop culture, or online campaigns and challenges.
Social media trends are determined by algorithms that analyze user activity to determine which topics and keywords have generated the most interest. These algorithms look at engagement across a variety of factors, including likes, comments, and shares. When a topic gains enough popularity, it will appear on the “trending” section of a platform’s homepage. For example, Twitter and TikTok feature a trending topics box that highlights popular topics in real time.
Google Trends is another great resource for finding trends. It looks at the number of searches for a keyword or topic over a set period of time and provides a graph that shows the relative popularity of those terms as compared to other search terms. You can also use Google Trends to find related search terms or see which countries are searching for a certain keyword or topic.
Facebook also features a trending topics section in the top right of their news feed. These trends are based on what is being searched for by people in your network and are updated in real time. Facebook’s trends are separated into categories such as politics, sports, entertainment, and science and technology. Trends are based on both public and in-network posts and can be customized to exclude certain categories or specific topics you want to avoid.
Trends are a valuable source of insights for businesses looking to create and share content that connects with their audience. By analyzing trends, you can find out what your audience is interested in and how your products or services relate to those topics. By creating and sharing relevant content, you can attract your audience and increase brand awareness. However, it is important to approach trends with caution and to make sure your content doesn’t come across as insensitive or contrived.
It’s also important to be aware of what your competitors are doing and how they are leveraging trends to their advantage. By analyzing competitor content and knowing what trends are being discussed in your industry, you can stay ahead of the competition. While it’s crucial to stay on top of trends, it is equally important to focus on creating quality content that provides a unique perspective and answers your audience’s questions. Ultimately, your goal should be to generate content that provides value and is SEO friendly. This will help to ensure your content stays on the top of search engine results and engages with your audience. For more content marketing tips, download our free guide below!