8 Tried and Tested Ways To Keep Up With The Ever-Changing Social Media Trends
Let’s face it – the face of social media changes in the blink of an eye. Before you can prepare for a new Instagram challenge, you have a trending Tweet to respond to. As a social media manager, you don’t only have 10 different platforms to take care of, you also have to keep up with the latest trending content on each of them. Not just that, you also have to manage and leverage every new feature, update, and functionality that the platforms give you. After all, what’s Instagram without reels today, and what’s Facebook without its marketplace now.
All said and done, clearly, keeping up with all things that are new on social media is not easy. In fact, it may even seem like an unimaginable feat. So, do you just give up? Not at all, you just learn from the pros.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to go to every social media pro’s LinkedIn profile and DM them for tips. We’ve done the legwork for you. Yes, you can thank us later on social media, if you’d like.
However, based on our research, experience, and learning from the leading brands which ace social media marketing and the tips from their social media managers, we’ve penned down the best ways to keep up with the Social Media Trends.
Dive right in!
Source: Facebook
Way 1: Spend time on Social Media every day.
As obvious as it may sound, the best and the most effective way to learn about social media is to be on social media as an observer and content consumer. The first step to this would be optimizing your social media as per your niche and the industry that you work in.
For instance, if your work is more tech-driven, make sure you follow people, gurus, specialists, and pages who regularly post updates and features content related to that. Here are a few accounts you must check out if you are a tech geek.
Similarly, if you’re more into the spectrum of Digital Marketing, you would not want to miss these accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
Source: Digital.gov
Way 2: Join relevant Groups and Communities
Online communities, groups, and discussion forums are excellent ways to learn and stay updated with your industry trends. Frequent conversations with people in your industry who share their personal experiences and new updates help in gaining more knowledge about the field.
Having said that, you need to make sure the ones you join are the right and genuine ones because quite often, these groups are merely staged to promote their work and no valuable exchange of knowledge takes place. Search for such groups on LinkedIn and Facebook in your niche- whether it’s something as generic as Digital Marketing or SEO for eCommerce. Be as precise as you can because the more specific you are, the more relevant information you’ll find.
Way 3: Subscribe to Newsletters and Magazines
Newsletters are probably the best way for you to stay updated with the hot sauce about what’s new on social media if scrolling through social media and the internet is each and every day is not your cup of tea.
There are numerous weekly newsletters that highlight the main trends and happenings of the week about all things social media so you would absolutely not want to miss out on this list of the best ones.
Don’t you have days when you are on a social media detox or don’t feel like associating with social media but still want to be in line with what’s happening in the industry? Worry not, cause we’ve got you covered with these print magazines and publications which round up the monthly/weekly events of the internet for you.
Source: Disqus
Way 4: Search Smart, not Hard
A lesser-known and underrated method of getting the latest drips on social media trends is making full use of the ‘Search by hashtags’ feature of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Hashtags like #SocialMediaUpdates and #WhatsNewOnSocialMedia and those that experts in your industry use can give you access to the goldmine of new updates on any and everything.
Instagram recently introduced a new Keyword Search feature that allows you to search by specific keywords in your industry and is an amazing feature for creators to discover and get discovered if that particular post contains the keywords of your niche that people are most likely to search for.
Way 5: Listen to Podcasts
There’s no denying the fact that nowadays our attention span has drastically reduced and the urge to multitask at its all-time high. As a result, at every step of the way with so much on our plate, sitting down especially to read and learn is not possible for all of us. In this case, podcasts are the best way to make use of the time we are busy with tasks that do not require our complete attention.
Times when we are driving, exercising, doing household chores, or even showering, can be used to do some learning so you don’t feel the FOMO of what is happening around the world. Sometimes it can take a bit of searching to find the right fit for you but when you do, it will be no less than a goldmine of knowledge.
Source: TechCrunch
To get you started, here are some of the podcasts that provide invaluable industry insights when it comes to social media, digital marketing, and more.
Call to Action: With actionable tips and advice from experts, this podcast covers everything from conversion rate optimization to pay-per-click advertising.
Social Media Marketing Podcast: Listen to Social Media Examiner Michael Stelzner who teaches you how to refine your social media marketing with real examples.
Perpetual Traffic: As the name suggests, the Podcast educates you on how to increase website traffic and generate more sales.
Way 6: Network with Like-minded Individuals
Peer-to-peer learning always works. So, building yourself a network of like-minded people which consists of social media enthusiasts, managers and marketers is a great source to gain industry insights and build mutually beneficial professional relationships.
You can have one-on-one conversations with fellow marketers or even create a group on a social media platform where all kinds of social media news and trends are shared. This can be a secret treasure that would prove beneficial for all the members.
Not only that, even at times when you’re stuck and are quite not able to grasp a concept or apply it, having a solid network comes to your rescue. Your network can also guide towards executive better, more impactful social media campaigns.
Source: AbbreviationFinder
Way 7: Keep watching Youtube Videos
The most interesting and attention-grabbing format of learning has always been the video format. Moreover, it offers a more detailed and comprehensive learning experience for the viewers.
So, sometimes all you need to do to keep up with the changing times or evolve your social media strategy based on a new feature is to watch a video about it. You’d not only learn all about the feature and how to use it but will also get guidance on when to use it.
Here are some great digital marketing YouTube channels worth following:
Gary Vaynerchuk: The literal father of Digital Marketing, he shares his tips and advice on becoming successful in the digital marketing field.
Marketingland: This is a very helpful channel that mainly features social media news and tips for marketers.
Digital Marketing Institute: With regular videos, this channel provides valuable insights and expert advice on everything from online advertising to content marketing.
Source: Youtube
Way 8: Keep a close check on your competitors
As the adage goes, “Keep your friends close and enemies closer.” While we would not call you competitors your enemies, they’re still your rivals catering to the same audience as you. So, you’ve got to not only keep tabs on their game and but also make sure that you beat them at their game.
Not just that, sometimes, even after the rigorous research, reading, and watching the latest videos on different social media trends, you may tend to miss one or two pieces of news of trend once in a while. Despite that, you can leverage that trend for your account if you are watchful of the activities of your close and direct competitors.
Of course, you don’t have to copy-paste the trend- it’s solely for the purpose of being aware and consequently giving it your own twist which resonates with the tonality and values of your brand.
Summing it up
We get it – handling social media is not easy but it becomes slightly easier when you know the what and how on managing it better. While you still have a lot to keep an eye on, hope these tips can help you ace your social media game better in the future.
Trust us, it’s all about knowing what’s happening around you in the social world. Just keep your eyes and ears open for trends and you should be good to go!
