Trendjacking… WTF is it?

Trendjacking… what is it?

Despite misconceptions, trendjacking is used more often than you may realize. But, what exactly is it? Trendjacking is when a brand or personality hops on the popularity of a trend for their benefit. On the surface, it’s that simple, but like all things in social media, it can be a delicate art form.

Spotting an opportunity is the first step. 

If you’re paying attention, you’ll often be able to sense a rise in popularity of certain memes, hashtags, or even the latest TikTok dance. Social media listening tools or a savvy social media marketing team can be a huge help.

Don’t forget the holidays. There’s emotion and hype in the holidays. When it makes sense, you can use this to your advantage! Don’t go overboard, however… throwing something up for “national french fry day” can feel inauthentic if it doesn’t make sense for your brand.

Real world events make a huge splash online. Do you remember the 2013 Superbowl? The power went out during the game as 108 million people watched gameplay halt for 32 minutes. Oreo took advantage of the situation to post a simple, but perhaps the most effective Tweet in the company’s history with a graphic of the cookie and text “you can still dunk in the dark.”

Be mindful.

Beware of anything too polarizing. Hopping on trends can be an effective marketing tool, and in fact you’re doing yourself a disservice if you actively avoid social media trends. However, it can come with a little pushback especially in instances of polarizing, sensitive, or political events. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to avoid these, but make sure it aligns with your brand mission and voice.

How do you *plan* for trends to… jack? In most cases, you don’t. While you can plan for the built-in hype of holidays or major events like the Olympics, it often comes down to paying attention to the social media landscape and reacting accordingly.

We can help.

It’s not easy being “always-on” when it comes to social media while keeping your business running. We’re here to help. We’re always listening, watching, tweeting, and consuming content from all corners of the social media world to stay in tune with all the latest trends and help our brand family take advantage when it makes sense.

Want to up your business’s social media game? Set up a short, FREE discovery call, and let’s chat about your goals to see if we can help!