74. The Death of Trending Culture: Why You Need to Rethink Your Social Media Strategy in 2023
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Are trending TikToks and reels out for 2023? The answer is a resounding…kinda. Let me break down exactly why I predict the death of trends in 2023, and what that means for rethinking your social media strategy when it comes to video content.
Last time, I shared my 2023 video content predictions that I, as a video marketing coach, think you should be leveraging in your social media strategy. And a common theme throughout the entire episode was that you need to be creating more original video content rather than chasing the trends. In fact, my prediction is that you might not have to use trends at all in your social media strategy for your short-form videos this year.
The Trending Content Boom
In order to talk about the downfall of trends on TikTok and reels, it's really important to talk about the boom of trending content in 2020.
Let me take you back to 2020, Peak Pandemic time. This is really where we started to see trends becoming such a big part of TikTok, but they eventually spread to reels on Instagram as well. And when you really think about what we were all collectively experiencing at that time, entertaining trending content was quite literally an escape from our reality. We all desired an element of community, to feel like we were a part of something. By scrolling through a trend and watching all these different takes on the same idea, you felt like you were in on an inside joke. It was, quite literally, a communal healing experience during a time when the world felt quite dark.
Even well into 2021, not only were consumers loving trends, but trends were a surefire way to make popular short-form video content. It was an entirely new way for a lot of businesses and brands to show up creatively on these apps. It added personality and made your content really fun for consumers, which was what people were needing at that time.
It was especially simple to utilize in your social media strategy because it essentially had a built-in outline that showed you exactly what audio you should be using and how you should be using it while still allowing you to put your own spin on it.
Not only was it a great entry point into short-form video content, but we saw amazing results with it. I remember when I was doing mostly trending content when reels came to Instagram, I saw the most organic growth I'd ever seen with Instagram. Any other way of growing on Instagram just couldn't compare to leveraging trends.
But that brings us to the present day, where things have begun to radically change…
No More Trends
Nowadays, short-form video content has become so much less about trends and so much more about connecting with your favorite brands and creators and getting a lot of value from that video content.
There was an entire article floating around that was going more in-depth on why the TikTok trends are dying, and to quote a really great line that I think hits this point home, “Users follow creators, not trends.” This applies to small businesses, as well.
So while yes, trends are still a part of these platforms, and they’re still a part of short-form video culture, relying on them for all or most of your video marketing strategy and your social media strategy can actually hurt your small business. This isn’t to say that you should never use a trend ever again in your life, but rather that you should be posting a lot fewer of them.
The reason why is that trends have become oversaturated and quite repetitive. People can scroll and scroll and hear and see the same thing over and over again, which doesn't leave a lot of room for originality, and honestly? It can just get annoying.
Trends also limit you to only creating a specific type of way. This entertainment-focused content doesn't leave a lot of room for creativity. It keeps you from brainstorming your own unique ideas specific to your brand and just using video as the vessel for it.
The biggest thing behind the need to remove trends from your social media strategy is that trends just aren't sustainable. If you're always looking for the next trend and feeling like you need to post your trending video right now before it's not trending anymore, it's not a strategy. It's not a long-term way of leveraging short-form video. It’s a one-and-done, and that’s not conducive to growing your following the way you want to as a business.
Making Original Content the Center of Your Social Media Strategy
This leads us to the alternative, which is original video content. Focusing your social media strategy on original video content looks like using short-form video as the vessel for your content ideas, not solely relying on trends.
Not only can original video content be a really great way to continue to grow your community and leverage the power of short-form video content (because it is not going anywhere), but it's actually a lot more strategic. It’s going to lead you closer to your unique goals, like maybe making more sales or conversions by using video content in your social media strategy.
So this brings us to one more question: does this mean we do or don't use trending audios in our 2023 social media strategy?
Personally, I do still recommend using them, but I also suggest shifting your thinking around them. Try thinking of them as a small part of your video rather than the main focus. You want your video to be able to stand alone, without the support of the “trend.”
In my opinion, trends have turned into something like hashtags: they definitely won't hurt your account, but they’re no longer a non-negotiable way to grow and get discovered and get engagement and reach by using short-form video content.
For me, if I'm posting a talking video or a quote video, I will just add a trending audio when I'm publishing it and posting it, and I won’t really think much more of it than that.
How I’ll Be Using Trends in 2023
Here’s how I’ll be using trends as a video marketing coach in 2023:
First, we have editing trends, which essentially means taking a trending audio and editing your clips or the timing of your text to the beat of the music. This can be really great for not only boosting engagement with your videos, but also for telling a visual story, especially if you're adding in a bunch of different clips.
Then we have trending music, and with this, I’m going to be taking it and adding it to a talking video or a quote video, which is essentially just video footage with text on top of it. That will help me get the benefits of the trend, but it's quite literally the background noise of the video rather than the focus.
I really think that lip syncs, transitions, pointing, dancing, and all of that can—and should—be removed from your video marketing strategy and social media strategy when it comes to creating reels and TikToks and any type of short-form video.
The truth about trends is…they are trends. They're going to come and go, but original video content will always be there, and it’s a really great foundation to have built into your social media strategy.
If you want to lean more into original video content, I highly recommend looking into my video content camp. This is my signature six-month group coaching program where I help you leverage your video strategy with the skills needed to produce, film, and create engaging content, but in a low-lift way. So it's not taking away from your business, but it's still helping to fuel its growth.
WORK WITH NATASHA:
Create your video growth plan for 2023 during a 60-minute live webinar on January 26th at 12 pm EST: https://shinewithnatasha.com/webinar
Join the Video Content Camp: https://shinewithnatasha.com/camp
Participate in the FREE video challenge: http://videoconfidencechallenge.com/
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