Tips for Doing Social Media Trendjacking the Right Way

Ever wonder how the brands that are great at trendjacking do it?

As social media becomes more and more popular, businesses are looking for new and innovative ways to use it to their advantage. This, as a response to the continually evolving needs of online audiences.

And nothing is more influenced by this than social media marketing.

From viral dance challenges as a tool for brand recall to influencer marketing for building trust among niche communities, marketing in social spaces has become more creative than ever. Another of the most popular and effective methods you may also be thinking about is called "trendjacking" or "trend hijacking."

Social media trendjacking and its benefits for business

In simple definition, social media trendjacking is the act of using popular trends on social media platforms to your advantage. It entails piggybacking on a widely discussed topic and adding your own unique spin to it as a brand.

For it to succeed, you will need to jump on it quickly, and intelligently. And when you do so, you’ll find that trendjacking has a number of helpful benefits, like:

1. Help you stay ahead of the curve when it comes to social media trends. By jumping on trends early, you can capitalize on the attention they're getting and ride the wave of excitement until it dies down.
2. You can also use trends to connect with new audiences. By tapping into current trends, you can reach people who are already interested in that topic and might not have otherwise heard about your business.
3. Create social media content that is both relevant and engaging. This content will help keep your social media pages active and interesting, which can in turn help keep customers engaged with your brand.

Tips so that your trendjacked content won’t flop

Every experienced digital marketing agency can tell you this: It’s not unheard of for brands to fail miserably at trendjacking. In the best case of flops, your message just doesn’t align well with the trending topic, and your audiences snub it.

The worst cases for this might have you headlining the trends list in a not-so-good way.

To avoid the latter scenario, it would be wise of you to follow these tips.

1. Know your audience. It's important to know who you're trying to reach with your trendjacking efforts. What are their interests? What do they care about? What kind of content do they consume? Try to tap into those interests and create content that resonates with them.
2. Stay up-to-date on current trends. It's impossible to hijack a trend if you don't know what it is! Make sure you're keeping tabs on current events and pop culture happenings so you'll know when something is gaining traction on social media.
3. Be creative. The most successful trendjackers are the ones who take a current trend and put their own unique spin on it. So get creative and see how you can add your own touch to popular social media trends.
4. Jump in early. The earlier you jump on a trend, the more attention you'll likely get. Get ahead of the competition by being one of the first businesses to utilize a popular social media trend in your marketing efforts
5. Keep it tasteful. Avoid being too offensive or inappropriate with your social media trendjacking efforts. You want to be funny, not vulgar.

How to hunt for trends to hijack

One of the best ways to stay ahead of social media trends is by keeping an eye on what's popular on social media platforms. This can be done by using social media monitoring tools or simply paying attention to the conversations happening on social media.

Another great way to find trending topics is by using social media dashboards like Hootsuite or Sprout Social. These tools allow you to track specific keywords and hashtags so you can see what's being talked about on social media. This can be a great way to get a jump on upcoming trends and create content that resonates with your audience.

Finally, you can also use social media influencers to help you find trending topics. Influencers are people who have a large following on social media and are respected by their peers. By working with social media influencers, you can get access to insider information about upcoming trends and how your target audience is responding to them.

Key takeaways

• When in doubt, just turn a blind eye. Audiences have a keen sense of when a brand is trying too hard to ride on a trend and are easily put-off by it. If you’re unsure how to insert your brand into the narrative, it’s best to turn a blind eye, and wait for one that’s better suited for you to jump on.
• Speak your audience's language. Use the voice of your customers to make it extra relatable. Language is an excellent way of empathizing with them; use it as a medium to strengthen the connection.
• It’s better to be accurate, than fast. Double-check information about the trend. Often, the worst flops happen because riding on it without a full understanding of the issue leads to tone-deaf messaging. Do your research accordingly to avoid this.

Do you have any wishlist trendjacking executions? We know we have a few. Let’s talk about them on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn.

For more tips on how to improve your social media marketing game, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and get first-hand access.