How to Create Trends on Twitter
On Twitter, a post, term, or even a chosen topic is said to be “trending” if it gets more mentions on the social media site than others in the same category. More popular terms or themes get more traffic and attention on Twitter than others. Trends become popular either because of a single event that triggers people to discuss a particular topic or through the collective effort of many users.
Brands have begun to use Twitter as a tool to enhance their online marketing. Influencers such as Ariana Huffington and Slate writer Mark Halperin have made popular use of the site to talk about current events and share their own personal opinions. Brands that have a presence on Twitter can use trending topics to engage their target audience in conversation about the products and services they provide. For example, if Nike is releasing a new line of basketball shoes, their new slogan could be “Nike Basketball – It’s Time To Get Wild.” This would encourage basketball fans to tweet about the latest Nike products.
Other brands are using trending topics to create buzz around their brands. The beverage company Evian has created a dedicated trending topic to talk about its brand. Users can reply to the trending topics with a suggested tweet of their own. If the original poster finds their suggested response to be compelling, they can re-tweet the post and the conversation will begin. Brands can also try sprinkling their own brand promotions into the conversations on trending topics. For instance, if Bob Sapp recommends the sunscreen DMAE on his Twitter page, every time a follower tweets about DMAE, Bob Sapp’s name will be added to the list of people who mention the sunscreen.
As one can see, the usefulness of Twitter’s trending topics extends far beyond simple communication. Trending topics also lend an air of intrigue when users discover that other individuals and companies are paying attention to their specific brands. The fact that the conversations on trending topics tend to be more intelligent makes them the ideal venue for advertisers. For a brand to stand out above the crowd, it must engage with followers on Twitter and use trending topics to establish a place in the conversation.
It may be easy to assume that companies only have a few choices when it comes to trending topics for their businesses. However, there are actually several different avenues that brands can take to find trending topics that will interest followers. Social media sites like Facebook allow their members to search for keywords based on their interests. A business can identify certain trends related to their product or service and use these keywords to drive traffic to their website. In addition, a company can find trending topics by participating in Twitter’s community features.
With so many brands and individuals participating actively in Twitter’s community features, it is easy to identify trends. When a user begins to see a trend on the platform, they may begin to participate in the conversation themselves. This creates an opportunity for a business to establish itself in the trending topics. If a business establishes a strong presence in one of the trending topics, they may be able to draw even more followers to their site. Trending topics can be a great way for a company to reach a large number of its audience in a short amount of time.