Social media is a bubbling and theatrical source of creativity from communities of everyday people expressing their ideas, loves, and values. That’s why it’s so addictive. It’s real people sharing their real lives and coming together.

Social media allows us to be close to other people, and even though we may never see the people we connect with, the interactions can be quite intimate.

It’s also a place where people take opportunities to do work they may never have been given a chance to in the past. Isn’t it a pretty great realisation that social media has removed the gatekeepers? – the people who say who wins and who gets to do what. Nowadays, more people give themselves permission.  And what we observe are individuals and startup brands rewriting the rules, working hard, and doing great work to succeed.

These brands and individuals are leaders of tribes, setting trends and inspiring their fans to follow. And that point is so significant – as brand developers, marketers, and entrepreneurs, we must distinguish ourselves from those who follow the trends. To be seen and to be heard, we must be the forerunners.

The trends are necessary to the work we do. They reveal an essential picture of the likes, fears, and hopes of the communities we seek to help. By examining them closely, we understand what moves our fans emotionally, what they will like, comment on and share with friends.

But we mustn’t approach brand awareness and audience growth by following the trends. Otherwise, we can easily get lost. In the trends, there are too many people involved, too many people creating the same type of content, and having the same conversations. As a result, everyone looks the same and is doing the same thing, with only a few being the best at it – the trendsetters.

The trendsetters are bold and stand on their brand principles. They also have a strong voice and magnetic brand personality, which provides a reason for others to seek them out.

Only a few start the trends, excel at their work and are among the best in their craft. The work they do gathers together a community of people, large or small, who share a common goal. The trendsetter is skilled at creating the vision for that goal and taking the community where they want to go.

As entrepreneurs, we only have one choice on social media – to set the trends and be the best at them.

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