As the widely accepted definition suggests, the trend is “a general direction in which something is developing or changing”. If we analyze the meaning of the word “trend”, just a little bit further, we’ll come to the conclusion that this kind of development is not necessarily a matter of growth, evolution or maturity. It’s more about spreading.

When something is called trendy, we already know that something is hyped, meaning popular in the sense of style, at a certain period in time. The trend is, then, more publicity, fashion, and marketing affair than an overall tendency toward change itself.

In the realm of social media, when something becomes a trend, it means that many posts, photos, or videos on the platforms, will be dedicated to this topic. Instagram is probably the trendiest of them all. Starting something new, which will be accepted by many and end up on the top of the Explore or Hashtag page, is not easier than buying Instagram followers https://howsociable.com/buy-instagram-followers/. Some work has to be done, but at the end of the day, trendsetters are probably very proud of themselves.

Trending on Instagram can be a product of share luck, but according to experts, there are tips or rules that an ambitious creator should follow in order to start a new fashion. Generally, high-quality content, carefully composed to catch the attention of the audience with its esthetic, should be a good start. If the topic is interesting and authentic enough to provoke the reaction, the next step would be to choose a good hashtag. These little helpers can do wonders, in the sense of visibility and audience targeting. Additional effort to create relevantly popular or unique hashtags will be rewarded with an increased engagement rate. For those not skilled enough, few very good hashtag generator tools are already available on the market. Finally, timing, tagging locations, and working with other influencers are equally important, and should not be neglected during the trend pursuit.

Now that we know what is crucial for trending, it would be interesting to examine how were Instagram trends changing in the last decade.

The period from 2010 to 2020 transformed the way we see the world and ourselves almost fundamentally. Technology and digitalization can be “blamed” for this as well. Smartphones and platforms connected us tightly, into one large mass called the global audience. As we are so grouped and our attention is focused on the content services, it was an ideal situation for innovations, changes, and even new social movements. Although some of them came as positive, we witnessed more than one situation in which these perfect conditions to create something good mutated with the not so right outcome, socially, culturally, or even morally speaking.

Social media were probably the biggest trend in the last decade, especially Instagram. Launched in 2010, it evolved from a selfie sharing platform to a serious brand. Ten years ago, companies and influencers were almost nonexistent. It was a place reserved for amateur photos of faces and tables with meals and drinks. Nowadays, you can hardly come across a respectable brand, especially in the fashion and beauty industry, without a profile. Rule number one, if you want to be visible on Instagram, is a high-quality photo. Filters, apps, and other Instagram-only options can make posting more exciting and funny. At the same time, they can give the follower a sense of belonging to a big, happy family. Companies are able to directly communicate with their customers and nourish their relationship with giveaways, discounts, and similar tactics.

Instagramers went through some changes, as well. In the beginning, it was all about perfection, unrealistic lives, and photos of expensive items, houses, cars, and luxury holidays. At some point, followers obviously got fed up with too much flawlessness, which created the right moment for the rise of the relatable influencers. Tired moms and people with health issues and disorders attracted followers with similar problems, who needed to know that they are not alone.

Instagram Trends Changing Through The Past Decade — Photo by Omkar Patyane from Pexels

Social activism, such as climate change movements or campaigns dedicated to sexual harassment awareness, is no longer reserved only for the text-oriented platforms. Memes and stickers made it possible for people on Instagram to gather around the same idea or purpose, and to make it trending within hours.

Making trends on Instagram comes with a certain amount of responsibility. The University of Pennsylvania researched the connection between social media and our well-being and published the findings in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. The study was conducted on 143 participants and showed that we need to “reduce opportunities for social comparison”, and generally “put our phones down” and live our lives.

Analyzing how Instagram’s body standards changed during the last ten years, should make us puzzled enough to wonder what is wrong with some trends. In 2013, it was the thigh gap trend, which demanded legs to be so thin to not touch above knees. Next year, the bikini bridge emerged, and women were trying to be skinny enough to make the space between hip bones in the abdomen area visible. After that, endless, exhausting workouts in order to get a thin yet muscular body took over the trending. The year 2015 was all about hashtag “strong not skinny”, healthy eating habits obsession, fitness gurus, and photos of perfectly shaped bodies. In the following years, we’ve had a thick fit, ribcage bragging, and thick slim trends.

Looking at the perfectly edited photos can be harmless if you can keep in mind, at all times, that they are not real. It might sound strange but, otherwise, it can cause serious damage to our self-esteem and eventually become a source of depression and loneliness. So, be smart with trends, if you want to participate in the game, do it wisely.

Social media advertising is one of the best channels to promote your company these days.

Analytics plays a crucial role in understanding which marketing techniques provide better ROI. But how will you understand which marketing technique is more successful? Your answer lies in the following questions.

Are you communicating with the correct target audience?
Does your marketing content reach the right group of people?
How many people from your target audience ask about your products and services?
How many of those people convert to customers?

Let’s break down these questions to understand why they are crucial for analyzing the performances of your marketing campaigns.

Engagement

Engaging with the correct audience is the first step toward a successful social media marketing campaign. Don’t go pitching utensils to dentists. That wouldn’t work at all. Instead, spend time in finding your target audience. It is tough to have a group of followers immediately after starting a company. You can rely on third-party websites that sell followers. Famoid is one of the popular companies that sell genuine followers. Ask them to spread your company’s brand name to their friends, colleagues, and relatives. It will help you build a laser-targeted audience quickly.

4 Social Media Marketing Metrics That Provides High ROI — Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels

Reach

How do you know that your promotional video or image is reaching the right group of people? How do you calculate the number of viewers? This is where you need to analyze social media marketing metrics, such as likes, clicks, shares, and brand mentions. For example, compare two promotional posts based on the shares they get. Count how many people shared a video post. Then count the people who shared a post with an image or GIF. This helps you understand which marketing technique works better for your brand.

Leads

How many people inquired about your products and services after sharing your promotional posts? You not only need to make a list of these people but also send them reminders urging them to try your products. You can drive your sales by offering them discounts on their first purchase. Merely uploading a promotional post doesn’t end your marketing campaign. Tracking your leads is equally important. If you want a higher ROI for your promotional posts, don’t forget to send personalized messages to people who inquired about your products.

Potential customers like to feel noticed. A personalized message or email can go a long way toward making them feel special. This will help to convert your leads into customers.

Conversions

Which marketing technique or campaign provided the maximum number of conversions? Compare this metric to identify what type of campaign to use in the future. Yes, following the same promotional method and pattern can become monotonous. That’s when you can use your second-most successful marketing campaign. You need to list all your campaigns and their responses according to their success rates. This will help to find leads that are more likely to convert to regular customers.

Measuring your social media metrics will streamline your marketing campaigns. Instead of focusing on a lot of things, you can concentrate on a specific path that provides better ROI.