Stuff We’re Trying – Trendsmap.com

There’s no denying the impact that Twitter has had on real time information. When you want to know about what’s going on right now, anywhere in the world, your best bet is a simple Twitter search.Paying attention to Twitter trends can be a lot of fun for people that love breaking news, sports rumors and celebrity gossip but it can also be a real goldmine for marketers.

There are a variety of sites out there that display Twitter trends. Twitscoop.com and Twitter search are two of the many ways to keep on top of this mountain of information. I use them both on a regular basis but recently found myself wanting to try something new. Enter Trendsmap.com.

Trendsmap.com adds a layer of geography to Twitter trends. The map interface displays the areas that trends are occurring and allows the user to hone in on specific regions. This geographic targeting is a big bonus for marketers that want to target their Tweets to a specific location. With a few clicks you can start to see what is trending on a local level… and most times it’s a lot different than what’s trending on a country or global level.

There are a couple of small drawbacks to the site. I find that it can be a bit resource heavy and it will sometimes freeze up… the same can be said for Twitscoop.com. I also find that the trending topics can be a bit old (sometimes up to a few hours). This isn’t a big deal for some but there are people like me that need to know the “right now”. I’ve been using this site for a while. Here are a few things I’ve learned….

• Edmonton likes hockey. I know this really isn’t a surprise but it’s something to keep in mind if you plan on using Twitter as a promotion tool. Head to Trendsmap.com during an Oiler game and you’ll see that hockey talk dominates the local scene. If you’re looking to launch a local Twitter promotion for your business… you might be wise to avoid kicking it off during an Oiler game.
• Local trends are key. It would be a lot of fun to be behind a trending topic that spreads around the world but let’s be honest… catching social media lightning in a bottle is easier said than done. Focus on the trends in your local area and see what you can do to capitalize on them. Edmonton has a very vibrant Twitter community and the list of trending topics changes on a near hourly basis. The #yeg hashtag is always strong but there might be additional ones that you want to consider. Trendsmap.com will help you identify these.
• Gain insight into other markets. A while back I was responsible for some Twitter promotion in another city. Trendsmap.com helped identify trending topics in the target market and helped me start my planning. I used these trending topics to identify influencers and eventually my research led me to some Twitter lists that fit my target demographic. The map overlay really saved me some time. It allowed me to fine tune my search to identify trends in certain areas of the target city and then helped me track my results after the promotion started.

Trendsmap.com is just another tool in the expanding social media monitoring toolbox. Its map layout and relative simplicity makes it a worthy application to consider when identifying Twitter trends in specific locations. It also serves as a reminder that local trending topics are usually more important than global ones.