Each year, as Spotify Wrapped takes over our social media feeds, I am struck by how many companies are so quick to jump on a trend, even when doing so attracts negative attention. Recently, a client asked whether we should use the Spotify Wrapped trend to create content for their social media accounts. It made us pause and ask an important question, just because this is trending should we really be using it? So, when is it a good idea to follow a trend and when isn’t:
How does it relate to your company and brand identity?
If the trend doesn’t align with your brand identity and core values, then just going with the flow and posting for the sake of it can confuse your audience and even weaken your reach and engagement. Spotify Wrapped flooded our feeds within minutes, but it didn’t take long for the backlash to begin. Within a few hours, criticism started being published, negative comments started appearing, and audiences grew tired of seeing brands jump on the trend. Another important thing to mention here, if you are late to the trend just don’t bother. In most cases, within 24 hours the novelty has already worn off.
How will it impact your brand?
Jumping on a trend without knowing why or how it serves your goals can do more harm than good. If a trend becomes a one-off gimmick that can potentially harm your brand, it’s best to avoid it. Jumping on a trend just to seem relevant shouldn’t never be the goal. The goal is to post content that will genuinely resonate with your audience, and if the trend supports that, then yes go for it.
Remember: your business account is not a personal account
One thing that we advise our customers to think about, is that your business profile or page are not your personal accounts. We understand that your personal feed might be surrounded with Spotify wrapped variations, but that’s another pool of audience, it exists in another context. Your customers and followers will see posts coming from a business, not an individual, and expectations are different. So, what can we do? We can adapt a trend to meet your brand’s identity. A perfect example is using trending audios. We take something that is trending but can adapt it by using original content that stays true to your brand’s identity. Staying “relevant” without compromising. A great example of this done well is Specsavers on TikTok. Rather than blindly copying trends, they adapt them to fit their brand tone and humour. The result is entertaining without feeling forced. Let talk about how we can use trends to benefit your company, get in touch.
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