We’ve talked a lot about trends and social media. We’ve told you how to start your own, given you some trending videos to create, and even given you a sneak peek at Clapper trends. But the real trick is balancing trends with your usual content. You don’t want to miss trends completely, but only focusing on them can make it hard to build a steady community base. And following trends can make you lose your voice and style as a creator. In today’s article, we’ll be telling you how to balance following trends while maintaining your own unique style.
“Do I Have to Follow Trends for Social Media?” 😫
The short answer is no, but you should. It can feel a little forced or like you’re selling your soul to the algorithm gods, but strategically, it’s a good idea.
Trends expose you to a whole new audience. They go beyond niches and hashtags, touching every corner of a platform. If you can jump on the trend in a timely matter, you can connect with viewers you would never meet otherwise. Plus, they get you thinking out of the box and make you pay attention to what’s happening outside of your niche.
Be Selective 🏆
When considering trends, only pick ones that resonate with you or your content. Not only will it be easier to create for that trend if you’re passionate about it, but it will feel more authentic. Only participate in trends that fit with your niche or feel authentic to your personality. Your content will feel less forced and the audience (new and old) will appreciate the genuine connection.
Pick a Theme 🎃
We’ve mentioned content pillars before, and you can essentially do the same for trends! Decide what kind of trends you’ll do for your brand. Maybe you’re a lifestyle creator and you’ll only do food-related trends. Or you decide that you’ll only use trending audio and ignore video trends. This way, even if you can’t make a trend your own, it still feels cohesive with your brand and style.
Give It a Twist 🥨
One of the easiest ways to balance trending content and your own style is by creating your own twist. Find some way to make the trends you do uniquely yours. That might be a specific editing style, a certain filter, or anything that gives it your stamp.
Find Your Ratio 🧮
Don’t dive into trends and quit your content cold turkey. Get a mix going so that most of your content is unique ideas with some trends thrown in. This will all depend on you, your content creation style, and whether or not you like to batch-film your videos. For some creators it’s easy to jump on trends as they come; others need a little more time. Experiment with a few different workloads and see which you like best. Even one trend a week is plenty!
Think Outside the Box 🥡
Just because a trend looks or sounds a specific way doesn’t mean you have to copy it exactly. This will require you to get extra creative and take some risks. Find a trend you’re interested in and see how you can make it work for your content. Like, for example, turning a lifestyle trend into a cooking-related video. Or working on a few variations of an audio trend before posting it. Again, you’ll have to really sit with this option, and not every video will work out perfectly. However, approaching a trend from a completely different angle will flex your creative muscles and help your video stand out amongst all the others.
Balancing trends for social media and maintaining your unique style can be a challenge! Don’t get upset or discouraged if you don’t find the right balance right away. Keep working trends into your content schedule, keep trying new things, and you’ll find the right mix for you.
Already found your perfect mix and looking to up your strategy game? Start keeping an eye on the industry as a whole. When you start flexing your strategy muscles, you can predict (and get ahead of) trends before they happen.