The Importance of Trend Research
In the dynamic landscape of small business marketing, keeping updated on trends and staying ahead of the curve are vital for success. While jumping in on viral moments on social media shows that you’re on the pulse, what’s ultimately more valuable is long-term trend research. By understanding the why behind trends, you can begin to think about how you can use those sentiments to better connect with your target audience and craft marketing strategies that resonate in the ever-evolving consumer landscape.
Where Can You Research Trending Topics?
Timeliness and relevancy are key to engaging people in today’s society. From water cooler chats to trending sounds on TikTok, cultural happenings are a touchpoint in many lives. There are many sites you can use to keep up with what people are talking about.
Google Trends uses weekly search volume to chart what people are interested in right now. The more searches, the more popular that topic is. The Trending Now tab lets you browse popular searches with search volume for the past several days. You can also use Google Trends to research search terms relevant to your industry, track interest over time, and compare terms.
On social media, use the Explore pages on TikTok and Instagram to see what the general public is talking about. This is where you’ll find those viral trends to participate in. You can also subscribe to the HeyOrca newsletter for a recap of trending audio on social, along with other social media marketing tips.
Other sites like Treendly and Exploding Topics curate trends that their algorithms have identified as rising rapidly. Using these sites can help you to be proactive on potentially upcoming trends. If something is trending that is relevant to your industry or product selection, try running advertising or promotions around it.
Finally, turn to the experts for regular roundups, like Google’s Year In Search, and annual predictions, like Pinterest Predicts. These can provide you with broad stroke insights and better understand the trend cycle.
Digging Deeper: What Do Trends Really Mean?
The real key to using trends when promoting your business is to understand the WHY behind the trend. What is making these things popular? What does its popularity say about what people are craving?
For example, Y2K products and styles have been exploding in popularity among Gen Zers. Since Gen Z began with people born in the year 1997, the early 2000s were their early formative years. They saw trends that they were too young to participate in, so participating in them now is nostalgic. It reminds them of the easier days of being a child and growing up with no cares or worries — now they have college or are working at their first job and are stressed about their future. The Y2K trend brings them back to a simpler time. This means that Gen Zers are looking for things that bring them comfort and ease.
A marketing trend we’ve seen in the past few years is the rise of influencers and TikTok. This is because of a craving for authenticity and human connection. Gen Z and Millennials typically don’t trust brands and corporations, especially because they’ve experienced multiple economic crashes and inflation periods in their lifetimes. According to a 2019 Edelman study, 63% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers said they trust what influencers say about brands more than they trust the brand’s advertisements. For these generations, hearing about products from real people is important, because they want to know something is worth their time and money, instead of just believing a commercial.
Taking Trend Research To The Next Level
Once you’ve started thinking about the meaning behind trends, you can take that understanding and apply it to your business. If Gen Z is craving nostalgia, authenticity, and human connection, what does that say about what other products they might like and how you should communicate with them? How can you use these feelings to leverage your products?
You can also use these concepts to predict future trends. Consider what the natural progression in sentiment will be as your target customers age. As Gen Z reaches their late 20s and Millennials hit 40, what are they going to be feeling, and what will that make them crave?
Leave The Trend Research To Us
Being proactive on trends takes a lot of work and psychological understanding. At Wild Ivy Media, we keep our finger on the pulse, continually analyzing trends and thinking about the broader implications of them. Let us do a deep dive into your brand and audience and create a strategic content marketing plan that capitalizes on the driving forces behind these trends and communicates with your target audience in a way that will resonate with them.
Contact us today for a free consultation about how we can partner with your small business or nonprofit and help you grow to new heights.
