4 Ways to Leverage Marketing Trends for Viral Growth – Entrepreneur
Free Webinar | August 16th
Find out how to optimize your website to give your customers experiences that will have the biggest ROI for your business. Register Now
Ever since the founding of Facebook in February of 2004 and Twitter in March of 2006, marketing has completely changed. Brands that once built campaigns to push market awareness through standardized marketing channelsare now using social media to drive brand awareness and sales.
A prime example is the streetwear industry, which does a great job of using social media to control supply and demand. Instead of focusing on pushing a lot of low-priced items, these brands sell out a limited number of extremely marked-up items, which are fueled by social media hype and promotion. Combining social media trends and viral content allows them to leverage the hype and causes the demand to far exceed the quantity available.
I absolutely love this business model, which led to me connecting with Elie Neufeld, founder of DHTK. After identifying streetwear as a major trend in fashion, he launched the brand to merge a variety of major trends, creating one lifestyle brand. By leveraging trends in sports, fashion and other facets of youth lifestyles, DHTK demonstrates the end result of correctly executing on marketing trends. While talking to Neufeld about his growth strategy for DHTK, he shared his gameplan for viral growth, which is universal and can be applied to any industry.
Related: 8 Reasons a Powerful Personal Brand Will Make You Successful
Being active on social media gives you a glimpse at whats popular in todays society. In recent years, LeBron James has grown from being one of the top basketball players, into a worldwide cultural icon. Between appearances in blockbuster films, brand alignments and switching from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat and back again, James has become a larger than life on and off the court.
DHTK accurately identified sports as a cultural trend with a number of top performers -- LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry all push culture forward with their massive following and influence. Turning to social media can provide you with the insight to clearly identify the major trends that people are talking about.
Many brands and entrepreneurs are able to spot major trends, but simply following them is not enough. You need to be able to understand what the cool factor is and leverage it to grow your brand. If you are able to associate your brand with a trending cool factor,you ride that wave, drawing attention to your company, which is fueled entirely by that trend.
For example, when Drakes album If You Are Reading This It Is Too Latedropped, DHTK combined hip-hop trends, Drakes growth, unique album design and typeface styles, which resulted in the release of the first It Is Too Late-inspired designs. It was a success because it combined the unique album design with the company'sown brand style.
Related: 5 Habits of the Wealthy That Helped Them Get Rich
Building brand awareness requires you to identify content that will work with the specific trend you are going after. It doesnt matter if we are talking about a brand in the fashion, music or sports industry -- each requires a unique style of content the consumer demographic wants to consume.
DHTK understands it fits into both sports and fashion, so it creates social media posts that work with both niches. Determine relevant trend niches, identify the prominent hashtags, and spend time determining what content styles your target audience enjoys interacting with. When you do this correctly, the outcome is more engagement and more potential customers discovering your brand.
Influencer marketing is one of the most promising trends -- consumers want to be able to relate to the people they follow on social media. Associating your brand with influencers can result in consumers automatically relating with you, based solely on that relationship with someone they follow on social media. Its important to make sure an influencers brand story aligns perfectly with your brands narrative.
You do not need to necessarily establish a paid relationship with influencers in order to associate with them. DHTK, which stands for Dont Hate The King, has clear associations with the common phrase people recite when referencing LeBron James (also known as "King James" in basketball circles). This association combines the respect and power of LeBron with the power and aesthetic of the DHTK brand story without any formal partnership.
Related: 22 Qualities That Make a Great Leader
No matter what industry you are in, leveraging marketing trends can help you boost viral engagement and increase brand awareness and revenue. Pay attention to what people are talking about, thenfigure out how to do something interesting to get people talking about your brand.
Jonathan Long is the founder ofMarket Domination Media,a performance-based online marketing agency, blerrp, an influencer marketing agencyand co-founder of consumer productSexy Smile Kit&trade...
More:
4 Ways to Leverage Marketing Trends for Viral Growth - Entrepreneur
- Health Care Social Media Market: Harnessing Key Drivers and Trends for Robust Growth by 2029 - openPR - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- Mike Parker: SMS2025 offers insights into marketing through AI and Social Media - Neuse News - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- AMELIA DIMOLDENBERG RETURNS FOR SECOND YEAR AS ACADEMYS OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA AMBASSADOR AND RED CARPET CORRESPONDENT FOR THE 97TH OSCARS SEASON -... - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- How to master social media for retail in the UK - Sprout Social - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- Navigating social media in the era of 'free speech' - Performance Marketing World - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- 'Your team is going to get completely burnt out': Confessions of a job-hunting social media expert - Modern Retail - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Stock Images Market to grow by USD 1.28 billion (2025-2029), driven by rising use in digital and social media marketing, Report on AI-driven market... - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Adapting to the TikTok ban: social media marketing strategies for local businesses - Coast News - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Using Banuba SDKs Gives New Entrants to the Social Media Market an Advantage in the Case of TikTok Ban - Business Wire - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Pinterest Highlights Its Improving Ad Options - Social Media Today - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- How Brands TikToked Their Way Through a Supreme Court-Trump Flip-Flop - Adweek - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- WBNS-TV Events - Start Your Own Business: Marketing and Social Media - 10TV - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- TikTok: How 'going viral' has changed the restaurant industry - BBC.com - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Social Selling Software Market Report Details Size, Innovations, and Strategic Insights Forecasted to 2034 - WhaTech - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Carbon County Office of Tourism Partners with Marketing Elevated for Free Social Media Training - ETV News - January 13th, 2025 [January 13th, 2025]
- 10 Key Roles of a Social Media Manager in 2020 - Spiceworks News and Insights - January 13th, 2025 [January 13th, 2025]
- Why TikTok Is Facing a U.S. Ban, and What Could Happen Next - The New York Times - January 13th, 2025 [January 13th, 2025]
- Will Metas Revised Approach to Moderation Impact Its Ad Business? - Social Media Today - January 13th, 2025 [January 13th, 2025]
- Influencer Marketing Will Be Anything but Stagnant in 2025 - Adweek - January 7th, 2025 [January 7th, 2025]
- Exclusive | Influencer Marketings M&A Streak Continues With Mavely Sale - The Wall Street Journal - January 7th, 2025 [January 7th, 2025]
- The Soup Spoon promotes healthier living in new social media campaign - Marketing Interactive - January 7th, 2025 [January 7th, 2025]
- Tips for 2025: Marketing experts say social media presence is key even for B2B - ROI-NJ.com - January 3rd, 2025 [January 3rd, 2025]
- For Comics, Honing Jokes Has Taken a Back Seat to Marketing. Thats Not Good. - The New York Times - January 3rd, 2025 [January 3rd, 2025]
- ICYMI: 5 Things to Focus On In 2025 - substack.com - January 3rd, 2025 [January 3rd, 2025]
- Olaf Scholz: German election will not be decided by social media owners - The Guardian - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- The evolution of X: How Musk transformed the social media giant in 2024 - BBC.com - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- 3 Social Media Stocks Connecting the World - Inkl - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Hummingbirds bring new perspective to social media marketing, including in the Quad-Cities - Quad-City Times - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Smarter AI Agents and Shoppable Content: The Marketing Trend Driving the Digital Entertainment Business - PC Tech Magazine - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Social Networking Market to Grow $238.4B by 2028, Boosted by Internet And AI Trends - That Eric Alper - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Social media platforms have work to do to comply with Online Safety Act, says Ofcom - The Guardian - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Five things that will shape social media in 2025 - Marketing magazine Australia - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Social Media Marketing will not be enough in 2025: Unlock New Audiences with Alternative Advertising - TechCabal - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- 10 of the best social media marketing moments of 2024 - Ad Age - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- X Provides Usage Insights and Ad Tips for Q5 - Social Media Today - December 18th, 2024 [December 18th, 2024]
- Microtargeting in Social Media Marketing Explained by Huta Digital - Robotics and Automation News - December 18th, 2024 [December 18th, 2024]
- B2B CMOs plan to boost AI and social media spending in 2025 - Ad Age - December 18th, 2024 [December 18th, 2024]
- Marketing trends 2025: Millennials, Gen Z and the boom in social media shopping - Revista Merca2.0 - December 18th, 2024 [December 18th, 2024]
- How social media personalities are shaping the future of marketing - Straight Arrow News - December 18th, 2024 [December 18th, 2024]
- Brain rot surged in 2024what marketers should know about the social media trend - Ad Age - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- How the Brooklyn Nets became the most-liked NBA team on TikTok - Marketing Brew - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO prompts flurry of stories on social media over denied insurance claims - CNN - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- Trump Tests Ethical Boundaries With Branded Merch. (And All Sales Are Final.) - The New York Times - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- Thumzup Launches on X Corp, Transforming Social Media Advertising Potential with Access to Over 535M Active Users - Marketscreener.com - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- Health insurance CEO shooting unleashes Internet vitriol aimed at industry - USA TODAY - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- Key Trends in the Social Business Intelligence Market with - openPR - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- Age limits on social media must be enforced strictly, says Fahmi Fadzil - Marketing Interactive - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- Why Spotify Wrapped Is The Ultimate Test For Reactive Social Marketing - Forbes - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Teens, Tweets, and TikTok: Marketing Safely in a Changing Social Media World - CMSWire - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- 40 social media post ideas when youre fresh out of inspiration - Hootsuite - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Thumzup Plans Integration of Proprietary Advertising Platform with TikTok to Significantly Expand Potential Social Media Market Reach - Business Wire - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- 30 Under 30 Marketing & Advertising 2025: The Young Founders Using Fintech, Social Media And The Power Of Partnerships To Boost Brands Big And... - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- These are the largest Chinese social networks: they have millions of users and you probably do not know them - Marketing 4 eCommerce - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Social Media Management Market Size is expected to increase at a 23.8 percentage CAGR between 2024 and 2030 - openPR - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Ravineos AI Tech Finds that 80% of Influencers Don't Disclose Brand Deals - Adweek - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- Desperate for jobs, people try new social media tactics to stand out - The Washington Post - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- A social media ban for under-16s passes the Australian Senate and will soon be a world-first law - KCBD - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- Social Selling Software Market is Booming Worldwide | Gaining Revolution In Eyes of Global Exposure - openPR - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- Trump Is Using Truth Social for Tariff Threats. DJT Stock Could Become the Next Reddit, Twitter. - Barron's - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- Investing in Social Media Startups? Read This First - Investopedia - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- The 2025 guide to (aesthetic) Pinterest marketing - blog.hootsuite.com - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- All Things Real and Unreal Indonesian Drama on Social Media and Sex Work Heads to JAFF Market - Variety - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- Parents warned against anti-aging skincare products marketed to children - KBTX - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Social Media Analytics Market Comprehensive Overview and Forecast 2024-2031 - openPR - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Heres Where Each of the Big Social Platform Stands on External Links - Social Media Today - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- A social media ban in Australia for children under 16 will be first in the world - NPR - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- The hunt for the next Twitter: all the news about alternative social media platforms - The Verge - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- How Social Media Promotion of Vaping Targets Teens - Yale School of Medicine - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Trump threatens to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on first day in office - CBS News - November 28th, 2024 [November 28th, 2024]
- Authenticity in influencer marketing: How to find authentic influencers - Sprout Social - November 26th, 2024 [November 26th, 2024]
- U.S. Fast Fashion Market Role of Social Media and Influencers - openPR - November 26th, 2024 [November 26th, 2024]
- Beyond the posts: Hidden costs of social media marketing - Monitor - November 26th, 2024 [November 26th, 2024]
- 20 Instagram trends you need to know in 2025 - Hootsuite - November 26th, 2024 [November 26th, 2024]
- How businesses can stand out on social media without burning a hole in their pockets - SmartCompany - November 24th, 2024 [November 24th, 2024]
- Is social commerce the holy grail of marketing? - Performance Marketing World - November 24th, 2024 [November 24th, 2024]
- Big techs warning on rushing teen ban on social media - The Australian Financial Review - November 24th, 2024 [November 24th, 2024]
- Has this really been thought through?: Australia proposes social media ban on under 16s - Performance Marketing World - November 24th, 2024 [November 24th, 2024]
- Why social media is no longer the shiny next big thing in marketing, Northeastern researcher explains - Northeastern University - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Bluesky uncovered: separating myth from reality in its post-election surge - Digiday - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Alix Earle shares her journey to social media success - University of Miami: News@theU - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]