How to Create a Successful #Hashtag Marketing Campaign

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How to Create a Successful #Hashtag Marketing Campaign

Proprietary and Confidential Proprietary and Confidential

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Know the Basics What is a hashtag? §  Twitter, the micro-blogging social network that revolutionized

the utility of the #hashtag defines it as:

“used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.”

§  As we all know, the hashtag has been integrated into other social networks including: Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook.


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Know the Basics How to use a hashtag:

§  Hashtags are meant to be placed in front of a keyword that is relevant to a tweet, post, or image. For example:

“Jack Dorsey is a genius for inventing Twitter! #iloveTwitter.”

§  When users click on a hashtagged word, it shows them other posts or images that have been marked with the same keyword.

§  Hashtags can help followers and other users search for products, events, related topics, your company, etc.

§  Hashtags can also help track and follow social conversations about your brand.


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Know the Basics When a hashtag becomes very popular on Twitter, for example, it appears in Trending Topics.


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Do Your Research Before implementing a hashtag campaign, be sure to do your research: §  What are you promoting?

§  Who is your target audience?

§  What does your audience care about?

§  Is your audience willing to share, retweet, mention, purchase, click, etc.?

Check to see if your hashtag has been used already or is unique: §  This will help reduce the chance of people outside of your target audience

diluting the conversation with unrelated messages.


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Develop a Strategy Hashtags only work if people know about them §  Incorporate the hashtag into other marketing channels like email, TV, and

other social media platforms for maximum exposure

Hashtags are meant to start a conversation or discussion while promoting a brand, product, cause, etc. §  Think about the kind of conversation you want to start with your followers

Create a hashtag that is short, shareable and easy to remember §  Keep in mind, it should still encompass your overall brand strategy


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Successful Hashtags Campaigns Nike: #MakeItCount §  To promote the Nike FuelBand, Nike created a hashtag campaign that spanned

over Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram. §  The campaign asked fans to share how they planned to ‘Make it Count’ in 2012.

§  This campaign incorporated a number of the UK’s top athletes who shared their stories of how they will make 2012 count, alluding to the 2012 London Olympics.


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Successful Hashtags Campaigns Pepsi: “Live for Now” §  Pepsi’s first global campaign

incorporated the tagline “Live for Now” across all digital and social platforms.

§  The campaign reflected how Pepsi fans from around world have the desire to capture the excitement of now – a mind-set that aligned with the core of the brand.

§  Pepsi used pop-culture platforms and its relationships with music and entertainment brand evangelists, like Nicki Minaj, to accelerate the campaign.


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Successful Hashtags Campaigns Florida Blue: #Floridaproud §  In 2012, Florida Blue, formerly Blue Cross and

Blue Shield of Florida, sought to transition their brand, grow their online community and amplify their social media presence.

§  To establish its reputation as a resource to Florida residents, Florida Blue used #floridaproud in an integrated campaign that included TV, radio and digital.

§  The campaign encouraged Floridians to tweet about what makes them proud of their home state and local community.

§  The conversation that unfolded around #floridaproud helped develop deeper interactions between the staff and consumers by providing relevant information that resulted in personalized experiences with existing and potential members.


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Unsuccessful Hashtags Campaigns McDonald’s: #McDStories §  McDonald’s wanted to

promote the farmers who supply the fast food chain with quality ingredients.

§  While the sentiment behind #McDStories was to encourage positive memories of the fast food restaurant, it was also vague enough for followers to tell their own negative stories about their experiences at McDonalds.


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Unsuccessful Hashtags Campaigns Kenneth Cole: #Cairo §  In 2011, clothing mogul Kenneth Cole sparked a PR firestorm

with a single insensitive tweet featuring the #Cairo: “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online”

§  At the time of the tweet, Egypt was in the midst of a violent uprising where protestors demanded the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak and his regime.

§  The Twitterverse was not amused by Cole’s use of current events to push his brand, and he later deleted the tweet with the following apology on Facebook: “I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I've dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.”


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Tips to Keep in Mind §  #Don’t #overuse #hashtags

§  Keep hashtags short, sweet and conversational

§  Avoid talking about yourself, your brand, or your company directly

§  Try to control open-ended hashtags by strategizing responses to negative feedback

§  Don’t use controversial events or sensitive issues to promote a hashtag - #duh!

§  Use hashtags to promote contests or events, share news, spread advocacy efforts, educate your audience or to simply generate buzz around a topic


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Key Performance Indicators To track the success of your hashtag campaign, look at these four KPIs:

§  Hashtag Volume: How many times did this hashtag occur throughout your campaign?

§  Reposts: How many people (followers and non-followers) reposted your post or others’ posts using that hashtag?

§  Link Visits: If your post had a link, how many times did people click that link? §  Replies: How many people added to the conversation you created?


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Is a Hashtag Campaign Right For You? Any industry can take advantage of a hashtag campaign: §  Retail, non-profit, politics, financial services, entertainment, food, service, etc.

Some important points to remember are: §  Launch at the right time to the right audience

§  Run a campaign if you already have a solid social presence and want to grow it further

§  Keep participation easy and engaging §  Use a hashtag campaign if you truly want to make an impact that goes beyond social

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How to Create a Successful #Hashtag Marketing Campaign