Trends are funny things. They come and they go. They’re a bit fickle when you think about it.
And yet trends evolve because of change or what is popular, and people tend to follow that course. The course eventually diverts, and they pursue the new direction. Whether it is trends in fashion — what’s hot this season — to a trend in movies — this year’s superheroes versus last year’s period dramas — to a hiking trail that is heavily trampled because it is the popular route. I prefer paved trails myself.
In business, however, whether we run a Fortune 500 company or are a solopreneur or an author, we must understand our audience’s trends in order to build a connection with them. Our brand story falls flat if we are not telling it right or to the right people.
In this case, trends have everything to do with what our audience’s needs are. Or the needs we create for them.
When we’re trying to establish credibility in our work and connect with people, we have to know the trend connection. We must understand our audience and what they require. Ask yourself: How am I/are we fulfilling those needs? How will I/we pivot when there is change?
Here is how trend connection is an important element to your brand story.
Understand the trend(s) that tie into your brand
As you understand your purpose, your own story, you next should examine the trends it ties into. The weave should be seamless. You are not altering your story; you are simply researching what developments and inclinations fit into your mold.
Your passion, or business, came about because you recognized specific needs. What are those needs? How did you learn about them?
What are the trends you observed in which you created a solution?
Why a specific audience matters
You are appealing to specific people. The people you are connecting with are the ones who have a need that you can fulfill. Your audience stems from the current trends.
When you are trying to establish credibility in a specific field, you are building a reputation with a particular audience. It is the audience who cares about what you are doing for them. This audience might be small, it might be narrow, but it is the audience who will latch onto your products or services because they feel that authentic connection with you.
When you target trends, you target the audience of those trends. Make sure your brand story speaks to them.
Appealing to your audience’s needs
Here is where you can shine with your offerings. Once you understand the trend connection, and you know your audience, you will effectively speak to and engage with them to tout your solution.
People desire to be heard. They want solutions to their problems. When they realize you “get them” and have built a rapport, they will positively respond. Your solution makes sense.
Pivoting because of change
Change, as they say, is inevitable. And trends are constantly transforming. The skill is to determine the change before it happens. You do this by following the trends. You study the direction, the reaction, and the habits, so you can systematically predict where the next trend will lead. This helps you stay ahead of your competitors.
As we know, sometimes change happens when we least expect it. For example, a tornado hits overnight and your world is upended. A pandemic descends and the workplace is in temporary disarray. When you have systems in place, when you can prepare for change as much as possible, the transition is not as chaotic.
While we cannot predict all change, being prepared as we are able is helpful to alleviate the most likely circumstances. In your business, you want to maintain your audience connection so they will hang on through the adverse times.
When you build a loyal following, your audience will look to you for stability through the chaos. Even if you do not have all the answers, they are confident you will find solutions and you will come through for your audience.
The key is to avoid becoming paralyzed by change. Your preparedness will help you navigate the disorder and ride the bumps you encounter. But because shifts in trends happen, you will prove you understand them so much that you can smoothly pivot with them.
Because amid change, you remain constant.
Our goal in our business is to build trust with our audience. Whether we run a Fortune 500 company or are a solopreneur or author, our credibility helps us establish a connection with people. We build a trend connection with our audience by: (1) understanding the trends that tie into our brand; (2) connecting with a specific audience; (3) appealing to our audience’s needs; and (4) seamlessly pivoting with trend changes.
(Photo by olia danilevich from Pexels)
Need help telling your business or author story? My brand storytelling training helps you recognize your story and how to effectively use it to build better engagement and increase sales. Find out more here and book a call with me!
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