By the year 2017, you’ve probably realized that your company needs to have a social media presence. You probably have at the very least a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account. Maybe you’re also on Snapchat and Pinterest. Whatever social media platforms you have on the go, you may be making one crucial mistake if you aren’t using #hashtags.
No, that’s not a pound key. It’s a hashtag, and it’s a transformational marketing tool. Hashtags are words or phrases that allow people to search for content on social media. Hashtags allow people to interact with one another over a common theme. Some platforms like Instagram and Pinterest allow users to pepper their posts with multiple hashtags. You may find the hashtag mildly annoying, but the fact is regardless of your industry, the # can be your company’s most powerful social media marketing tool.
Here are just 6 reasons why hashtags are an important part of your digital marketing strategy:
Connect with a Target Audience
Hashtags allow you to target your message to a specific audience. If Entripy is posting something about our school spirit wear, for example, we may use #schoolspiritwear so that anyone who is looking for this product can easily find us.
Connect to Event Attendees
Conferences, tradeshows and special events will often use an event-specific hashtag. Attendees can follow what people are saying about the event by searching for that hashtag and joining the conversation. Sponsor companies, too, can join the conversation and connect with everyone who is sharing about the event online.
Unique Hashtags Make You Stand Out
If you want to stand out in this whirlwind of online noise, get creative and make your own unique hashtag that’s specific to your business and that represents your brand. Entripy uses the hashtag #yellowbox, referring to our most popular brand identifier – our Entripy yellow boxes. Our clients and followers are encouraged to use #yellowbox when they spot our boxes out in public, or when they simply want to communicate with us online. A unique, identifiable hashtag tells people, “hey, if you want to join a conversation about Entripy, use #yellowbox in your tweets to us!”
Track Marketing Campaigns
Hashtags make campaign tracking easy. Entripy uses #EntripySpring17Collection when sharing information on social media about our upcoming custom apparel spring collection. By using a campaign specific hashtag, you can easily track the social success of your campaign.
Follow Industry Conversations
Hashtags are an effective way to allow you to engage in conversations your clients or your competitors are having online. If we search #customtshirts or #screenprinting, Entripy can easily see what others in our industry are saying about these topics and we can contribute our voice to the conversation by using these hashtags as well.
Join Popular Conversations
Want an easy way to gain followers? Watch for trending hashtags and join these conversations to get your brand in front of a wider audience. Not sure what’s popular? Take a look at the left side of your Twitter page and you’ll see the top trending hashtags in the world, your country or in your city. If there’s a Raptors game and you live in Toronto, you’ll likely see #WeTheNorth as a trending hashtag in your city. Why not join the conversation and get your brand in the face of these Raptors fans? All it takes is a #.
Now that you know the power hashtags can have on your digital marketing success, you probably want to use them in every post, right? Maybe you have a great unique hashtag in mind for your business. But how do you get others to use it?
Printing Unique Hashtags on Your Custom T-Shirts
Adding your company’s social media icons to the back or front of your company’s custom t-shirts is a great way to get people to join your conversation. Let’s see how this works:
Say you’re a restaurant in a small town like Napanee, you may screen-print “GoodEatsNapanee on the back of your custom t-shirts and wear them at the restaurant and around town. By showing off your unique hashtag, you’re encouraging your patrons to talk about your restaurant online. Showing off your unique hashtag on your custom t-shirts means you’re able to capture the attention of people who might not already be followers of your company but who, armed with this hashtag, may share information about your restaurant or engage in the conversation online.
Bottom line, hashtags can be your company’s best friend when it comes to social media marketing. So, what are you waiting for? #GetHashtagging
