Trending is a term used to describe the current popularity of a topic on a social media platform. The topics can be anything from popular music to a viral video to an online campaign or challenge. These trends can be localized to a specific community or context or can impact a global audience depending on the reach and influence of the platform.
Trends can be influenced by many factors, including the number of people tweeting about a certain topic or event. The more people tweeting about a certain topic or hashtag, the higher the chances that it will become a trending topic. The trends can also be influenced by the type of tweets being posted about the topic or event, such as retweets, pictures, videos and links. A trend can also be influenced by the news cycle, as well as holidays and events like the Grammy’s or World Cup.
Using a tool like Buzzsumo that scans the Twitter feed for topics being shared, and then divides them into categories like Marketing, Science, Tech and Business, can give marketers an idea of what trends are popular among their target audiences. Using this data, marketers can craft campaigns that are more likely to get noticed and generate engagement by being targeted to the right audience.
Google Trends is a free tool that allows users to see what topics are being discussed and followed in real time. It can be a great way to find content ideas for blog posts, videos and social media campaigns. It can even help businesses identify opportunities for new products and services. It can be used to research and monitor brand mentions, competitors’ names, industry terms and more.
YouTube’s Trending tab focuses on what is happening in real time, so its algorithm tends to favor fresh, engaging and watch-worthy content. For this reason, it’s important for YouTube creators to create content that aligns with current trends in order to have a good chance of being featured on the Trending tab.
When trying to get a hashtag or topic to trend, it is helpful to come up with a creative campaign that includes specific instructions to encourage the audience to participate. Providing them with a specific hashtag, a target, a time period and even a few sample messages can make it much easier for them to post about the topic. This will also help increase the chances that the hashtag will be spotted by Twitter’s algorithms and become a trending topic. It’s also important to keep in mind that a trend will only stay as a trend for as long as the majority of people are talking about it. For example, a common hashtag that has been tweeted every day like #cat, #food or #music might never start trending because it is too crowded and repetitive. However, if something new and unique is added to the mix, it might quickly rise in popularity and become a trending topic again.