Are you on royal baby watch? It seems the social media world is abuzz with news and updates about Kate Middleton and Prince William’s second baby, which is due in April. Some savvy business owners are using this trending topic to promote their business on social media.

It’s a common social media tactic. By connecting your product or service to a popular topic on social media you can expand your reach beyond your core audience.

You don’t need to sell baby gear to make the #RoyalBaby marketing moment work for your business. Take a look at some of the social posts below. These businesses make a connection between their brand and the upcoming addition to the royal family.

• Orme Retail, a retail property market that works with fashion retailers, is showing off its brand knowledge on Twitter by identifying Kate Middleton’s maternity wear.
• Churchill Square, a shopping center in England, held a competition for expectant moms who give birth on the same day as Middleton and posted the contest on its social media channels.
• Even Chiquita jumped on the royal baby bandwagon with bananas arranged in the shape of a crown and the tweet, “We’re proud to be baby’s first food #RoyalBaby #royalpregnancy.”
• Balloon designer Sue Bowler promoted some adorable pieces on Pinterest with the tag “Celebrate the #RoyalBaby (or any baby) with a handmade balloon character!”

Of course, you can use any trending topics to promote your business, not just the royal baby. Here are four ways to use trending topics to boost your business on social media:

1. Capitalize on pop culture

Check the “trending” sidebars on Facebook and Twitter to see what people are talking about. The “trending” sidebar serves as a great idea bank.

However, you should always investigate why a particular topic is trending. If you don’t, you could post something that’s inappropriate or insensitive.

2. Find a joke that’s already popular and make it your own

Recently there was a social dust up over a gold/white vs. blue/black dress. When something like this creates a buzz, use it to your advantage. For example, a flooring company posted this, “Whatever color you see in #thedress we have a carpet to match.”

3. Use popular hashtags to draw in your target market

Keep an eye on hot hashtags and create posts around them. For example, when the Oscars were on TV, a restaurant posted this, “Let #Schlotzskys cater your #Oscars viewing party.”

4. Make a humorous meme

Take a trend and put your own spin on it by creating a meme. Turn to sites like imgflip to make your own humorous card for social media. Grumpy Cat, for example, is still popular. An accountant could use the premade cat template in imgflip and add the text, “Taxes can put anyone in a bad mood. Use ABC Accountants to make sure you walk away happy.”

With a little creativity, you can cash in on social media trends. From the royal baby to Grumpy Cat, there are plenty of ways to incorporate trending topics in your posts. Share a trending post from your site in the comment section below.

Wendy Burt-Thomas is a full-time freelance writer with four books and thousands of published articles to her credit. Contact Wendy at WendyBurt@aol.com.

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