project

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The biggest challenge associated with selling the use of social media trends as a

product is identifying the specific target market for the trends and the right product that suits

them. In a product such as clothes, it is relatively easy to determine the target market.

However, social media trends present a much more complicated task. Once a client has been

identified, the first step is to identify the target market for that specific client. For example,

suppose a massage parlor wishes to acquire the service trend as a service. The first step

would be for this massage parlor to identify its target market. The next step is figuring out

which social media site best reaches the targeted market. This varies on many variables such

as the country, location, age group, and internet access. For example, in the Philippines,

Facebook is predominantly used by the youth, while in the United States, Instagram and

Snapchat are the most preferred among the youths. Identifying the right target approach for

the target market is essential to ensuring the success of the approach. The next step for the

massage parlor is implementing the plan and recognizing that market trends can change at

any time, which may affect the trends (Moreno-Munoz et al., 2016).

Failing to perform these steps may make social media trends ineffective and may lead

to losses for the client using them (Moreno-Munoz et al., 2016). To acquire knowledge of the

target market, the best social media platform to use to access the target market, and the best

strategy to access this market can become costly as it involves a lot of market research. This

has been a major detractor for many organizations because failing to perform these steps

usually leads to the ineffective use of social media trends.

To address this challenge, the best option for organizations is to invest in market

research. To avoid using social media ineffectively, the best option for organizations is to

research their target market and determine more about them. In marketing, understanding

CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS !2

more about the client is the first step toward making the sale. Since social media trends as a

product are a marketing tool, the best way for organizations to effectively use social media

trends is to investigate their target markets and determine their preferred social media sites.

After this, they can draw up a plan for action that will make the use of social media trends

work well for them (McKie & Ryan, 2012).

In the use of social media trends, there is also the challenge of copyright

infringement. The use of digital content for which you have no authorization from the creator

on a social media platform can cause issues while using social media trends. Social media

sites have been very strict on the issue, usually taking down posts guilty of copyright

infringement. This might cause embarrassment to an organization and affect the effective use

of social media trends. To avoid this, organizations that make use of social media trends

usually have teams dedicated to creating content for their brand. This helps them create a

unique and easily identifiable trend, which markets the brand. For example, Nike has a

dedicated team of content creators who analyze current social media trends in their use and is

constantly creating content for their brand. This is why the company has a very strong social

media presence as part of its advertising (Kelly, 2018).

The first step to ensure that digital content is copyrighted is to register with the US

copyright office. Under the law, digital copyright protects digital material in the same way as

print material (Kelly, 2018). Having your content copyright protects your use of social media

trends from unwarranted parties. This protects your social media trends from misuse and also

makes your brand unique, which helps to better use social media trends.

CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS !3

References

Kelly, E. J. (2018). Rights instruction for undergraduate students: Needs, trends, and

resources. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 25(1), 1-16.

McKie, L., & Ryan, L. (2012). Exploring trends and challenges in sociological

research. Sociology, 46(6), 1-7.

Moreno-Munoz, A., Bellido-Outeirino, F. J., Siano, P., & Gomez-Nieto, M. A. (2016). Mobile

social media for smart grids customer engagement: Emerging trends and

challenges. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 53, 1611-1616.