Social media is always changing and it's worthwhile to pay attention to the newest trends so you can make the most of your time online. Here are my top trends to try in order to grow your business using social media.

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Social Media Trends to Grow Your Business

Whether you like it or not, social media is a key part of growing your business online and it is in your best interests to pay attention to the latest trends so that when you spend time on social media, it's time well spent. Today we are going to look at how things have changed, what's hot and what's not, so that you can take advantage of the latest trends and use them to grow your following and grow your business. Sound good?

1. Good Content

We are mostly going to be focusing on Instagram but these trends definitely apply to platforms like Facebook or TikTok as well. The first trend is having good content instead of perfect pictures. Long gone are the days where you need to fill your feed with professional photos. Can I get an amen?

I remember when I used to feel like I needed super professional photos for my Instagram so it looked perfect and beautiful all the time. Now, people care far more about whether or not your content is relevant to them and offers solutions to the problems that they have. You want it to be authentic, and most importantly to speak directly to your target audience.

2. Get Their Attention

What does matter is the first snapshot or thumbnail that they see. People are just skimming their feeds when they scroll on FB or IG so you need to make sure that as they skim past your content, it is immediately evident to them that you are talking about somethin relevant to them. So either the image or the text on the image should communicate that to them and make them want to click on it.  Think about key words that your target audience might be searching for, use those in your title, make it clear what your content is about, and make sure that their thumbnail or first thing they see grabs their attention.

3. Reels

Instagram has gone from a photography platform to a video platform seemingly overnight. Before, we could do longer videos on IGTV but what is super hot right now are short form videos called Reels. These can be up to a minute long but what is the most trendy or videos that are only 6-12 seconds long. People love watching reels and scrolling endlessly through this type of content.  It's entertaining and easy to consume in large quantities so you want to be taking advantage of this to reach your audience.

One of my favorites is @elyse_myers because her content is so relatable and hilarious and she does such a good job at showing her quirky personality. There is nothing polished or perfect about her but that's what makes it so fun to watch. Anyone can do this!

4. Consistency

Consistency is still king. This has never changed. No matter what platform you are putting content on, being consistent is extremely important. This helps the algorithm show your content to more people. Some gurus even say that you should be posting up to 12 Instagram stories a day! You might not be able to keep up with something like that but the point is, post consistently! Show your audience that you always have something new so they keep coming back for more.

5. Tagging & Mentions

Another popular trend is tagging or mentioning people in your posts. People love being included in your content. If you tag someone or mention them in your post or story or reel, they will likely reshare that content on their feed which gets you in front of more people.  This is also going to increase your engagement which is super important! People buy based on reviews and testimonials so if you can give someone a review or share a testimonial about them, they are most likely going to share it which will cause others to want to come check you out and follow you. 

If you want people to talk about you, talk about them. If you want your students to talk about you, make sure you are talking about YOUR mentors. If you want customers to share about you, make sure you are actively sharing about products YOU love. 

6. Use Trending Audio

Since we are using video more we want to be using audio as well. You can find trending audios on either Tik Tok or Instagram. Usually audio that is trending on TikTok will also be trending on Instagram. You can use an app such as Trend Tok to find trending audios or you can just take note of audios that you like as you encounter them. Save audios as you find them and just make note of them for later. Follow others who are doing amazing things in your niche on social media and see what trending audios they are using. Or if you are on TikTok, you can go to "discover" and see what is trending that day and use those audios in your reels, or use those hashtags.

7. Follow Trends

Apparently it's not super important to be totally original all the time. Now, it's more important to be following trends than it is to make your own original content all the time. That's not to say that you shouldn't be original, maybe you will start your own trend! But pay attention to what is trending, which audios are trending on reels etc, and try to adopt that into your posts but still making it your own. 

For example, you may have seen the "Drop it like it's hot" trend that everyone is doing right now. If you want to use that, make sure you do it in a way that is on brand for you, put your own spin on it. If I were going to use it, I would "drop it like it's hot" on my boat, or in my office or on my surfboard. Following trends is going to drive more traffic to you so it is worth while to pay attention to what others are doing, and then make it your own.

 8. Repurpose & Reuse Old Content

You may have seen my recent episode "How to turn one piece of content into ten". A great way to create more content on social media is reusing your older content. Maybe you have stories or youtube videos from last year that are still good content, still relevant to your audience, that you can now turn into a reel and share with your audience again. There may be some people who remember it from before, but you have probably gained a number of new followers who may have never seen that content from you before so don't be afraid to reshare your content!

9. Respond to Comments with a Reel

Another great way to create new content and engage your audience is to respond to comments in a reel. If someone leaves a comment asking you a good question, you can create a reel to respond to them. Tik Tok even has a feature where you can take that comment and have it up on the screen as you answer them which also tags that person so they can see it. This shows your audience that you are listening and engaging with them, and makes them want to comment more and interact with you so they can be featured in one of your reels. It's also a great way to get content ideas and give your audience exactly what they are looking for.

10. Adding Text To Your Reels

Another great trend is adding text to your reels. However make sure you do it in a way that is easy to read. It's best to have your text show up top to bottom and left to right because that is how we naturally read. Reels are quick so there isn't a lot of time for your audience to read, so make it as easy as possible for them! You can also use text to get them to read more in your caption. 

11. Carousels

Carousels are another great way to engage your audience and get them to slow their scroll and spend time on your content. Carousels are for Instagram and they are static images that your audience can scroll through by swiping left and right. This is a great way to share multiple points. For example, the first image should be something that entices them to swipe so you could post something like "10 Social Media Trends to Try Right Now" with an arrow telling them to swipe. Then each consecutive image gives them one point and the last image could give a call to action. You can also have a question on the first image and they have to swipe to get the answer.

12. Add a Hook to Your Captions

Your caption is only a line or two long so you should be making it something that will grab their attention or entice them to keep going. For example "I have a secret" or "Myth" which will peak their curiosity and make them want to watch your video or read your post. You could also try "FACT" or "Remember when..." or "True or False" or "Listen Up". All of these can cause them to stop and read more. Ask yourself "if I saw this would I want to read more? Would I know that this is relevant to me?"

13. Use Photos That Fill The Screen

You no longer need to post only square images. You can now post images that fill the entire screen which is great for you. If people are scrolling, you want your images to take up the most real estate so post images that take up the entire screen!

Lastly, learn from the best by following people who are experts in this field. I'm going to share with you some of the best people to follow in order to learn more about how to use these trends to grow your audience! Here are my faves:

Brock Johnson @brock11johnson

Jasmine Star @jasminestar

Virginia Kerr @thisisvirginiakerr

I hope you found this helpful and are going to try at least a few of these to grow your following online. Of course, the end game is to get those people to go from your social media to your website so you can get them on your email list, or turn them into clients and customers. One important key in making that happen is having a beautiful website setup that will collect leads for you and turn them into customers that keep coming back!

With that in mind, I want to invite you to a FREE Masterclass I am teaching on how to do just that! "How to Build a Wildly Profitable Website Without Knowing a Thing About Tech!"

April 12 at 8pm EST

The link to join is below, I can’t wait to see you there!

Free MasterClass: Register now!!

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