Michelle Moses | Social Media Management For Small Businesses

Social media trends move fast, but strategy moves with intention. If you have ever felt like a trend does not fit your business or your personality, you are not alone. The truth is simple. Trends are not meant to be copied. They are meant to be interpreted.

Recently, I used a popular audio that usually features someone talking to their younger self about their future partner. Instead of following the original storyline, I reshaped it into an anniversary tribute featuring photos of me and my husband throughout the years, along with a few iconic interracial couples who have inspired us. Same sound. Completely different execution. And it worked because it aligned with my message, my story, and my brand.

This is the part most people miss. Trends are raw materials, not instructions.

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Why Trends Feel Limiting and Why They Do Not Have To Be

Businesses often look at trends and immediately opt out.

It is a dancing trend, so they assume they need to dance.

It is a lip sync, so they assume they need to act.

It feels silly, so they assume it will not match their professional tone.

Here is the truth. You do not have to do the trend the way everyone else does it. You only need to understand why it is trending and how to adapt it to your goals.

A trend is simply a moment of shared attention. Your job is to decide whether that moment can support your message and if so, how to reshape it so it fits your brand instead of fighting it.

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The Strategy Behind Remixing a Trend

Here is the workflow I use and the same one I teach clients.

• Identify the core of the trend
  What is the emotional hook? Humor, nostalgia, surprise, relatability?
• Define the message you want to deliver
  Not every trend deserves your time. Choose intentionally.
• Find the overlap
  Where does the trend’s energy meet your brand’s purpose?
• Modify the format
  Change the visuals, the storyline, the angle, or the point of view.
• Execute with intention
  Timely matters, but alignment matters more.

This is how you stay relevant without becoming random.

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My Anniversary Trend Example and Why It Worked

The original trend is playful, nostalgic, and rooted in identity. I kept the emotional tone but changed the narrative.

• Instead of a younger self talking to a future self, I used real photos from our relationship.
• Instead of guessing the partner’s race, I highlighted interracial couples who shaped cultural conversations.
• Instead of following the joke format, I used the trend to celebrate longevity, love, and representation.

Same sound. Same trend. Different purpose. That is the point.

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Not Every Trend Is for Every Business and That Is Okay

A strong social media strategy is not about doing every trend. It is about doing the right trends in the right way.

If a trend does not align with your brand, skip it.
If it does align, adapt it.
If it almost aligns, reshape it until it fits.

Creativity is the bridge between this trend is not for me and this trend works perfectly for my message.

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The Takeaway

Trends are optional. Strategy is not.

You do not need to dance.
You do not need to lip sync.
You do not need to force your brand into a format that does not make sense.

You only need to be intentional, timely when possible, and willing to modify trends so they support what you are trying to say. When you do that, trends stop feeling like pressure and start feeling like opportunity.