by Bethany Jett, @BetJett

Four years ago, I wouldn’t have considered myself an early adopter of anything, much less someone who was “relevant.” I’m more the “wait-and-see what happens” type of person. I’d rather learn from what someone else is doing than jump two feet in and make a mistake.

Once I started writing and building a brand full-time, that strategy didn’t seem to work as well in terms of relating to my audience.

God called and equipped us with a talent for writing so that we can share our thoughts and opinions. Our words were meant to be read, our voices intended to be heard. We must stay current with today’s trends so we can create valid and well thought out opinions.

I’m not saying we have to agree or act on everything that’s happening in our world, but we must understand it and be able to relate to the audience God has given to each of us.

To do that, we have to jump in and be seen as someone our audience wants to follow. There are lots of ways to do this, but today, I’d like to share two seemingly obvious ways to stay relevant to your audience.

1. Be Ahead of the Trend.

Meet my newest online BFF: NationalDayCalendar.com. Their motto: Celebrate Every Day.

On this site, you’ll see a compilation of every day of the year with what that day is nationally recognized for, as well as Weekly and Monthly Observations and International Days. For example, today is National Mousse Day, National Computer Security Day, National Stay Home Because You’re Well Day, and the National Rockefeller Tree Lighting Day. It’s also National Meth Awareness Day. Who knew?

If you look at the site’s monthly view, you’ll see a list of the National Days under their corresponding date. Most have a link that takes you to their individual page where you’ll receive a brief description, the day’s hashtags, ways to observe the day, and a history of how the day became a national holiday.

So how does this work for you?

Before the beginning of the month, take a look-see at the upcoming National Days. Pick and choose the days that are relevant to your audience, your brand, or ones that you think are plain fun.

Plug them in to your social media calendar and schedule your posts, pics, and content in advance. Use the hashtags they offer and be the first person in your audience’s world to let them know what’s going on.

Give them a reason to spice up their day by having fun with the food days or bringing awareness to the causes that are close to your heart.

For example, I think my audience will think “Stay Home Because You’re Well Day” is clever and reminiscent of Senior Skip Day in high school, and I think any day that you get to eat a fun food is, well, fun.

My favorite dessert happens to be the Chocolate Stampede from Longhorn, so I think a trip to the restaurant to celebrate National Mousse Day will make a great post to use on Instagram, Instagram Stories, or Snapchat. For my writer and entrepreneurial audiences, National Computer Security Day may hit more at home.

Not every day is going to be relatable to your audience, and that’s okay. Pick and choose the ones that are appropriate and weave them into your blogging and social media. Is a character in one of your books a raging chocoholic? Maybe you can share a post or meme about what dessert they’d be eating today to draw attention to your book and spark conversation among your readers.

2. Jump on Board a Current Trend. Fast.

I write for an audience of young women and guess what…Gilmore Girls is h-o-t right now. I’ve watched the series once a long time ago and liked it, but not enough to go back and watch it again. Now that the new series is out (debuted last week), I started watching them again. It’s amazing how being in a completely different place in my life has changed my perspective and I’m actually really enjoying watching it all over again.

Why does that matter?

Because I can take content from the show and share my twist or spin on real life situations and relationships. I can draw in readers based on a mutually loved show, and draw them in to my world. Also, the main characters Lorelai and Rory are synonymous with coffee. Therefore any coffee references I want to make are easily tied in to the show, easily meme-able, and beautifully on topic.

You can do the same.

Allow yourself to get swept up into the hype of whatever is going on around you that relates to your audience. We don’t have to recreate the wheel, just jump on board of something awesome that’s happening that fits in with what you’re doing.

When Pokemon Go released (the crazy app game where people follow GPS tracking to “catch ‘em all”) a restaurant chain saw the hype and started offering Pokemon specials on Wednesdays. If you found a rare Pokemon at their location, you got a free drink. According to Forbes, it was brilliant marketing, and I agree.

[reminder]Which “national day” can you celebrate today?[/reminder]

Bethany Jett is an award-winning author of The Cinderella Rule, speaker, ghostwriter, and founder of JETTsetter Ink, a consulting and editing company. She has written for numerous publications, created the My Moments Planner, Serious Writer Companion, and is the founder of Serious Writer Academy and the Build Your Brand Program. Her newest work, Through the Eyes of Hope releases January 2017.

Bethany is a military wife and all-boys-mama who is addicted to suspense novels and all things girly. She writes on living a brilliant life at BethanyJett.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest,  Instagram (new profile), and Twitter.