From Trend to Strategy

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We love finding trends on TikTok.

But when we're researching for a client, we're not just scrolling until something looks fun. We're constantly thinking, “Okay, how could we make this work for them?”

Finding a trend is the easy part. The real work is figuring out whether it actually belongs on a client's account.

At Inovatory, we don't look at a trend and immediately think, “Let's recreate that.” We're thinking about the audience first. Who are we talking to? What kind of humor do they like? What are they already watching? Would they actually find this funny, or are we trying a little too hard?

That's why a lot of our trend research happens directly on the client's account. If we're researching for Instagram, we'll get into their profile and see what's showing up in their feed. The algorithm is already learning what that audience responds to, so it gives us a pretty good starting point for understanding what might actually resonate.

Then comes the fun part: figuring out how to make the trend feel like the brand.

Tone is a huge part of that. A trend can have a very specific look, joke, or energy, but that doesn't mean we have to copy it exactly. Recently, the bedazzled face mask trend was making its rounds on social. Instead of recreating the trend exactly, we asked how we could bring that same idea into Michoacana Mia's world. The answer? Bedazzled aguas frescas cups.

Same trend. Completely different execution.

We kept the part that made the trend recognizable, then twisted it into something that made sense for the brand and gave us an opportunity to feature the product. That's usually where we have the most fun. Taking something people have already seen and asking, “Okay, but what would this look like for them?”

We also think about what we actually have to work with. Is there a product we can feature? An employee who would be perfect for it? A location, prop, or existing piece of content we can build around? Sometimes the trend is the starting point, and the brand gives us everything we need to turn it into something original.

And because trends don't exactly wait for our content calendar, timing matters. If we find something that's a strong fit, we might make room for it even when the calendar is already planned. If we've already finished the monthly shoot, we might even stop by for a quick shoot just to capture the trend while it's still relevant.

Past performance plays a role, too. We're always looking at what has worked for the account before, so we're not chasing trends just because they're popular. We're looking at the audience, the brand, the platform, past content, and what's happening on social right now.

That's the difference between finding a trend and turning one into a strategy.

Because sometimes the best idea isn't recreating the trend at all.

It's figuring out what made it work, then making it feel like your own.