How to Use Trends to Improve Your Social Media Campaign

Social media trends, the viral sounds, the dance challenges, the meme templates that seem to appear out of nowhere and then dominate your feed. For digital coaches and consultants, these trends can feel like a double-edged sword. On one hand, they promise a boost in visibility and engagement. On the other hand, they can feel inauthentic, chaotic, and completely unrelated to your brand's core message.

But what if you could stop chasing every trend and start using them as a powerful, strategic tool to connect with your audience and amplify your message? The key isn't to participate in every challenge but to become a trend strategist, someone who adapts trends with intention and uses them to reinforce their expertise, not dilute it.

How to Use Trends to Improve Your Social Media Campaign, Without Losing Your Brand's Soul

Let’s discuss how you can turn fleeting moments into long-term gains for your social media campaign.

1. The Mindset Shift: From Trend Chaser to Trend Strategist

The biggest mistake you can make is viewing every trend as a mandatory checklist item. A trend is simply a conversation, and not every conversation is meant for you. Before you jump on the latest viral audio or visual cue, ask yourself these three crucial questions:

• Does this align with my brand's voice and values? If a trend requires you to be silly when your brand is built on gravitas, it's a hard pass.

• Is this relevant to my niche and audience? Your audience of high-value clients likely isn't interested in every teenage dance craze, but they might love a specific format or style that can be adapted for a professional context.

• Can I add genuine value using this trend? Your content should always seek to educate, inspire, or solve a problem. If the trend can't serve this purpose, it's just noise.

When you adopt this mindset, you become selective, strategic, and infinitely more effective. You stop chasing virality and start building authority.

2. The Art of Trend Spotting for Your Niche

You don’t have to spend all day scrolling to spot trends. A strategic approach can save you time and ensure you find what's relevant to you.

• Follow Your Ideal Clients & Competitors: Pay attention to what's getting high engagement in your niche. What formats are they using? What kind of content is resonating with their audience?

• Use the Platform's Discovery Tools: On Instagram Reels, look for the little upward arrow next to the audio name, indicating it's trending. On TikTok, the "Creative Center" is a goldmine for identifying trending sounds, hashtags, and topics.

• Tune In to the Conversation: Listen to what people are talking about in podcasts, forums, and Facebook groups. A trending topic of conversation can be a powerful trend to capitalize on, even without a specific audio or visual cue.

3. Your 3-Step Framework for Trend Implementation

Once you've identified a trend that passes the "relevance and value" test, follow this simple framework to make it your own.

• Step 1: Adapt, Don't Copy. A trending audio doesn't mean you have to do the exact same dance or lip sync. Can you use that audio as a backdrop for a quick text overlay of "3 things you need to know about [Your Topic]"? The goal is to take the trend's format and infuse it with your unique expertise and message.

• Step 2: Add Value, Don't Just Participate. Your content should always solve a problem. A trend can be the perfect vessel for delivering a powerful, quick piece of advice. For example, use a trending audio to visually showcase "The 3 Mindset Shifts My Clients Made to Double Their Revenue."

• Step 3: Measure and Refine. After you've posted, don't just move on. Check your analytics. Did this post get more reach than usual? Did it attract a new audience? Did it drive more saves or shares? If a specific type of trend works well for your audience, make a note of it and look for similar opportunities. This is how you build a data-driven strategy.

Navigating the Social Media Landscape with Ruth Sherrill Marketing Services

Trends can be a powerful tool, but they are just one piece of a successful social media campaign. To build an authentic and monetizing brand, you need a holistic strategy that includes everything from mastering your brand messaging to creating a consistent content plan. This is where Ruth Sherrill Marketing Services can help. 

We know that the only thing worse than missing a trend is to do it after it's already passed. This is why having a strong base of evergreen content already planned and created is a game-changer. Having your core content ready frees you up to jump on trends the moment they hit, allowing you to create timely, relevant content without the stress.

Our social media management services are designed to help female-led ventures, especially BIPOC women digital coaches, create engaging and shareable content that not only uses trends strategically but also builds a lasting connection with your ideal clients.

Ready for a deep dive into your content and social media strategy? Explore our Consultation VIP Day, where we can create an actionable roadmap to help you master your message.

Mastering social media trends isn't about being trendy; it's about being strategic. By approaching them with intention, you can use these powerful tools to improve your social media campaign, build your authority, and attract your ideal clients with confidence and ease.

Also, I have some freebies for you. Click here for free resources to help you get started! Speaking of content, we've got something special for you. Plug our content calendar with 30+ value-driven content ideas for businesses and entrepreneurs!

Ruth Sherrill Marketing Services is one of the best marketing agencies specializing in helping business owners create engaging and shareable content that motivates and influences customers' actions. Keep up with us by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, or you can contact us for more information.