With never-ending competition between small businesses, small business owners need to keep an edge over the competition. Hosting events can help you stick out from the pack and generate interest in your business, but they must be marketed properly. One way to increase engagement and bring attention to your event is by creating and using a unique event hashtag. People are always on their phones and sharing their pictures and videos of events on social media, so why not leverage them by creating a hashtag for the event?
Hashtags are words or phrases used to sort posts on the same topic. By clicking on a hashtag, users and businesses can quickly see all of the posts associated with the tag. This makes hashtags an efficient marketing tool. So how do you get started creating a hashtag for an event? This post will go through the steps to help get you started today.
How to Create a Hashtag for an Event
Creating a hashtag for your event is easy. Here are 5 simple steps to help you create the perfect event hashtag.
Step 1: Know Your Audience
Before deciding on a hashtag for your event, try to figure out if the attendees of your event are the type of people who will know and use the hashtag. Know your target audience, and how savvy they are on social media. Are your attendees in a demographic that uses social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? If so, a hashtag will be a great addition to your event. Generally, an audience of people between the ages of 15 and 45 will be more likely to use hashtags than an older demographic.
Step 2: Brainstorm Hashtag Ideas
Come up with as many ideas as you can for your event hashtag and run them by other people. Your event or your business should be easily recognizable from your hashtag, and it should read well for your audience. Some tips for choosing a hashtag for your event are to keep it short and memorable, use keywords related to your business, and only include it in your posts where your hashtag actually makes sense. After you’ve decided on your hashtag, go back to those unfamiliar with your business and make sure that your hashtag is clear and easy to understand. You don’t want people misinterpreting your hashtag and thinking that your hashtag means something totally different than its intention.
If you’re having trouble getting your creative juices flowing, have no fear! There are many hashtag generators online you can use to help give you ideas on a hashtag to use for your event. Hashtagify.me, RiteTag, and Trendsmap can generate hashtag ideas for you to use for your event based of your business, location, and event.
If you’re a yoga teacher hosting a special yoga seminar for brides, a hashtag like #ommbrides or #wedzen2016 may be good options. Comic Con is also another big event that promotes their events through hashtags on social media. For each location Comic Con goes to, they use a location specific hashtags such as #BostonComicCon to share news about their upcoming events in the area. For more information on hashtag marketing, check out how you can use hashtag marketing to grow your business.
Step 3: Search for the Hashtag
Once you’ve decided on a hashtag, the next step of creating a hashtag for your event is to search for it. It’s important to have a hashtag that’s unique or else your event can be easily lost in the shuffle or confused with another. The point of hashtags is to organize your event on social media, so confirm that your hashtag is original before settling on it.
Search for hashtags on social media platforms by going to the search bar on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and typing in the hashtag you’re thinking of using. If you search for your hashtag and another business has already used it, it’s in your best interest to start over and think of a new hashtag to use.
Step 4: Promote Your Event With the Hashtag
Before your event, use the hashtag with your marketing efforts when you are promoting your event. Promoting your hashtag can create a buzz about the event and encourage customers to use it in their posts. Use the hashtag on every one of your posts about the event in order to get people interested in your event.
Continue to use your hashtag at the event itself. Include it in every post you use at the event. You can even include it on small signs or posters with your social media handles at the event. These can be placed at the bar, on tables, or even in the bathrooms!
Step 5: Engage With Hashtag Users and Repost
You spent valuable time crafting the perfect hashtag for your event, so make sure you get the most out of it. Comment on and like posts by people using your hashtag. Also, tag people on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram who are using your hashtag. On Twitter, you can follow the hashtag and retweet and respond to tweets in real time. Repost photos on Instagram using the Repost app. After the event, search Facebook for posts, photos, and videos and share them on your Facebook business page. If your customers or event attendees have been using the hashtag, you’ll have plenty of written and photo content to repurpose after the event. This type of marketing, called consumer generated content, can save you time and money.
If you follow this simple process, creating a hashtag for an event can be quick and easy. Hashtag event marketing can help increase the visibility of your event and generate a buzz for your business. Have a killer hashtag that you used for your event that you want to share? Let us know in the comments below!
