Trending Topics – What Are They?
There are many different types of trends, and they all come from varying definitions. In Twitter terminology, a trend is a term, or subject which is being talked about more than the rest. Trending topics quickly become popular either due to an occurrence or through a concerted effort by online users.
The definition of a trend can depend on who you ask, but typically it refers to long-term, sustained changes in a given topic or category. Trends in social media often become more noticeable during major events such as a presidential election or the release of new software. There are a number of different ways to look at what constitutes a trend. Some consider trending topics as a measurement of public opinion or social sentiment toward certain topics.
Others look at trending topics to determine if a trending topic is moving toward a more specific outcome, such as a brand’s product line expansion. When this happens, the brand makes announcements or posts on their social media channels indicating how soon they hope to make a specific change. Other brands use trending topics to gauge public interest in their business. For example, if a skateboard company wants to make a specific piece of skateboarder clothing, they may mention a few different trends in the news as well as discuss any recent environmental issues which may have sparked consumer interest in the product. This allows the company to get real feedback directly from consumers, which can prove to be invaluable in measuring their success and in helping to build their reputation.
In addition to looking at trends to determine public opinion, some use trending topics as a way of finding certain terms which are popular among other users. These can include hashtags, which are used to categorize posts, and are usually defined as starting keywords which are used in a post. Popular hashtags at time of writing include #wicca, #hapacific, #foodnetwork, and #bikerace. In these examples, the starting keywords used are all related to food, and so it is not unknown for the various brands to post articles discussing food or the latest trend in food. Trending topics can also be used by marketers to highlight content that has already been posted. This means that posts which have already been online and which are trending will appear higher when they are searched for.
In order to make use of trending topics effectively, marketers need to understand how they work. A few people on social media have noted that the recent surge in Twitter users making use of hashtags may be related to the fact that the company whose tagline was ‘Twitter Makes the World Go Round’ has released a number of new apps related to the trending topic. It may also be that the company itself has set up its Twitter account in order to implement the trending hash tag as many individuals do. Regardless of why the trending tags have become an important part of the internet landscape, they are here to stay.
Trends are good for business and good for marketing. When a trending topic becomes popular enough for a large volume of consumers to search for it in a short space of time there is bound to be an increase in the number of product hunters making use of the tool. In this way, trending topics and trending product hunt topics are not mutually exclusive, and having a strong understanding of the importance of trending topics and trending product hunt topics can help businesses make the most of their marketing budget.