It’s easy to go onto social platforms like Twitter and look at what’s trending, but how can you be sure that the trendy #tag being used by users is right for your brand image?

Short answer: You don’t. That’s why you first need to decide on the type of hashtag you’d like to create or use.

It’s a lot easier to build your strategy around a single hashtag, as it gives your campaign direction in terms of where you want it to go. It is basically the focus of the campaign, so it wouldn’t make sense to only choose a hashtag after you’ve devised a strategy for your initiative.

Here, the team at amaSocial provide five types of #tags to consider for your next campaign:

1. #Charity

Is your brand giving out food parcels? Doing some local CSI initiative? Donating money? Well, you’ll be happy to know that charity hashtags are quite popular in the world of social media. And it’s easy to create your own variation — all you have to do is look at the most-used #tags!

Here are some of the top charity hashtags commonly used on social media:
  • #DoGood
  • #Fundraising
  • #Community
  • #GiveBack
  • #CharityTuesday
Using one, or a combination of these #tags in your campaign will not only boost your performance but it will also help new users looking for these hashtags find your page as well.

The great thing about these is that you can create a combo of them to suit your brand. For instance, you could use #CharityTuesday if your campaign is going out on that particular day, and if it’s for a fundraising event, then it would only make sense to add ‘#fundraising’ in there as well!

2. #Trending

Did you see a trending hashtag on Twitter that inspired you to create a campaign? That’s great! Then you’ll definitely want to be using #tags in association with this trend. However, it’s important to note that you should not use trending hashtags as the be-all-and end-all of your campaign. This should not be your main hashtag.

For example, if your brand was motivated to create an initiative to support those who have been affected by lockdown by providing them with food parcels, you would not call your campaign ‘#lockdown’. This hashtag is used by tons of other users and is not entirely relevant to your campaign.

Your hashtag for your campaign would be a variation of this one, and you would, therefore, call it something like ‘#FoodParcelsForLockdowners’ and then include #lockdown as one of your supporting or ‘extra’ #tags.

3. #Tips

#Tips is a good hashtag to use for all of your campaigns that aim to guide your audience. This includes your ‘how-tos’, ‘quick tips’, ‘X steps for’, etc. For this particular #tag, you would want to ensure that it is industry-specific, as all brands out there can give out ‘tips’. But what kind of tips are included in your campaign?

Are you providing social media tips? Then you would use #SocialMediaTips. If your providing tips for marketers, you would include #MarketingTips. You can even date it again and include the ever-popular #TipTuesday, although we don’t recommend that you make this one of your main hashtags.

Unless your campaign is being launched on a Tuesday or the day of the week has a great impact or meaning behind your campaign, rather use something more unique so that more people will find you.

4. #Awareness

If your brand is looking to climb aboard the #HashtagActivism train, then it needs to tread carefully and select its #tags with caution. One spelling error or slip up could create a crisis for your brand, as the topics surrounding awareness are normally quite sensitive.

Take for instance, the recent #BlackoutTuesday campaign. Many brands started posting the black square on various platforms to support the initiative, but some were including #BlackLivesMatter, which actually blockaded important messages from this global network from going through to its audiences.

However, there were businesses and brands going about it the right way by including #BlackoutTuesday and #TheShowWillBePaused. These brands were “encouraged to take their social media crusades and interest in the movement even further, by posting links to resources that people [would] be able to go to in order to get more information about how they [could] help the black community. They [were] also being asked not to buy or sell anything in order to display economic fortitude and restraint.”

Basically, if you want to create a campaign surrounding an important awareness initiative, ensure that your brand truly believes in the cause and provides useful ways for people to help.

5. #Branded

This is the hashtag you’d be using for your own branded campaign. The best way to come up with this hashtag is to define the main messaging of your initiative. For example, if your brand produces soft drinks and the company has just released a new flavour, you could combine your brand’s name along with the new flavour in the hashtag (provided it makes sense, of course).

TikTok shared a useful case study that discusses the ways in which brands on the platform can create their very own branded hashtag challenges.

The example used was a fashion e-commerce platform in Asia known as ZALORA. The company created its own TikTok challenge using the hashtag ‘#ZStyleNow’. It’s easy to see how the brand incorporated its name and the service it offers in the hashtag:

#ZStyleNow = ‘Z’ for ZALORA and ‘Style’ for ‘fashion’, which is the service the brand provides.

So, if you’re looking to create a branded hashtag, be sure to include the main components of your brand, such as the name and slogan as well as its offering.  

For more information, visit www.amasocial.co.za. You can also follow amaSocial on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.