In the world of social media there are few words more powerful in a meeting than viral and trending. Today I’m going to explain what these buzz words mean and what understanding them can do for your business online.

Trending Topics and Going Viral

A trending topic in social media is anything that people are talking about in that moment. It can be a social cause, political issue or something else that is popular. Timing is everything when it comes to taking advantage of trending topics. This is because utilizing trending topics and their associated hashtags is all about joining a conversation. If that conversation has already ended by the time you try to participate, then your efforts go to waste.

Just like all those times George was late with a comeback.

Going “viral” refers to a topic or piece of content that has hit such a point of popularity that it is being organically sought out and shared on a massive scale. Viral content spreads fast and far creating a lot of impressions along the way. A few key elements to going viral include providing genuinely interesting content and making sure that this content is easy to find and share.

Using Trends to Your Advantage

Knowing what topics are trending involves a practice called social listening. It is all about monitoring the digital world around you. Knowing what people care about in the moment and why they care is a basic key to success. Try reading a few headlines or glancing at Twitter’s trending topics to see what is popular right now.

Once you know the popular subjects that people are talking about, how can you use this to get your message heard? Find a way to add something genuine to the conversation already happening. Don’t just throw a random trending hashtag into your tweets or other content. Make sure you are providing content that is relevant and that adds something to the conversation. Also remember to make sure the content you provide is appropriate given the true meaning behind the trend you choose.

The beauty of providing trending content is that it gets in front of a lot of eyes. It can create a strong emotional connection between the viewer and your brand when done right. After all, if a brand can entertain you, they are creating an emotional connection. As Disney has shown us, emotional connections can lead to big bucks.

If you could still use some more information about how to utilize trending topics to boost your business online check out these examples of companies who got it right.