How To Use TikTok Trends To Grow Your Business
If you’ve been on TikTok even for a little while, you’ve probably heard of ‘TikTok trends’. TikTok trends at their core are audios, subject matters, editing styles, or other significant video aspects that perform exceedingly well in the TikTok algorithm. While some trends rise and fall within a matter of days, others can last weeks, months, or even years, if they resonate enough with people. Brands can and should capitalize on the power of these TikTok trends, but the true magic behind them is knowing which trends you should join in on, and when. Not every trend is made the same, and choosing the perfect trend and moment to make content around is key to successfully growing your brand presence on TikTok. There are three main kinds of TikTok trends, and each have their own life cycle and impact on the algorithm and your brand: trend moments, trend signals, and trend forces.
Trend moments are like microtrends in fashion. They tend to be quick, witty, powerful, but die out within a couple of days. One such trend was the ‘very demure, very mindful’ trend, where people shared things they liked or approved of. This covers many topics such as fashion, dating, or even business. This trend did not last long, but due to its silly and almost sarcastic nature, spread like wildfire quickly. Trend moments are extremely rare to capitalize on successfully due to how short it’s lifecycle is. Also, it’s difficult to find trend moments that resonate with your brand and messaging. In order to truly capitalize on the right trend moments, you need to identify the right trend moments and turn over content quickly. Otherwise, you won't get the results you’re hoping for.
Trend signals are the sweet spot for brands. These are trends with a consistent staying power because of how they resonate with audiences. Think of the ‘delulu’ trend. This trend stuck around longer and still lingers today, because of its connection to an overall societal wave of empowerment and confidence. Audiences resonate with the overall idea, it’s easily replicable, and it’s also broad enough to apply to many different topics. Trend signals last significantly longer than trend moments, which can give you ample time to curate the best content, with many of them lasting a few weeks, months, and in some cases years. These are the trends you want to focus the majority of your attention on. You can create a series of videos on these trends, which will provide you with a powerful content pillar for your audience.
When it comes to trend forces, they can be much broader and far reaching than trend signals. These often refer to editing styles or video types - think of the acting video trend, unhinged storytelling trend, or dancing trends on TikTok. These are defining categories that indicate a cultural shift in what type of content people want to consume. These forces will have a big effect on the types of trend signals and trend moments that take off on the platform. In essence, they are what shape the overall algorithm. Keeping a pulse on these trend forces and how they affect other trends on TikTok are a key factor in determining the best trends to jump on, differentiating between a trend moment and a trend signal, and helping guide you to an overall content strategy.
Trends matter. Trends on TikTok are incredibly powerful tools for brands when used correctly. It’s so important to have the resources in place to follow the lifecycle of trends on TikTok, identify the type of trends out there, and choose the right trend to hop on. Trend moments are great, but they require a lot more resources to hop on them effectively, and may not always align with your brand since they tend to be extremely hyper-specific. The best ones to take note of are trend signals, because they give you a bit more flexibility on the creative side and how it is you package that trend, and they are easier to spot. Trend forces are always important to take note of when it comes to remaining relevant, but easy to identify as long as you have an active social media presence. Understanding the science of TIkTok trends will help you take your content strategy to the next level.
