Part II: Maximize Your Hashtags
As I push forward with my hashtag series, I remind myself of the power of working backward—following where hashtags go and using them later. When you find where to make your content discoverable, maximize your hashtags and free up time for creating.
Who’s Going To The Party?
Regardless of popular choices, until you know who’s at the party, it might not be those you want to hang around with. Upon posting, I attached the following hashtags to Part II of the series: #usinghashtags #techhumor #hashtagtips and #socialmediatipsforbusiness.
The first three turned out to be valuable links with a crowd that might appreciate my stories. Conversely, the fourth, #socialmediatipsforbusiness, was rife with pics of girls in bikinis on Facebook. On Twitter, it was more to the point but with the same posts appearing multiple times from the same authors. The Instagram feed had more subjects on point.
Lesson learned? What was suggested to me by a third-party hashtag site turned out to be not worth my while. Nothing lost but a couple of minutes. Time well spent.
What Should I Bring?
“Be consistent,” says The Marketing GP in Hashtag #DOs and #DON’Ts. “Hashtag formatting is important to ensure your social media feed doesn’t look messy. We always recommend capitalization in hashtags.”
They raise a good point. If you seek respectability, #GreenPower looks like a place for environmentalists, while #greenpower looks like a hangout for vape and gummie enthusiasts.
“Following hashtags that your target market is likely to engage with can also help,” the TMGP also suggests. “By putting yourself in the shoes of your ideal client/customer, you can find out what they’re interested in. It pays to be in the know!”
Who Had Success Maximizing Hashtags?
#ShareACoke by Coca-Cola, asked users to share pictures of personalized Coke bottles. It generated content, engagement (611k posts) and positive brand attention. Successful hashtag campaigns for household names increase traffic, brand awareness, and sales. Some others?
#ShotoniPhone: by Apple (30.7million)
#JustDoIt: by Nike (20m)
#MyCalvins: by Calvin Klein (869k Instagram posts)
#ShareYourEars: by Disney (420k)
Are Few More For The Road
Digital marketing agency Tagbox names its Top 14 Creative and Successful Hashtag Campaign Examples. Writer Jennifer Morris notes that hashtags have become an integral part of social media content, making relevant discovery easier.
"Since hashtags are ubiquitous, they play a primary role in expanding your brand exposure. Moreover, due to their strong and quirky presence, they hold the extreme potential to make your content go viral."
The Lays’ #DoUsAFlavour hashtag campaign, first launched more than a decade ago, made the Top 14 and resulted in 14.4 million flavor submissions with the winning flavor receiving a million dollars.
The Top 14
#ExpressWithPride Campaign By Tagbox
#WorthSaying By Loreal Paris
#Sunday7Social By ISOLATED Talks
#Letsdolunch By Domino’s Pizza
#DoUsAFlavour Campaign By Lays
#ShareYourEars Campaign by Disney
#HOLLYWOODselfie By Pedigree Australia
#OreoHorrorStories By Oreo
#BeyondFiveStars By Uber
#Trippinwithtarte by Tarte Cosmetics
#ShareACoke by Coca-Cola
#WantAnR8 by Audi
#ShotoniPhone by Apple
#ChipotleLidFlip by Chipotle
Be a Hashtag Hero
Finally, look at landing zones and CTAs for hashtags, and see how others are putting hashtags to work. Here’s a playful and useful post by #akilasocial on Instagram, a social media marketer with 40k followers. I found it using #hashtagstrategy. She catches attention with “Hashtags Are Dead” while presenting the contrary:
Here’s how you can be a Hashtag Hero:
✨ Don't be generic! Use a mix of popular and specific hashtags related to your content.
✨ Use the right tools to get the best suggested hashtags for your content.
✨ See what resonates! Pay attention to which hashtags get you the most engagement.
Unlock the power of hashtags and maximize their impact!
💫 Follow to become an authority on Instagram:
Hashtags don’t have to be work. Once you give yourself a little education, you’ll quickly see what’s effective. So put your hashtags to work and get back to creating what you create.
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