In the 2014 Super Bowl, 58% of the ads that were aired at the break of the game included hashtags. In the 2013 edition, large companies reaped the benefits of hashtags on social networks; the hashtags related to the brands were mentioned a whopping 300,000 times. It seems that the numbers speak for themselves, so if you are determined to develop successful marketing actions on social networks, hashtags should be an essential part in the creation of your campaigns.
It’s time to learn about brand related hashtags. This is what you need to know about the 3 types of hashtags on social networks.
What kind of hashtag works best for your company?
There are three main types of hashtags:
- Brand or campaign specific hashtags.
- Content hashtags.
- Hashtags that are trending.
- Corporate hashtags
Perfect corporate hashtags have some key ingredients – they have to be concise, catchy, and most importantly, they have to be unique to the brand. The Red Bull energy drink exemplifies this perfectly by turning its world-famous catchphrase into the hashtag #Redbullgiveyouwings. Its small size and being so recognized allows users around the world to share photos of their favorite drink on the social network they want – while allowing you to find the content you want. Branded hashtags are a permanent feature and rarely change.
Campaign hashtags are created specifically for a particular marketing action, with the aim of reinforcing the campaign and the brand.
- Content hashtags
Content hashtags are used to directly connect with a target audience. For example, if you are a small coffee shop that wants to increase brand awareness, posting photos of your artistic and impressive cafes with the hashtags #art #cafe #latteart will attract a multitude of stakeholders.
Sit down with your cappuccino with an extra touch of vanilla and the aroma of praline to see the retweets. Thanks to the flexibility of hashtags, your tag will be spread across the networks if you share your post on multiple sites. Remember NOT to hashtag each word.
When using content hashtags try to think like your customers. What interests you? What can get your attention? Basically, descriptive hashtags are the ones that work best. But what about those people worried about having healthy habits and interested in correct nutrition? What hashtags will they use when they share photos of their exercise and eating routines? Discover this information and tag your tweets appropriately to reach your target audience.
- Trend hashtags
Hashtags that are trending are more complicated. If you are able to get on a trending topic without looking like a spammer without any shame, go ahead. But sometimes joining the trends can backfire, so make sure the hashtag TT is related to your brand before considering jumping into it.
If it cannot happen to you like David Bisbal and be harshly criticized, and with good reason, for trying to promote yourself by adding the hashtag of support to Japan after the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. Do your homework before getting involved.
This is the basics of the types of hashtags you can use in marketing.