Trends, memes and veggie nourish bowls

Do you need to use trends to build an audience?

They’re basically ALL over social media these days. But this is what I hear from clients:

Finding trends takes too long.

Our brand isn’t funny, we’re more serious.

Our audience isn’t young people, so we don’t need to do trends. 

If your business isn’t using trends, you’re missing out! While you don’t need trends, they can help you build your audience WAY faster and show customers your brand’s unique personality.

Welcome back to Macaroni & Marketing— where you’ll find delish recipes and marketing tips all in one place.

Today we’ll be sharing:

• Marketing tip— how to use trends and memes to build an audience

• Recipe— sheet pan, vegetarian nourish bowl

Let’s go!

How to use trends to yield big results 🔥

A common misconception with trends is that they’re only for young people or silly/funny brands. But really any business can (and should!) use trends because people like relatable, entertaining content that will make them think: “wow, this business really gets it!”.

Now, not all trends are right for your business. The key is to find the ones that your audience will resonate with. Here are a few quick tips for using trends successfully:

1. Look for early trends. If you can predict an early trend, your content will be hoisted up when the trend goes viral, making it easy for people to see it. Try finding sounds on TikTok or IG that have under 10K uses, but most of the uses were in the past week.

2. Don’t force a trend. Some trends are great, but they may not be great for your niche. Get creative, but don’t feel like you NEED any one trend. There’s a million to pick from.

3. Use keywords about the trend. If the trend is viral, odds are other people are looking it up. Be sure to add keywords and hashtags related to the trend in your caption so it pops up when people search.

4. Make sure it relates to your business. I’ve seen videos go so viral, but the content had nothing to do with the business or the problem/need they solve. This resulted in a lot of views, but not many followers or conversions.

5. Look for inspo. You might find it in places you didn’t predict. Instead of looking at direct competitors, broaden your search to the industry. See what kinds of funny content similar businesses make.

6. Don’t give up! Not every trend will be a hit. Integrate funny, entertaining content into your strategy and something is bound to click with your audience eventually.

Businesses that slay trends ✨💅

Chilis

During the Barbie movie hype, Chilis used this trending sound about Nicki Minaj (who sang “Barbie World”) to promote their Barbie-themed margarita. This works because it’s super timely, plays into pop culture and is great advertising for their margaritas without sounding sales-y.

@chilisofficial

Everything is better in pink #BarbzDay #Barbz #chilisgrillandbarbz #barbarita (Must be 21+ to consume alcohol. Only available at participa... See more

Notion

Notion used a trending Capcut template from “Schitt’s Creek” to show how a new feature (Notion AI) works. They even made the recipe one from TV show, which “Schitt’s Creek” fans loved.

@notionhq

Fold in the cheese 🧀 #notion #notionai #ai #notionapp #notiontok #notiontemplate #schittscreek #recipe #recipes #cooking #food #foodie

Ellevest

When the “What, like it’s hard?” sound was trending on TikTok and Reels, Ellevest decided to get creative and make a meme out of it using an image from “Legally Blonde”. It was funny, but also empowered their target audience to get going on their financial planning (the whole goal of the company).

Fursure

A pet insurance startup, Fursure carefully chooses trends to hop on and this “Little Miss” trend didn’t miss. They related to their target audience of pet owners in a funny way, while also subtly hinting at the value of saving a bit with pet insurance. It’s cute, trendy and, most importantly, perfect for their audience.

Looking for more marketing strategies? Check out our post on SEO tips!

One-pan, vegetarian nourish bowls

We’re serving up a sheet pan meal today. Simply chop, season, roast and serve.

This bowl has tofu, chickpeas, sweet potato, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and avocado. You’ll get plenty of protein from both the tofu and beans, but feel free to customize however you want.

It’s the perfect start to a healthy new year, so preheat that oven and get ready for a delish dinner.

And if you’re looking for another yummy recipe, check out our lemon salmon and quinoa pasta!

Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato

• 3 oz tofu

• ½ can chickpeas

• Cauliflower

• Brussel sprouts

• ½ avocado

• Salt, pepper, garlic

• Honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with non-stick.

2. Chop your sweet potato, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and honey. Place on the pan.

3. Press your tofu to get all the water out so it cooks extra crispy. Then chop into 1-inch cubes and season with salt, pepper, garlic and honey. Place on the pan.

4. Drain the can of chickpeas. You can use the whole can if you want leftovers, but I roasted ½. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. Add to pan.

5. Roast everything for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

6. Serve with sliced avocado and enjoy!

See u next time for more recipes & marketing tips 👋 ✨