Welcome to Impact Studio Drop #12, your bi-weekly deep dive into the new, interesting and occasionally unexpected ways to do cool stuff with creators. 

Conversation on social media is ever-changing, it can be hard for brands to keep up. One day it’s all about being brat, the next (literally overnight), we’re obsessed with being demure. Meanwhile, brands were only just getting approval on their brat themed TikToks…

So how do brands keep up?

‍Before we jump into how to get involved with the right trends, let’s define what a trend actually is:‍

A social media trend is a popular topic, sound, dance or format of content that is widely shared on socials and has got people engaging and talking.

Trends can be fleeting with mass appeal *cue Apple by Charli XCX*,  speaking to audiences across the platform, or they can be community (or SubTok) specific e.g #SkinTok and the ‘daily shed’, or #FashionTok and ‘wearing vs styling’, the latter being more audience specific and therefore something that connects more deeply with the right audience. 

Getting involved with trends can be a great way for brands to connect with their audience. 61% of TikTok users like brands more when they create or participate in a trend, while 79% agree that brands should demonstrate a bit of personality and express themselves on the platform. And a sure fire way to humanise your brand is to participate in trends, showing up and having fun like any other member of the community. 

But for brands, it’s not always easy to strike whilst the iron is hot, rounds of amends and content approvals can lead to delays that mean missing the boat entirely. There’s also the question of how to identify trends, and when you do find them, how to join in in a way that doesn’t make audiences cringe.

What is the best way to stay up to date with trends?

‍Short answer: being chronically online (or partnering with somebody who is)

The only way to know what the current conversations on socials are is to be there, in the middle of it. It’s the best way to be on top of trends as they emerge and not days or even weeks later when the relevance has faded.

Taking an audience-centric approach to looking for trends is a great place to start. Get to know your audience; which communities they sit in, what conversations they are having, and what content they are engaging with. Not every trend will apply to them or your brand. Find what speaks to them in a more meaningful way to tune out the noise to find trends that resonate.

Unfortunately though, being online all the time is just not a reality for brands. That’s where working with creators can really add value to the process. They sit at the heart of these communities, speaking directly to your audience. They are on the pulse of trending topics and conversations, knowing what your audience is currently engaging with. Creators are able to provide guidance not only on what’s hot right now, but how to authentically and relevantly get involved.

‍But how does a brand decide which trends are worth investing their time in?‍

Often, when brands ask for ‘trend-led content’, we have to question: Is the ask for reactive content that jumps on short-term trends or is it a need for holistic direction on how they can show up in a way that's relevant to their audience? We’d always push for the latter - The content we make should be born out of the culture created by the communities we want to engage with. 

TikTok splits trends into 3 different categories:

1. Trend moments: your short-term, fleeting trends e.g. Brat Summer
2. Trend signals: longer-term trends that begin to emerge as a pattern of user interest or behaviour e.g. “delulu is the solulu” 
3. Trend forces: enduring, large-scale behavioural transformations that span not only across social platforms but carry through to real life and become a way of acting offline e.g. ‘Hot Girl Summer’ trend that has now created an attitude, on and off socials and led to a host of other hot girl trends - Hot Girl Walk, Hot Girl Makeup, Hot Girl Winter

To make content as relevant, current and effective as possible, we want to anchor content in trends. But to give us time to react, brief creators, get content made and approved, and drive as much value out of it as possible, we should focus on the trends that last. By monitoring moments, and looking for the trends that turn into signals and even forces, we can ensure our content stays current and culturally relevant. And at the same time build for comfort, ensuring there is enough time for brands to get content properly approved, and check brand guidelines are met. 

Creators are often a good measure of trends > signals > forces and knowing what has staying power within their communities. Dictating trend-led content to creators often won’t work, so allowing them the freedom to tap into signals within their community will lead to better, more relevant content.

‍So you’ve found a trend that’s worth your time and one you’d like to jump on as a brand, but don’t know how to get involved in a way that doesn’t make your audience cringe?‍

Not every piece of content needs to be a sales pitch. In fact, it’s a lot more effective to focus on building relationships and engaging your audience. A trend is a fun opportunity to showcase your brand’s personality and values. There are three ways brands can tap into trends: 

Attention play: get noticed with relevant and timely content in fleeting trending moments

Brand messaging: find trends that align with your brand identity and values

Product consideration: find trends that your product naturally fits into

The best brands will find a way to combine all three, with a winning piece of content tapping into a trend, landing brand messaging and also spotlighting your product. Reiss’ participation in the ‘looking for a guy in finance’ trending sound is a great content example that landed all three in a fun and playful way. Leaning into the notorious ‘finance bro’ stereotype, they caught the attention of not only their community but the wider platform, whilst also aligning their brand to quality workwear, and highlighting their product offering for the finance bro’s gilet collection.

But when it feels too risky and you don’t quite know if you’re going to land the content in the right way, consult creators. Fostering long-term creator relationships encourages them to come to you with ideas on ways to get involved with current trending conversations, and their ability to quickly produce engaging content can help your brand stay relevant and resonate with your audience in unexpected ways.

With conversations happening at such a fast pace on socials, staying ahead of the curve requires a blend of proactive planning and reactive efficiency. This is made easier with long-term creator partnerships and adopting an always-on approach to content; ensuring that you don’t miss the moments that matter by covering both seasonal and topical moments, as well as building for reactivity.

A reactive approach ensures you have the ability to change tack with everyday conversations, whilst pre-planned creative provides a foundation of content that addresses recurring seasonal activations or key brand moments like product launches. Long-term partnerships offer creative agility, delivering against goals of ‘being on trend’ and also of longer-term relevance.

Remember that not every trending moment matters. Use an audience-centric approach to understand the communities you want to target and then find what’s relevant and interesting for them. With a well-executed strategy, you’ll not only be able to ride the wave of trending topics but also establish a lasting connection with your audience.