Who would have thought that #hashtags were going to become one of the most influential and effective marketing techniques? Today some of the leading companies in the world use hashtags to promote their businesses, increase brand awareness, improve their popularity and boost sales.
If you’re still not using hashtags in your marketing strategy, you’re totally missing out and losing a lot of prospective clients. Hashtags are everywhere, and it’s a shame that you’re not using them to the advantage of your business. We’ve examined the top successful hashtag marketing campaigns to provide you with these efficient 5 tips no one told you about, and help you kick off your own marketing campaign using hashtags. Get comfortable and enjoy!
-
Use The Oldest Trick in the Book
People like rewards. This is just the way we are, getting an adrenaline rush hoping to win something. Various contests are the best way to incentivize users to share a hashtag and keep your hashtag marketing campaign going.
For instance, one of the most striking hashtag campaigns was launched by Lay’s #DoUsAFlavor. People were asked to take part in a contest, come up with their own chips flavors and vote for other peoples’ ideas. The flavor that got most votes won 1 million dollars. The very first #DoUsAFlavor campaign was received by the customers so well that it surpassed 3.8 million submissions, whereas Lay’s had hoped to receive only 1.2 million. Surprised by the unexpected success, Lay’s did the same thing again, and received 14.4 million submissions in year 2014!
Think of what contest you can create relating to your business. Then think about the possible reward, and create a catchy hashtag to use. For example, Lay’s used a creative wordplay ‘do us a flavor’ that derives from ‘do us a favor’. It’s catchy and easy to remember, isn’t it?
-
If it’s Possible – Personalize
Another tip that works perfectly is personalization. People want to be noticed, to be treated individually, and this is what Coca Cola used to boost their brand. The company decided to use the global trend of self-expression and sharing, so #ShareACoke campaign that was aimed at boosting sales went through the roof and quickly became viral. Cans of Coke had names on it, so you could share it on your social media. Who wouldn’t want to get a Coke with their name on it? It’s awesome (and seems so simple). According to Investopedia, the campaign resulted in more than 500,000 photos shared via #ShareACoke and 25 million followers on Coca Cola’s Facebook page the same year. Plus, the company turned to celebrities for assistance to promote the hashtag, so this is going to be our next piece of advice. Using influencer marketing to fuel your hashtag marketing campaign might be very effective, if done right.
-
Turn to Influencers
We’re living in a world where the Internet and technology have erased a lot of communication burdens. Thanks to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and other major platforms, we can interact, communicate and connect like never before. A lot of people are listening to their favorite bloggers and influencers. They admire them and trust them like a friend or relative, even though they have never talked to them or met them in person! If an influencer uses a product or a service, then most of their followers are very likely to want to have the same thing. The number of companies asking influencers to fuel the interest in their brand is endless. For examples, #MyCalvins by Calvin Klein turned to celebrities to ask them to take photos in undergarments and promote the hashtag. Tarte Cosmetics made #TrippinWithTarte popular after providing a famous YouTube blogger Niki DeMar with a trip to Bora Bora. That is why we highly recommend you to cooperate with influencers in your country to promote your hashtag company. You can truly reach lots of people!
-
Raise a Burning Issue
Social media has become the means of highlighting important issues in politics, society and the world over. For this reason, popular brands don’t stand aside from burning problems. Moreover, they often use them to attract attention to their business and their products. Let’s take a look at several successful campaigns.
#WorthSaying was launched by L’oreal Paris, and asked women around the world to share their opinions about what’s really vital to them. This campaign was supported by tons of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively. In addition, the brand donated $0.25 to charity for every post with the #WorthSaying hashtag.
#LikeAGirl is another example of raising the issue of women’s role in society. It was launched by Always with the goal of turning the phrase ‘like a girl’ into meaning ‘being strong and confident’. As a result, this campaign went viral.
-
Don’t Get too Serious
The last tip is to have fun. It’s not always serious issues that will boost your brand awareness. Hilarious and amusing campaigns are also used, such as the one launched by Redbull, #PutACanOnIt. One of the benefits of hilarious and amusing ideas is that you don’t need to invest tons of money, as your followers will spread the word themselves. Moreover, such a campaign creates creative opportunities all over the world.
Another example of an amusing campaign is Nest’s #CaughtOnDropCam. Users started uploading hilarious videos of their pets’ antics when they weren’t at home. Think about what can be fun about your business, and use it to promote your brand.
Let’s summarize. First and foremost, be creative. Secondly, keep it simple; the easier your idea is, the more likely it will go viral. Thirdly, don’t hesitate to turn to celebrities and influencers, as people listen to them around 99% of the time.
In addition to that, use topical issues to attract attention, but it’s better to use the problem that bothers you as well, as people can’t stand hypocrisy. Make your campaign as personalized as possible, because nothing incentivize more than a customized and individual product or service.
Finally, don’t get scared to experiment, use different methods and techniques and see what really works for you. Who knows, maybe you’ll come up with some ideas no one has ever thought about yet? Get inspired and keep on working, because ‘yes, you can’.
Author Bio
Rhonda Martinez is a marketing consultant, blogger and reviewer at legit essay writing services review website. Rhonda is passionate about marketing, PR, and teaching. When not working, she enjoys traveling with her husband and children.
