Now you may be wondering, are social media hashtags really effective? How many do I need? And do they REALLY work? The short answer is yes! The longer answer is, only if you know how to use them and really understand what objectives your company is trying to achieve.
Social media campaigns have proven to be great forms of advertising and incredible mediums for marketing for companies who use hashtags to their advantage.
With the rise of influencer marketing, social media has become a world of knowledge and endless information that can sometimes be overwhelming. There have been numerous ways of attempting to understand algorithms, countless tips and tricks on how to make sure your content gets seen by the right audiences, and even more compelling suggestions on how to make sure your content aligns with the people you are trying to target and connect with.
Enter the hashtag. Think #SelfCareSundays, #SundayFunday, #ThirstyThursday. All of these have a ring to it. You know exactly what the content will look like when you think of such hashtags. Plus, it’s an extremely cool way to gather and find communities and groups of people who are doing the same thing. All from a simple key word.
The above are all effective hashtags that have proven to be useful in approaching brands and products. This was achieved by simply using relevant words and keywords to target audiences of specific niches that will go out seeking your product, service, or brand. This happens because you have allowed them the simple opportunity of searching for something very specific without them even needing to know the name of your company or business yet.
Here are 3 ways to make sure that your specific campaign hashtag aligns with your target audiences and lands the message you are trying to convey within your target markets.
1) Make use of catchy phrases, alliteration, and try to align your brand as much as you can with your specific tag. Add your brand name along with one key word that could help position your brand within the desired perception you are trying to achieve through your campaign. Brand Influence previously worked on a campaign with Checkers’ Simple Truth. The hashtag for this campaign was #DiscoverSimpleTruth. This was easy to remember, had a ring to it, contained what the brand was trying to achieve – brand awareness – and also connected to the messaging the brand was trying to convey.
2) Make sure that the hashtag is as unique as possible! This is something we always advise on. If the hashtag already exists, the campaign will pick up older posts under that same tag and pick up any other people using the hashtag during the duration of your campaign. Brand Influence did a campaign with Tiger brands and their new Jungle Instant Oats range. That campaign’s hashtag was #RolledThinnerToCookQuicker. The hashtag for that specific campaign was relevant to the new product variant of oats. This is a prime example of a great hashtag that showcased exactly what the new product was about.
3) Avoid hashtags that are over complicated with words that are difficult to pronounce or spell. We suggest easy-to-spell, catchy phrases with your brand name incorporated alongside words that are easy to say and spell!
We at Brand Influence know that using popular hashtags might appear to be the easier option, as posts may rank better on within the algorithms. However, when trying to drive a concentrated conversation around products and brands, a well-considered hashtag that is unique and specifically relevant to your campaign is the key to the success of your campaign. Why? Because followers have a unique way of accessing a multitude of posts all associated with the brand through one hashtag. This also gives way for conversations: audiences are afforded the chance to immediately recognise your brand and start their own conversation using the campaign hashtag.
We know that hashtags play a very important part in tracking various social listening components of campaigns, with reach being one of the most important to gather how far your campaign has extended beyond just your usual target market! With the correct hashtag, resources, a good team rooting for your brand, the right advice, we at Brand Influence believe that your campaign will have the ability to fly with a correctly used #hashtag.
Article written by:
Caira Blignaut -Senior Community Manager
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