The definition of a trend is ‘a general direction in which something is developing or changing’. Understanding the changes and directions happening in your industry and amongst your target audience can be incredibly valuable when creating a solid marketing strategy.

But it’s important to remember – just because something is a trend, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something you should immediately jump on.

We explore the key things to consider first, so when the next trend comes along you can act quickly or simply ignore it all together.

The difference between regular trends and viral trends

In the world of marketing trends, there are two main categories to keep in mind:

• Regular trends: This refers more to industry-related marketing metrics.
• Viral trends: Specific content types that gain popularity and momentum rapidly on social media.

Industry trend examples:

In 2024, the number of vegans in the UK was estimated to be around 2.5 million, which was a huge jump from 1.1 million the year before. This is an example of a growing trend that has been happening in consumption habits over several years.

The increase in vegans worldwide and the trend towards plant-based products has caused brands in various industries to evolve what they offer and shift their marketing tactics.

Like fast-food giant McDonald’s for example, who launched the ‘McPlant’ burger in 2022 to meet the needs of the growing number of vegans. It enabled them to keep up with consumer trend and not fall behind in the market.

Viral trend examples:

Viral trends consist largely of social media content based on pop culture events. Think things like memes and videos.

It’s also common for brands to use popular content formats from content creators as part of their influencer marketing or brand collaborations.

A common example of this is a cosmetics brand jumping on the ‘Get ready with me’ social content trend. This is where someone films themselves getting ready for the day, but in this instance, they’ll use the brand’s promotional product as part of their routine.

Why is it important to understand the difference between regular marketing trends and social media trends?

The nature of viral social media trends normally means they have far less longevity than regular marketing trends.

While marketing trends like consumer buying patterns and competitor behaviour are something to consider as part of a broader strategy, viral social trends tend to enable more short-term wins.

This isn’t the case for all businesses, though. The makeup brand used in the example above could probably find much longer-term value from viral trending content. It’s all about understanding your brand, your industry and your customers.

Will a marketing trend benefit your business?

To answer this big question, you first need to think about the following:

Does it feel natural for your business?

Building a client base through social media is one of the most effective ways to expand your reach and engage with new and existing customers. For this to work, your content has to feel genuine, authentic and in line with what people expect from your brand.

If you implement a trend that doesn’t feel natural for your business, people will see this as disingenuous, and it won’t reflect well on you.

Shoehorning unlikely trends into your marketing strategy also runs the risk of feeling a little bit desperate, which, again, customers will sniff out quickly.

Will it connect you to your customers or alienate them?

Will the trend help you build stronger connections with your customers? Or will it make them feel confused about your brand or alienate them in some way? Will it reach the demographic you’re looking to tap into?

These are things you need to establish before jumping on any kind of trend.

Are you on the right platforms?

Not all viral social media trends will be accessible to your business if you aren’t on the right platforms or, more importantly, if your target customers aren’t on those platforms.

If you see a certain type of content going viral on TikTok, for example, this might have you wondering, ‘Hmm, does my business need a TikTok account?’. If this isn’t a platform your customers use, the answer is likely no and that particular trend probably isn’t right for your business.

Any marketing content you produce needs to be native to the channel you’re posting on, and shared in places where your customers will see it and want to engage with it.

What are your competitors doing?

You should always have a close eye on your competitors. What they’re doing and what they’re not doing can be extremely illuminating for you and something you can use to the advantage of your own marketing strategy.

The same is true when it comes to trends. Have your competitors jumped on a trend? If so, does it seem to be working for them? Of course, you won’t be able to see their internal metrics but you can get a good feel based on their social media engagement, for example.

Don’t simply replicate what they’re doing because you need to be unique and differentiate yourself in the market. If you think a trend might be working magic for them, figure out how you can implement it in your own way.

Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Whatever type of trend you’re looking into, whether it’s a consumer-based pattern, a new industry direction or some viral social media content, investing in it has got to be worth it.

This will depend on your resources (time, capacity, money) and it’s something you should weigh up before jumping on any bandwagon. You’ve got to be reasonably sure that implementing a trend in your tactics will bring you a solid result. If not, you might put your marketing budget, cash flow and brand reputation at risk.

 
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