The Three C's of Hashtag Marketing

Hashtag haters be warned: they're here to stay!

Most of us have that one friend who is hashtag crazy. Their Instagram and Facebook posts just aren’t complete without 10+ hashtag’s that only they would ever use: #doesntsallylookcuteinthisdress or #milothepuppyisthebest. You know what I mean, right?

But love them or hate them, hashtags aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, for us marketers, hashtags are an important part of social media marketing for small business. However, In order for them to be effective, hashtags need to be creative and consistent. So, what’s the best way to use a hashtag? For a simple guide, just follow the Three C’s: Conversation, Competitions and Categories.

Using Hashtags for Conversation

“Hashtags turn topics and phrases into clickable links in your posts on your personal Timeline or Page. This helps people find posts about topics they’re interested in… When you click a hashtag, you’ll see a feed of posts that include that hashtag. You may also see some related hashtags at the top of the page.” [source: Facebook Help Centre]

This is a great way to build a community around your brand, product, service or an event across multiple channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can simply click on a hashtag or search for a one in the search box at the top of any page, like I have done here for #mellicosmetics. Melli is an Australian makeup company selling beautiful cosmetics developed by Channel 9 Celebrity Makeup Artist Melissa Carter. This is also a good way to research appropriate hashtags. When I searched for just #melli, several posts were found – but completely unrelated to melli cosmetics. However, using the full business name  in the hashtag, i.e. #mellicosmetics, returned posts related only to the melli brand.

Using Hashtags for Competitions

Using hashtags for competitions is probably the most popular form of hashtag marketing. It’s also a chance to get really creative! Again, it’s important to ensure your hashtag is original, relevant and appropriate.

American brand StyleCaster used hashtag marketing in their attempt to find the most style New Yorker. The competition entry rules were simple yet effective: “To nominate an amazingly stylish New Yorker…all you have to do is submit his or her name and a photo via Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter using the hashtag #MostStylishNY.” This worked because StyleCaster were easily able to search the hashtag to find entries and choose their winner.

So have a think about how you can create a hashtag marketing contest that not only builds your fan base and followers and raises brand awareness.

Using Hashtags To Find Content Through Categories

The Third C in hashtag marketing is Categories [or topics]. You’ll see this used frequently across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram e.g. #smm (Social Media Marketing), #ContentMarketing #SmallBiz etc. You’ve no doubt also seen a hashtag specific to a theme such as #TBT (Throw Back Thursday).

I’m a huge netball fan and ‘my team’ is the NSW Swifts. I regularly search the hashtag #NSWSwifts to see what’s the buzz surrounding the Swifts during the ANZ Championship competition season. It's a simple and easy way to stay in the loop.

Hashtag Do’s & Don’ts

DO encourage conversation around topics connected to your brand, product, service or event

DON’T “newsjack” a popular hashtag just to insert your brand into a trending topic of conversation where you clearly don’t belong

DO think about topics and categories that your ideal customer would be searching for and use appropriate hashtags in your social media posts to reach new audiences

DON’T clutter your posts with generic and overused hashtags that are unlikely to deliver any real value to your business e.g. #ourofficemascotrocks

Conclusion

For Hashtag haters, here's the bad news: hashtags won’t be going the way of the Dodo any time soon. For small business owners, here's the good news: when used strategically, hashtags can be a great social media marketing tool. Use them to start a conversation, engage customers, raise brand awareness and expand the reach of your content updates. So get tagging!

About the author: Jody Sharpe is a Digital Marketing Specialist at Sharpe Design Solutions, a Small Business Marketing Agency on the NSW Central Coast. Email: jody@sharpedesignsolutions.com.au.

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