Social Media Trends You Can Ignore (And a Few to Care About)

Trending content is everywhere. It can be hard to know what trends you should even lean into and which you can ignore. In this blog I’ll be breaking down all of the social media trends you can officially set aside. 

If you’re a business owner, it can be easy to get caught up in shiny object syndrome. There are so many things you can do, it can be hard to know where to start. Trends seem like an easy place for you to lean into to get content posted. But in reality, worrying about them can often hold you back from posting. 

Social Media Trends You Can Ignore:

Any New Platform or New Channel

It sounds counterintuitive, but I don’t encourage business owners to be one of the first people to jump on a new platform. Especially if you are having trouble keeping up with the ones you are already on! Give the platform time for other creators to use it and determine a proven strategy that you can adapt to your niche and business. 

Hashtags and Posting at The Right Time

People ask me all the time - when’s the best time to post and what hashtags should I be using. The best time to post is when your audience is online. But when you post doesn’t matter nearly as much as how often you post. The key is consistency! Same with hashtags. Having the right hashtags isn’t going to make or break how well your post does. What will make or break your post is how good the content is. 

Dancing on Camera

Newsflash, you don’t have to do it. I’ve never done it and I never will. Yet, I’ve been posting Reels constantly for months. 

Trying to Be Everywhere

The more you try and post everywhere and on every platform, the less effective your content will be. Instead of taking the same post and scheduling it across 7 platforms, I recommend you focus on and prioritize a couple of channels at a time. Trying to be on too many channels is the quickest way to social media overwhelm and burnout. Prioritize the channels where your ideal clients are hanging out. 

Now that we know what to let go of, here’s what you should pay attention to on social media when creating your content. 

Social Media Trends to Care About

Video

As I mentioned, you don’t have to dance on camera for your videos to be effective. But videos are here to stay. (In fact, faceless videos are super trendy and effective right now!) They are the best way to grow on almost all social media platforms and can help you tell your brand story in the most engaging way. 

Unpolished Content

Unpolished is in - HOORAY! A lot of creators have been releasing ‘photo dumps’ as carousels. This means they are literally flipping through their camera rolls to find a few photos from their past month or week to ‘dump’ in a carousel post. These pictures are never really curated which makes them an awesome way for your followers to see a little bit more of a raw and real side to you and your world. (Don’t forget to use Stories as a way to show your followers more of the behind the scenes!) 

Storytelling

Storytelling has been around forever. There’s a reason for this! They capture and draw us in. Stories are also some of the easiest content you can create that will tell your audience about you and your brand. And because they are in a story format (beginning, climax, end) - they are easy for your audience to remember! 

Being Authentic

We are all craving authenticity! Your followers can feel it when you’re being authentic - and when you’re not. It’s also one of the best ways to grow trust with your audience quickly. This looks like bringing your own perspective, ideas, and opinions and sharing them in your own words. Being authentic helps you stand out and create credibility and authority. It also helps others get to know your personality. 

Now you know the trends to let go of and which ones to embrace. But, here is the truth. None of these things truly matter if you are posting on the wrong channels, not speaking to the right audience, or you aren’t posting at all. Trends can help you get more eyes on your posts, but you have to have a content strategy to create great content. 

Don’t want to do this strategy alone? I don’t blame you. I’m here to help you create a strategy that showcases you and your business.