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How to Avoid Pitfalls When Using Hashtags in Social Media Marketing


Since Twitter first hit the social media scene in 2006, it has grown into a platform that has helped shape the world, 140 characters at a time. Over 100 million users log in each day and participate in discussions that ignore geographical borders. To do so, they use trending keywords called "Hashtags" to participate in those discussions.

Carefully planned hashtags can elevate brand awareness and spark discussion about your business. If used incorrectly, however, they can paint a negative image of your company that could have long-lasting implications. How can you effectively add hashtags as part of your social media marketing strategy? Implement these four strategies when coming up with an approach that will draw attention to your brand!

  1. Keep it Simple

    Put simply, #LongHashtagsAreHardToRead and can be viewed as amateur. As with anything in the social media realm, you want your hashtags to be short, sweet and to the point. Verizon Wireless does a great job of shortening their hashtags without sacrificing their brand. By using #VZW as their primary hashtag, Verizon lets people interact with their brand without sacrificing precious character space. Also, hashtags that are difficult to spell or remember can do more harm than good. If a user misspells your hashtag, it defeats the purpose of having it in the first place.

  2. Unique Hashtags

    If your hashtag is simple, it can be lengthened according to where you want to funnel information on a particular subject, event, or facet of your business. For instance, Verizon wanted to start a Black History Month discussion about the innovators of change. If they encouraged fans to continue using their #VZW hashtag, tweets that participated in that discussion would get lost among content that is associated with all facets of their brand; from customer service to troubleshooting. To combat this, they instead went with #VZWINNOVATE. By going this route, they were able to funnel all discussion about innovators of change into one specific hashtag, while still calling back to the primary #VZW tag. Because #VZW is such a short, yet memorable hashtag, Verizon is able to play around with different variations to spark discussions without sacrificing brand awareness.
  3. Avoid Becoming a Bashtag

    Those who keep a close eye on the Twitterverse can probably remember the #McDStories incident. In 2012, McDonald's launched a Twitter campaign encouraging fans to share their heartwarming stories about happy meals. Instead, users tweeted out horror stories from their experiences with the fast food chain.

    Here are a few of the most notable #McDStories:

    • "I lost 50lbs in 6 months after I quit working and eating at McDonald's"
    • "My father used to bring us to McDonald's as a reward when we were kids. Now he's horribly obese and has diabetes. Lesson Learned."
  4. Do Your Research

    You want to avoid finding out that your hashtag is already being used for a different reason than you intended. Imagine encouraging fans to use a hashtag and then discovering that it's associated with something negative! Taking the time to do a quick search on the hashtag can go a long way. When was the last time it was used? What was the context? These are things you need to consider when creating a hashtag.

Hashtags can be an effective way of getting a discussion started to increase your brand awareness. Knowing a few basic rules will ensure that you choose a hashtag that is helpful for your brand. Increase your hashtag's effectiveness by keeping it simple and easy to remember, and to provide an opportunity to add onto it to direct specific discussions. Avoid becoming a bashtag by being aware of your consumer base and their attitude towards your company. Do your research to assure that your hashtag is being used to incite positive activity. With these tips in mind, your business will be on the right track to drive discussions about your brand with this useful social media tool.

If you are interested in learning more about how hashtags can be used to your company's advantage, contact info@altstrategies.com today!