Trending is a term used to describe topics, hashtags, and keywords that are popular on social media at a particular time. They are often associated with current events and pop culture, but can also be influenced by social campaigns and online challenges. Trending is determined by the algorithms that social platforms use to measure popularity and identify topics of interest. Trends can be global or local in scope.

Businesses use trend analysis to gain insights into future market conditions and consumer behaviors, enabling them to align strategic goals with projected market potential. They may gather data from a variety of sources, including customer information, financial reports, and other external data points. Trend analyses can be conducted using various methods, including time-series and regression analysis.

For example, a ecommerce company might perform regression analysis to evaluate how changes in product pricing or marketing campaigns impact customer sales over time. Using the results of this analysis, it can develop more effective strategies for long-term success.

In addition to using predictive analytics, business leaders can tap into the power of trend analysis in a real-time setting. For instance, a company might monitor the Twitter feeds of its top customers to identify common themes in their feedback. This can help the business create new products and services that are more likely to resonate with consumers.

While it’s important to recognize the limitations of trend analysis, this tool is still valuable in identifying new opportunities and potential threats. For example, a company might discover that its current product offerings are not meeting the needs of its target audience and plan to introduce new software in response.

Trends can help a brand appear in more feeds and search results, increasing the number of people who see its content. However, it’s important to avoid using trending topics in a way that draws attention for the wrong reasons. Breaking Twitter’s rules for trend abuse can result in account suspension, so a business should ensure that its posts and other content relate to the topic at hand in some way.

YouTube’s “Trending” section relies on the platform’s algorithm to identify popular videos that are being watched by the most users. The algorithm takes into account factors like lifetime views and how quickly the video gains popularity among viewers. Trending videos can also be influenced by geographic location and the interests of users who follow certain creators.

TikTok’s ‘Trending’ page uses the same algorithm to find the most popular videos among its users. Videos that are popular in a given region can become trends, and are often featured on the homepage. Trends can also be started by any TikTok user, and have the ability to influence other trending topics. One example is the ‘Grimace shake’ challenge, which was launched by McDonald’s and gained momentum as a viral trend on the platform in 2023. The company’s campaign helped it stand out to its customers and build brand loyalty.