If you are a regular Twitter user, you will know some hashtags that trend on Twitter get more traction than others. In this article, we will specifically discuss how marketers can use Twitter hashtags to drive traffic to their website/app, find influencers, prospects and share content with relevant audiences.
A combination of words with no space in between, probably depicting a trending issue with a hash sign in front is what a hashtag usually looks like. For example, #MarketingAutomation and #DigitalMarketing. Both are hashtags.
A Twitter hashtag acts like a string that ties different things that fall under one topic together. For example, if ten different marketing automation professionals tweet about marketing automation with the hashtag #MarketingAutomation, you do not need to visit their Twitter profiles individually to see their posts. You can just search for this hashtag and see everything that Twitter has to offer.
If an update carries this hashtag it will come up in your search as part of the stream. Twitter hashtags basically coordinate all the tweets and arrange them topic-wise. Popular Twitter hashtags become trending topics and are featured on Twitter’s homepage.
How to Create a Hashtag?
The way hashtags operate, they have the potential to become viral with effective social media marketing. This means that it is a goldmine for marketers. If utilized correctly it can yield astonishing results. However, to make the most of it here’s what you need to do:
Spend some time to think
Your first step would be to think of relevant words that could serve as a hashtag for your social media campaign. Do not just bank on one hashtag, create a few so that you can have different options.
Make sure your hashtag has no punctuation or any space in between. You can choose to use multiple hashtags but Twitter suggests not using more than two.
Check if your hashtag is unique
Your next step would be to check if the hashtag that you created is new or not. If it is not, then you can fall back upon the alternatives that you created. You can easily search for your preferred hashtag on Twitter and hope that nothing shows up in the search.
While it may seem like a lucrative option and take advantage of a popular hashtag, you might not be able to popularize your brand that way. It is always advisable to forge your own path and remain unique on social media.
Relevance is and always will be key
Not all people will search for your hashtag. Heck, if it is a new hashtag, how will people know about it in the first place? So, use relevant words, choose keywords popular in your industry or one that revolves around your brand.
People will see your tweet with the hashtag on their feed first, and then if it has the potential to become viral amongst your target audience, you will soon see that other users will start picking it up.
Tread carefully when it comes to sentiments
Hashtags often have words that include feelings and sentiments. While it might seem like a good idea to incorporate that in a hashtag, it has the potential to make your campaign take a turn for the worse.
Feelings and sentiments are strong objects. Leaving them amidst your followers might not be a good idea for the first time. You should only do that when you know you can get away with it.
Our advice would be to stick to something neutral
You have to remember something, once you create a hashtag, you can remove it from your posts and you can delete your posts all you want. But you cannot delete what other people post using the hashtag. So, be careful.
Do not let your social media campaign turn into a full-blown nightmare for your brand.
Promote your hashtags
If you want your hashtag to succeed you have to promote it. People will only get to know about it if they see it in their feed. They will use it if they find it interesting. So, if you want to generate a buzz, you will have to make sure that it is visible to your target audience across all social media channels including Twitter.
Use the hashtag in your email communication, add the hashtag in the links you share. Make sure the hashtag receives the visibility it deserves. Tie up with influencers in your industry and they can drive engagement around your Twitter hashtag.
Twitter also allows sponsored options to drive hashtags and relevant brand posts on the timeline and trends. Take advantage of sponsored options to see early traction.
Keep it short and sweet
Your Twitter hashtag must be short so that it is easy to recall. Moreover, a social media platform like Twitter only allows 140 characters per tweet and that includes your hashtag.
You have to give yourself as well as your audience some room to write a brief comment along with the hashtag if you want it to become popular.
Bottom Line
It is easy to create a campaign that revolves around a Twitter hashtag. But the truth is, you need a hashtag that is unique and has the potential to create an impact.
Millions of hashtags come and go, but you have to make sure that yours sticks. More often than not a hashtag campaign fails not because the hashtag wasn’t unique, but because it was not conveyed or promoted properly.
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