Whether it’s the color of the year or the latest meme, trends are everywhere. They influence design, pop culture and even politics. They can be fun, fabulous or downright appalling but no matter what they are, trends have one thing in common — they’re short-lived. However, what is it that causes something to become a trend and not just another fad? How do trends emerge and how can you capitalize on them to boost your business?

Trends are a result of social forces that shape styles and tastes. They can be driven by designers showing off new collections, the clothing worn by celebrities or social media influencers or even a nation’s current mood. Trends are also influenced by economic factors and sometimes even by natural disasters. Once they’re established, they can return as part of a cycle, like the nylon bag that was trendy in 1984 but has now been relaunched by Prada.

It’s important to understand the difference between a trend and a fad because it can have major implications for your marketing strategy. While a fad may be short-lived, a trend is sustainable because it addresses a consumer need and has mass appeal. While the difference is subtle, it can mean a big difference in your marketing efforts and how your audience interacts with your brand.

A trend is an idea or behavior that becomes popular and gains traction on a social network or within an industry. You can see trending topics by visiting a platform’s Explore or Trending sections (like Instagram’s Trending Page, Twitter’s ‘Explore’ section and TikTok’s ‘Trending’ page). These pages show the most talked about topics or hashtags on that particular social network.

If you want to get your campaign trending, you need to have a unique hashtag that isn’t already being used by others and have a call-to-action. You should also be mindful of the timing, as you don’t want to try and start a trend during a high-profile event or when it might be difficult to rise above political rhetoric or other competing interests.

You can use tools such as Ahrefs or Sitechecker to find out which keywords are trending and generate content that includes those keywords in an authentic and engaging way. It’s also worth researching what your competitors are doing to ensure that you’re not covering the same topics but offering a different perspective or solution to consumers.

You can also leverage tools such as Google Trends to identify broader trends and make sure that the topics you’re covering are relevant to your ideal audience. This can help you create more effective campaigns and increase the likelihood that they’ll be successful. However, it’s essential that you don’t focus solely on what’s currently trending because this can lead to a lack of originality and a failure to deliver on your brand promise. Instead, focus on creating great content and then use your audience’s feedback to identify and capitalize on emerging trends.