Trending news and topics are essential to unlocking what motivates a society by revealing what people are influenced by and what they really care about. And that’s good news for marketers, because it can give us an in-depth look at what drives a specific audience and new ways to engage their interest.
There are other ways that trending news can improve your company’s content strategy:
You Can Become a News Source
Have you ever envisioned your customers coming to you for the latest news, top stories and most interesting topics? By crafting a trending news strategy, you can do that. Heck, even Facebook and Apple are getting into the publishing business.
More brands are turning to publishing content to improve the customer experience. No matter your company’s industry, you can do the same. It may even bring new visitors to your site!
You Might Boost Your Ranking
At first glance, it might seem difficult for a small company to rank high on trending topics—but that doesn’t make it impossible!
If you put the right twist on it, use the right wording, or have just enough site authority, you can rank for topics that are making their rounds in the media and online.
But this doesn’t happen automatically. You have to make sure all of the elements are in place.
Be Fast
You don’t want to come to the game too late. Turnaround time for trending topics is vital to the campaign’s success.
When you create content about trending topics early enough, you will be one of the few sources commenting about it—before everyone else. That means that more people are going to come to you for details or opinions during that early stage.
Does that mean you might need to stay up until 2am the night an event takes place? Maybe. Does that mean it will be worth it? Probably. Remember, your brand is worth a late night every now and then.
On that note, I do suggest editing the next morning. Trust me, you’ll have a whole new set of eyes after the sun comes up.
Know Your Brand’s Voice
If you have an opinion about a controversial topic and you feel confident you can put a positive or otherwise impactful spin on it, consider making content about it. This is your chance to make your brand’s voice about something bigger than the company.
Hello, new readers!
Let me share a quick story with you.
For years, nationwide racial tensions and cases of what many perceive as injustice have torn our country in two. But that would never happen in my multi-ethnic hometown, right? And then it did. Maryland, my home state, became the center of the debate on racial tension this April after a 25-year-old man lost his life while in police custody.
Baltimore’s street became unrecognizable, swarmed with protestors and rioters.
I stayed up late that night to write.
With MLK in mind, I reminded Baltimore about the value of the peaceful protest versus the effects of the violent protest. I encouraged Marylanders to share their favorite thing about the state with a specific hashtag in hopes of empowering people to see beyond the media’s portrayal. On social media, I encouraged my friends and family to share it if they agreed with my message.
In one week, my blog had received about 10 months’ worth of views.
This was a personal victory. Not just because of the numbers, but because something that I cared so much about had made an impact on my audience.
Emails poured in from locals and Baltimore teachers even asked permission to share my article with their high school students. I was able to make an impact about something I believed in with nothing more than ten fast fingers and a strong personal brand.
And you can do the same.
This isn’t about me. And, in many ways, it’s not about you either. It’s about your audience. Know them, love them, and give them what they want consistently.
Keep in mind that trending topics don’t always have to be serious. They can be fun or funny, too! It’s reported that millennials are most likely to share content that makes them laugh. Even when branded.
Make an impact with genuine content.
Authenticity has a big impact on how people view your brand. When you create content that transcends traditional marketing practices, you actually make the best contribution to your marketing goals.
Why? Because you are creating content that has your name attached to it without asking for anything in return. You’re building a brand by delivering engaging material that your audience can interact with and share.
Think outside the ad.
If you are addressing a sensitive or important subject, exposure and delivery of a positive message are your goals. Not leads and conversions.
After all, consumers today want to buy from brands that appear socially conscious. And millennials—who are on track to have the most buying power in the next two years—want to buy from people, not brands. That’s why more people are heading out to the mom-and-pop-shop instead of the gigantic corporation.
Getting your name out there with content will familiarize readers with your brand and will exhibit that your company actually does have an interest in what goes on outside of your four walls. You care about more than yourselves, and that’s all going to come across when this type of content is executed properly.
Grow your audience with trending news.
So what else can trending topics do for you if you don’t advertise with them? Well, keep in mind that people like content. But they don’t like it when it’s not very relevant to them.
Millennials come across 5,000 marketing messages each day. Their interaction is strictly based on whether it captures their attention and engages them.
Trending news is relevant to a large group of internet users at once, making it a powerful tool when used in marketing.
Finding Trending Topics
When you want to incorporate trending topics into your strategy, you either need to actively remain aware of what’s trending on social media and online, or you should use a research tool. Here are some that I use frequently:
- Search Google for “what’s trending”
- Whatstrending.com
- Yahoo News: Trending Now
- Google Trending Searches
- Buzzfeed Trending
- Facebook Trending (found at the top right of your homepage feed)
- Twitter Trending (found on the left panel of the homepage feed)
Or, you can always reach out to the experts at Optimum7. We will stay ahead of the game with monthly keyword research to make sure your content is performing at its best.
