Tracking trends can be done in so many different ways, it can often be hard to branch out from your tried and true trend-seeking processes. As trends change and social media platforms continue to evolve, content creators are expected to adapt and overcome, too.
Have you gone beyond just spending hours online and following the popular hashtags, yet? Here are some tips to help you keep up and create what your followers want to see.
Put Your Winners to Work
You know your content better than anyone. Take some time to reflect on the content that your audience engaged with the most.
What was different? How did you style the photos? What were people commenting on? Was there something different from how you wrote the content compared to prior posts?
These are all important questions to ask yourself. Then, use what you’ve learned to begin brainstorming ideas for your next project ideas.
Let your past successes help guide future reader favorites by using the high performers as trend indicators.
SEO is key!
Take the time to learn more about Search Engine Optimization and how important it is to do keyword research. Keyword research is an important part of reaching your target audience and connecting with them.
To put it simply, if you know the keywords your audience is using, you ultimately know what is keeping their interest - for the moment, at least.
Once you know your keywords you can use that data for your search engine optimization and make sure that your content pops up when readers are searching.
There are a couple of helpful tools, like Google’s Keyword Planner or Google Trends that can help you create and track the performance of your keywords. You can even use Google Alerts to monitor the web for trends based on your keywords.
It may seem intimidating at first, but buckling down to learn more about SEO and keyword planning can definitely help you in the long run.
A great place to start is by reading the how-to’s of it all through outlets like HubSpot (check out their article How to Do Keyword Research for SEO) or use one of Google’s free courses at their Analytics Academy to get started.
Keep Your Competition Close
There is something to be said for keeping your competitors close. While copying content is never okay, staying aware of what competitors and similar creators are putting out is always important.
Reading about the news project or recipe from a competitor can be a great indicator of what is trending since both groups of followers are likely the same or very similar.
Paying attention to what does well for someone else is a smart and easy way to keep up with what interests your audience. The best part is all you have to do is scroll through your own social media feeds to see it!
Be A News(letter) Junkie
One of the best ways to stay in the loop on trends is to research beyond your social media feeds.
There are so many great media outlets that offer interesting posts for content creators and insight on what is trending each day. Many even include free newsletter options.
Here are a few of our favorite outlets to see what’s trending.
Style Blueprint focuses on women’s lifestyles, food, and fashion trends. The best part? Style Blueprint lets you define your search to see trends in major southern cities. You can subscribe to their newsletter here.
From what’s trending in your home to what should be cooking in your kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens tracks it all. Their site is easy to navigate, bright, and full of the most up-to-date trends in home, garden, and food. They have so many options for newsletters that you can alter to fit your interests.
Pottery Barn is so much more than a retailer! With links for inspiration and trends, it’s hard not to leave their site with new ideas. Their newsletter includes everything you’re looking for in design, decor - they even offer lookbooks!
Did you think that we would forget our favorite newsletter option? We include highlights and details on the most popular posts of the month and what’s trending across Hometalk, Upstyle, and Foodtalk in every monthly creator newsletter. Keep an eye on what we feature in our daily newsletters as a way to check out our most popular posts.
Do you have another way you’ve found works to stay ahead of trends? Let us know in the comments below!