It is not enough to have a website or social media page with faithful followers. You also need to get involved in discussions revolving around your industry online to establish your company or brand as an authoritative source. One of the best ways to get ahead of the competition and come out on top is by tracking emerging trends. 

Tracking Trends Explained

Tracking a trend is a component of social listening that allows you to gauge what is popular among social media users. The practice often involves experts monitoring how much traffic your posts receive online as well as the responses to what you post. 

Keeping up with hashtags is also a way to stay on top of emerging trends. A hashtag, in many ways, makes it easy to track down the competition, so you can see what works, or does not work, for them. You can avoid the pitfalls by taking lessons from the competition and making improvements according to the response of their customers and social media followers. 

Of course, you should not go into the process of monitoring emerging trends without a strategy. Here are four questions to consider when creating a plan. 

Question #1: Why is the topic popular?

All press is not good press in the current social climate. It is possible for your post to go viral for all the wrong reasons. Tracking emerging trends and implementing the other elements of social listening can help you rectify negative press quickly so that you do not have to work to re-establish your brand. 

If your post is going viral for all the right reasons, then you should take away what customers like about your presentation. It may be a good idea to implement these elements in future posts.

Question #2: Where is the topic going viral?

Popularity on Facebook is not the same as admiration on Twitter. You may find yourself in a better position to turn your views into profit on Facebook as the platform encourages more investment in a company than Twitter, which is built on blurbs or quick phrases. Instagram is also a great place to go viral because the format of the site allows you to showcase the best parts of your company using pictures. 

Question #3: Can your brand add value to the conversation?

It is not always wise to jump into every subject online. You should only contribute to a topic if you know that you are an expert in the field and your brand would serve to benefit from the discussion. 

Question #4: Is there existing content available to address the topic?

Perhaps, you have already discussed the matter at hand in-depth. Directing social media to an article or guide that provides insight into the topic can be the pathway to garnering more nods online and to establishing yourself as well as the company as authoritative avenues. 

The world of social media can be confusing for the average business owner. Such is the reason why you need an expert in your corner to both monitor and create engaging social media posts. 

NetBase Quid is your one-stop for social media marketing when it comes to emerging trends and social listening. Let our team help you establish yourself as well as your brand in this digital era.