How to Stand Out Using Hashtag Marketing
Using hashtags can expand your brands reach and ultimately help grow your business.
Handling social media accounts as a freelancer is different from working in-house. Most of the time, freelancer social media managers can work between campaigns and handle multiple clients. They’re free to pick their clients, projects, and tasks to develop their skills better.
But one of the most crucial roles that a social media manager does — whether in-house or freelance — is helping brands come up with a social media marketing plan. But what does creating a social media marketing plan entail?
It involves a lot of steps. But using the right hashtags is important if you want to make your content more discoverable on online platforms. Hashtags are specific and unique keywords that can help businesses promote their products or services, connect with customers, and reach out to more people. Some of the most commons ones you’ll see on Instagram are #food and #love.
Here’s how you can step up your game and help your clients stand out with hashtag marketing.
Come Up With a Unique Hashtag
The whole point of using hashtags is to reach your target audience. It can be tempting to just rely on the most commonly used hashtags like #love or #fashion. After all, they’re a good way to engage customers using those same hashtags. But posts with those tags could end up unnoticed. If you want your audience to connect with you, unique hashtags are the way to go.
Hashtags that veer away from generic ones include:
Brand hashtags - tags related to a particular brand. Brand hashtags can be the brand name, tagline, or product or service offered.
Campaign hashtags - hashtags for a specific social media campaign. For example, the mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp used #ACPCFoodie as a campaign hashtag.
Challenge hashtags - As the name suggests, challenge hashtags come from social media “challenges.” A popular example is the #icebucketchallenge for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) awareness.
Of course, you need to consider your client’s branding, offerings, and target consumers before creating a hashtag.
Use Clear & Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are all over social media. If you’re coming up with a hashtag, make sure it’s short (but sweet), clear, and easy to spell. Also, your hashtag should let people know what it’s all about.
Using a hashtag that’s too long could end up misspelled or misread. When that happens, your social media campaign could end up lost in the shuffle. The same goes for vague or commonly used hashtags.
So how do you craft a clear and relevant hashtag?
Start by looking for the right topics. Check out popular and relevant hashtags for your client (particularly their specialty or niche) and their content. Who knows, those tags might help you come up with a unique and engaging hashtag.
Pick the Right Hashtags For The Platforms You Use
Hashtags engage different groups of people on social media. That said, make sure the hashtags you use will fit your chosen social media platform.
Let’s say you’re running an Instagram account for your client. If you use a Twitter hashtag on an Instagram post, that tag won’t give your client the results they want. That’s because those platforms attract specific audiences, follow different rules, and use distinct algorithms. So before filling your posts with hashtags, get to know your target audience and social media platform.
Jump On Trending Hashtags
True to its name, a trending hashtag is an extremely popular (or on-trend) hashtag. It can be a hashtag that people like or talk about nowadays. Trending hashtags usually come with the biggest news stories, and they pop up on social media feeds right away (and when you least expect it). But there’s a downside to trending hashtags: they’re only “hot topics” for a short while.
Looking to get on the hype train with a trending hashtag? You’ll need to keep an eye out for current trends. Also, think about whether your trending hashtag will make conversations more worthwhile. Your audience could end up looking for a more compelling post if you just share something that sounds generic.
By using trending hashtags, you can help your client reach more people and boost its online presence. Those hashtags can even help your client discover what their community is into and connect with them.
Build a Community
You’d be surprised at what you could gain by joining relevant communities. These spaces or platforms can help spark meaningful conversations and shed light on customer needs or pain points. These circles are built on relevant, valuable content and engagement.
But where do hashtags come in?
By using hashtags, you can help your client build its community and draw more people in.
Customers who support a particular brand or business feel like they belong to an elite circle of that brand’s customers. That’s why community hashtags can boost customer loyalty and encourage people to support their favorite brands.
If you’re sharing posts with community hashtags, here are some tags to use:
Product or service hashtags
Niche hashtags
Location hashtags
Hashtags related to your client’s specialty
You can create an original community hashtag for your client, too.
Share Original Content with Hashtags
Content hashtags are another way to reach specific audiences on social media. For example, whether you’re posting a photo of a cake or a guide to Facebook ads, it’s always a good idea to use the appropriate hashtags to bump up the post.
When using content hashtags, make sure you also optimize your posts for search engines. Like organic searches, your target audience can see your posts after typing any of the words you’ve used in your hashtag. If those posts are the first to show up, there’s a higher chance that people could leave a comment or follow your client’s social media account.
Coming up with content hashtags is a good idea if your client:
Offers physical products
Operates locally
Joins events
Shares posts about non-promotional niche topics
Encourage Customers to Take Action
Calls to action (CTA) inspire people to take profitable action because of a brand’s offers, promotions, or gimmicks. CTA hashtags work the same way.
But you might be wondering, “Why do people on social media follow CTA hashtags?” Let’s take a closer look.
People feel like they’re part of an important cause or movement. The #BellLetsTalk Twitter campaign is one example, which lets users participate in discussions related to mental health awareness.
Social media users think that CTAs are fun. An engaging CTA hashtag can get your audience to take action, drive engagement, and make a change.
Expand Your Reach with Effective Hashtag Marketing
Whether you’re drumming up hype for your client’s new product or sharing valuable content, hashtags can help you get the right message across to the right people. Just make sure your hashtags are simple, relevant, and memorable for show-stopping results.
Stefanie Siclot is part of the SEO team at Growth Rocket, a digital marketing agency based in Los Angeles. She is responsible for increasing the quality and quantity of website traffic which means fun for her.