A hashtag social media campaign can be one way to promote a sense of community for your organization. At the same time it can help you generate content for your email marketing campaigns.
User Generated Content (UGC)
One of the big benefits to running a social media hashtag campaign is your audience is generating your content for you. But without a strong audience, a hashtag campaign may not be as successful.
Take a look at the conversations you and your community are already having on social media to determine what type of hashtag campaign might be successful for your organization.
Let your customers do the talking.
Examples of Hashtag Campaigns
Humor
I saw a hashtag campaign recently from an ice cream brand encouraging their customers to share photos of their kids making a mess of themselves eating their ice cream. Their photo feed was filled with adorable kids covered in every color in the rainbow. If you have the opportunity to make people smile, take it.
Twitter Chat
Hold a Twitter chat by creating a list of 5-10 questions to ask your followers to encourage a conversation. Promote the chat time and questions beforehand using email marketing. During the chat, retweet your favorite answers and respond to those participating.
When the chat is over, include the content in your next email campaign for those who may have missed it. Call out specific followers in the email to strengthen your relationship with your best customers.
Product Focused
The below examples from Carter’s and Anthropologie are a great example of how you can use a hashtag campaign to encourage your customers to share photos of the products they’ve purchased from you.
Not only can you utilize the photos on your website, but you can include them in your email campaigns to show your products being used in the wild.
Social proof is one of the most powerful tools you have as a marketer. You can talk up your products as much as you want, but hearing it and seeing it direct from your buyers can speak volumes to new customers.
#loveCarters Campaign
#Anthropologie
Let Your Customers Start Your Campaign
thredUP is a great example of a company who’s audience is already sharing what they love about the company with hashtag #thredUP.
Hidden Treasures I found with thredUP! #thredUP https://t.co/9IomCWHkgz pic.twitter.com/l1LcB1skD7
— Stephanie Emory (@StephanieEmory) April 4, 2016
If you’re lucky enough to be beloved by your customers and have them share it with the world, don’t be afraid to get in touch with them. thredUP reposts blogger reviews right on their website, linking back to the original post.
Reach out to your best customers who are sharing their experiences with your business and feature it in your email newsletter and social media. Authentic content direct from your audience is the best kind of content you can hope to receive.
Hashtag Campaign Tips
- Choose a hashtag that isn’t being used by others and is easy to remember and spell.
- Be authentic with what you are asking your audience to share.
- Don’t ask for too much. Make it as easy as possible for your followers to participate.
- Offer value in return. If you are giving something away, make sure it is relevant to what you sell or some of your own products. Happy customers are more likely to write positive reviews and tell their friends about their experience.
- Don’t overlook offline advertising channels to promote your campaign.
- Make sure you have the resources to interact with your customers during the campaign. Don’t commit to something you cannot followthrough on.
Are you running a hashtag campaign? We’d love to share it with our audience. Reach out to us on Twitter with your campaign.
