Trendjacking in social media is fun, but be cautious

Is it always green fields and butterflies when you trend jack in social media marketing in the Philippines?

Social media marketing in the Philippines’ success hinges on how updated you are with trends that keep the public interested. Trendjacking is a social media marketing technique that joins trending memes, events, topics, and hashtags. It is a practice that can be very effective if you want your brand to stay current.

But is it always green fields and butterflies when you trend jack in social media marketing in the Philippines?

The Pros of Trend Jacking for Digital Marketing in the Philippines

Maybe it’s because Filipinos are such avid social media users. When trendjacking is executed well, it can effectively boost brand engagement. Trendjacking has several pros for brands, big or small. Here are the reasons why you should consider it for your social media marketing campaign:

• It keeps you relevant to your audience. It also gives them the impression that your brand keeps up to date with the times.

• It can help you reach out to new audiences. Particularly the ones who might not have heard about your brand but share the same interest in the trend you are hijacking.

• It will give you a pool of social media content! Anyone who has done social media marketing knows how hard it is to create material continuously nowadays. A trending meme can give you a few days of fresh posts if you work fast enough!

Trendjacking in social media marketing in the Philippines is a big hit, and several brands have already proven their pull.

Most recently, a couple of brands also decided to jump on the bandwagon after one of the biggest love teams in the country confirmed their breakup. One of the most creative ones is that of a chocolate brand, which pulled a smart wordplay of one of the pair’s names needing a ‘break.’

Trendjacking Done Wrong

However, like any social media practice, trendjacking can quickly go wrong when executed tastelessly. One example that got a good share of criticism is an international burger chain in Austria that decided to contribute to Pride Month by launching a burger that had ‘two tops’ or ‘two bottoms.’

Members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community criticized the brand for using outdated terminologies that are not always applicable to the community. Moreover, the burger chain was also called out for ‘rainbow-washing,’ a criticism given to companies that do not substantially contribute to the community outside Pride Month.

How to Trendjack the Right Way

There’s a fine line separating the good and the bad of trend jack in social media marketing. So, how exactly can you do it the right way? Here are some pointers you must remember if you want to try this for your next social media campaign.

Make sure your trend jacks will resonate with your audience

Just because people talk about it doesn’t mean your market will find it interesting. Will your crowd relate to it? Do they know enough about it to engage with your content? At the same time, do not strictly draw a line between what your followers find exciting and their cross-interests. When done well, trend jacking can also help you expand your market.

Be updated

This sounds obvious, but with how trends come and go, you need to join the bandwagon as it is gaining traction. Remember how the doubloon cat trend was all over Tiktok last year? Now, that phase is considered history in the platform, where trends barely seem to last a few weeks. More than just being updated, your social media team should also work fast in creating campaigns and assets. Again, timing is key.

Keep your approach tasteful

Working fast shouldn’t stop you from considering if joining the trend will offend anyone. A good rule of thumb is to assess if the hot topic attacks a minority or can be connected to any culturally sensitive event with a negative connotation with anything or anyone.

Remember, you’re trying to be relevant, not insensitive.

Keeping It Tasteful but Witty

Keeping updated with the trends is a standard now in social media marketing. If you want to be at the forefront of your market, you need to be able to keep up with the pace of their changing interests.

If you want to learn to use this exciting marketing tool, there are organizations that develop social media campaigns for business owners who want to connect with their audiences using tried-and-tested strategies and relevant topics that resonate well with them. If you are interested, I can connect you to a digital marketing agency that offers a complete roster of marketing products like content marketing, digital ad management, digital design creation, social media management, and web development.

I am excited about trendjacking in Social Media; if you want to get into this brand marketing, let me know. You can contact me at [email protected]