Ever think of yourself as a trendsetter? Have you ever wondered how you can supercharge your digital marketing program by capitalizing on trends?

It’s all too easy to say to oneself, “There’s nothing trendy about my industry.” But, when you step back and take a longer look at your industry, you likely will begin to recognize trends that have come and gone, trends that are emerging, and how trends have impacted your business, both positively and negatively.

Trends can offer substantial marketing upside if you can recognize them as they begin to emerge. Trends become news and, if you use your imagination and identify how a particular trend might affect your business, there is potential for putting yourself in the news as an expert in your field (what PR firms like to dub “authority marketing”).

Do you find yourself thinking, “but trends never happen in my business”?

There are always trends ongoing. You simply must keep an eye out for them.

At this very moment, in 2021, the real estate market is going through a trendy phase that is characterized by a lack of available home inventory and skyrocketing home prices.

Just a quick look at the news reveals other current trends:

• Hotels are revising their operations to adjust to the post-COVID travel rebound. The lack of employees has forced hotels to cut back on guest benefits that were once considered routine, like free breakfast buffets, in-room guest bars and, yep, even daily room service.
• The meetings industry is being forced to adjust its business model because of the impact of Zoom and other online meeting tools.
• There is growing suspicion of Facebook, Instagram and other social media tools as a high-impact means of reaching one’s market.

How can you capitalize on trends?

Be aware of what’s going on in your industry. If you recognize a change in how you and your competitors are operating, be the first to identify the trend.

Make yourself available as an expert observer in your industry. If media know who you are and how to reach you, you have made their job easier and significantly increased your chances of being called upon as an authority in your market category.

Piggy-back on what others are offering about a trend. Offer an observation on a trend that someone else has already recognized. Media cannot simply take one person’s word that a trend is happening. Providing a second opinion, or an example that illustrates a trend, puts you in an advantageous position to generate media coverage.

Generate news that confirms a trend. If you recognize an emerging trend in your industry, explain it – and illustrate it – better than your competitors.  

Issue a simple chart, a photo, an online video, or even create a podcast to make trendspotting come to life and make a journalist’s job easier. The payback, of course, is when your organization’s name is attached to whatever you create to make a trend easily recognizable and more easily understood. 

How do you spot trends?

Look outside your business. If you recognize a trend in another industry, ask yourself, “How might this apply to us or affect us in our market category?”

Something that is happening in the food and beverage in industry, for example, might have a parallel impact on a totally different kind of industry.

Follow relevant websites and blogs. Journalists are constantly on the lookout for what is new and different. If you become acquainted with what media are looking for, you will position yourself to become a trend-spotter.

Remain connected with current affairs and news. When a trend hits the news, ask yourself, “how can I take advantage of this?”, if there is a fit.

An insightful 2015 article by Michael Noice in Entrepreneur provides a more in-depth look at trends and how you can recognize and capitalize on trends. Although the article is six years old, it stands the test of time in terms of its ideas on spotting and taking advantage of trends.

Wellons Communications can put trends to work for you

Our Orlando PR agency is trend-conscious. A key part of our job is to pay attention to what’s going on in the news. We have a responsibility to look for trends and come up with ways to make them work for our clients.

From putting your name in front of media as a qualified observer and reminding them how they can reach you (or us, so we can reach you) to creating vivid examples that explain a trend and where you fit in, we know how to help our clients take advantage of what’s trending.

Are you in a position to take advantage of the next trend in your industry? Or will you be reading about how your competitors are being quoted about what’s happening with the trend?

Start trending in the right direction by calling me and learning more about how we can put our trending team at your disposal and put you in the front of the news.