What Does Being a Trend Setter Mean?
Doing the same thing as everyone else isn’t going to get you anywhere.
Yep, we said it. Sorry to sound harsh, but if you want to stand out and become known, you’ve got to switch things up, add to the conversion and give people a reason to stay & follow you. Read more for our top tips.
“Stop following trends, be a trend setter instead.”
DON’T FIXATE ON WHAT IS TRENDING.
Ever wonder why trending-sound videos are the ones that convert the least followers, or sales? That’s because people won’t follow you, or buy from you based on whether you did a trend well. People will follow you because you give value. Again, that’s not to say we’re 100% against trending sounds, if you want to read more about our stance & strategy on trending sounds, have a read on last week’s blog here. The point is, that fixating on what’s trending at the time, is the worst way to become a strong personal brand. Building a strong personal brand requires you to set the trends, step outside of the box, try something new and fill the gap in the market with something that has never been seen before. This is the first principle to understand, keep reading for some more practical tips.
THROW ALL THE RULES OUT THE WINDOW AND DO YOU.
I know, it’s ironic, coming from someone that preaches rules for social media, but we’ve got to be honest; caption size, trending audios, aesthetic etc, doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that you are adding value to your viewers and being different. Standing out from the crowd by bringing something new to the table is the best way to do that. Whether you stand out from the crowd by creating a different type of video, showing up as a persona that hasn’t been seen before or by bringing new, leading-edge information, to the table — there can be a variety of ways that you differentiate yourself from the crowd, but the most important thing is, that you’re being original by not following trends.
PEOPLE LIKE TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE A PART OF SOMETHING
People are always looking for a way to connect with something bigger than themselves, and a great way to make your audience feel like a part of a community is by calling them something. For example, Devin Halbal often calls her audience “dolls”, James Charles calls his audience “sisters” and Amy Millie calls her audience “babies”. This also makes your content audience-centered, which is important to remember as your social media isn’t about you, it’s about your audience.
ADD TO THE CONVERSATION
Your best friend going forward is research & competitor analysis. Research into what leaders in your industry are currently saying, and look at how you can ADD to that. Say something new, that no one has ever heard before & add to the conversation that’s already happening. Think about what you want to hear. What message do you feel like you, or your audience need to hear? Then, make that video, conveying exactly that. People will follow you because you have something new to say, not because you are regurgitating the same information that is already being said.
DO THINGS THAT NO ONE ELSE IS DOING.
There is something called the red ocean & blue ocean strategy. The red ocean strategy is when you are competing within a market, using the same resources, tools & information. The blue ocean strategy is when you use different resources, tools & information, which makes the competition irrelevant and creates new demand. This means that, of course, you will do better when you use new resources, tools and information (using the blue ocean strategy), as mentioned above, this is what is means to fill the gap in the market and add more to the conversation. When you are competing against resources, tools & information that are already being used (using the red ocean strategy), it’s much harder to break through. Let’s take Rodger Cleye as an example, do you think there is any other man, his age, singing on video in the same video format as him? No, probably not! Think about what’s missing, then go away and create that! This might take some brainstorming, time, and even trial & error, which is why research & competitor analysis is your best friend!
YOU DON’T NEED TO SHARE YOUR WHOLE LIFE.
This is a misconception that a lot of people have, even Kylie Jenner had it not too long ago. There is a misconception that in order for people to follow you and enjoy your content, that you have to share as much detail of your life as possible. Kylie Jenner did this and was faced with a lot of backlash, as said in this interview. She received this backlash after opening up on her TikTok and making more videos in natural settings, i.e. her car, her closet etc. She quickly realized that by doing this, she allowed more people into her personal life which caused them to make more judgement about her, as they now had more information to go off of. This, of course, has a larger effect on her because of the mass following that she and her family have. The lesson in this is, there are personal boundaries.
Being authentic doesn’t mean sharing everything in your life. If you follow us, you know that we always say how nosey people are and the more you open up and show your authentic self, the better; however, it’s about showing your authentic self, not showing every single detail of your life. This is for your own mental health. It also isn’t beneficial for your brand, because when you show everything, you’re like an open book, which doesn’t give your followers and new people an incentive to come back for more. By sharing some, and keeping some to yourself, you give people an incentive to come back to your profile and find out more about you and your life.
I want you to choose one topic in your life, or one aspect of yourself - and sticking to that. Keep that consistent, so 1) you protect your mental health, 2) you give people an incentive to find out more about you and your life, 3) you become your “niche” and you don’t confuse your audience.
YOUR NICHE IS THE MESSAGE YOU’RE SHARING TO YOUR AUDIENCE.
Make sure to have a message that’s bigger than you come across throughout your content, this allows you to experiment with different topic by remaining within your niche. For example, this trend predictor, Coco Mocoe, has a larger message to make people within the media & creator industry to feel seen & heard, which allows her to touch on rising creator, celebrities, fashion trends & predictions and even experimenting in fashion-type videos. All of these pillars relate to one another, while also drawing back to her larger message.
HERE’S THE RECAP
don’t fixate on trends,
don’t fixate on social media rules; your content, message & what you say is more valuable,
create content for your audience, not for yourself,
try giving a name to your audience,
add to the conversation that’s already happening within your industry,
use the blue ocean strategy by doing something that no one has done,
don’t share your whole life, be a closed book and give people a reason to come back to your page for more,
have a larger message that your content relates back to.
Keep in mind, you don’t need to take all these tips into consideration. Every creator, account & everyone’s goals are totally different. This is a general guide that you can use, along with your own discernment to see what you can apply and what you can leave out. If you need help figuring out your secret sauce and standing out from the crowd, our Strategy Curation Service is for you. This is a one-off service that allows us to dive deep into your brand and figure out who you want to be known for, then curating your entire social media marketing strategy around exactly that. Read more about it on our services page.
