When Should You Jump on a Social Media Trend?

If you’ve been on social media this week, you’ve probably seen dozens of “Little Miss” or “Mr. Men” memes in your feed. Like last year’s sea shanties or last month’s Gentle Minions, this is yet another zeitgeist-y viral trend.

Participating in these trends helps your brand to stay culturally relevant and can boost your views and engagement through the use of trending hashtags. According to Mashable, the #littlemiss hashtag has generated over 65 million views in the past week alone.

While the adorable, illustrated characters with their personality-driven descriptions can make for fun social content, brands should evaluate when, and how, to participate in social media trends.

Here are three issues to consider.

Does this social media trend make sense for my brand?

Are you jumping on this trend because everyone else is, or does it make sense for your social strategy? Think about how the central idea of the trend aligns with your brand and consider the opportunities to develop content that’s fun and relatable.

The last thing you want to do is appear opportunistic, or like you’re trying too hard.

Is your team nimble enough to turn around content quickly?

Part of the fun of participating in a trend is getting content out there quickly.

To authentically become part of a trend, your team will need to pull the content together and post it within 24 to 48 hours. If your team is unable to do so, instead get creative and develop content that transforms the trend in an original way.

Is there audience fatigue around a meme or topic?

Remember when you saw the first “You’re on mute” memes that were so popular in 2020? Immediately relatable and often hilarious, both creators and brands eagerly participated in this viral moment. However, audiences are easily bored and tire easily when content appears unoriginal or appears too frequently in their feed.

If you’re scrolling past content around this trend, chances are your audience is too.

Starting your own social media trends

Ideally, your brand wants to start trends, not follow them. At Inspira, we develop social media strategies that build brands and generate real consumer engagement. Contact us today to get started.