Why random #hashtags fail in marketing campaigns
While marketers are increasingly looking for social media ready ideas, simply adding a hashtag to your campaign is not the answer argues Luke Ryan.
Ever wondered why no one is using your well-crafted hashtag for your new campaign? This might help.
Nearly every marketing campaign that goes out the door these days contains a hashtag, but hardly any of them have real purpose. It’s almost like marketers are being pressured into making their traditional marketing campaigns “more social”. But let’s be real, this is not getting the job done.
Great advice. As a writer and a PR person, i see it from both sides. I hate irrelevant hashtags that will never be searched for organically. There’s a better chance of me searching for your brand name than the silly hashtag your marketing person has created.
The trick is to create a campaign that people want to share on social media – your hashtag isn’t going to do this!
The only time I’ve ever seen an effective hashtag campaign was #susanalbumparty
Sheer genius (albeit a mistake)!!
Great article, social is a growing and unpredictable beast, especially for some and the number of hashtag backfires is mounting!
I agree Luke. The vast majority of #s in campaigns are there for the sake if there being one and not really achieving what the function is there for.
However, you could also say that it’s gone beyond the functional purpose as is now just a cultural norm as a prefix for a statement.
“hashtag awkward” etc
So, while many campaigns dont get their #s used by their audience – you could argue that it doesnt really matter – their doing it just to give a strap line a modern edge. which, although perhaps pointless, is relatively harmless.
thoughts?
*they’re
bang on, good piece Luke. i have seen billboards with more than 3 hastags on them, shameless adaptions of popular and genuine (ie user-generated, spontaneous, relevant) hastags in order to piggback, the list goes on… there have been a few good and memorable executions of the PR hashtag but far too many are contrived, unrealistic, plastic.
Hashtags for hashtags sake are silly, though they do have a purpose beyond making a campaign ‘more social.’ They’re particularly effective for competitions and can help you differentiate between people who are just talking about your brand and people who are engaged and ‘brand champions’ The only people who will use your unique hashtags are those that really like you… or those that are hijacking your hashtag. But that’s a whole other article!
Any examples?
Bang on, Luke. It should revolve around the socialness of the audience, then extrapolate out. Not the other way around.
#cuntdowntobeauty
I think there is room for a tailored campaign hashtag but only when your campaign is on the right side of cool with your audience. If you don’t know if your event is cool enough to have one, there’s your answer, cut it.
On the sabotage hashtag front, who could forget #qantasluxury?!
absolutely – the other thing that annoys me is seeing people putting hashtags all over their Facebook pages – a pointless exercise as Facebook hashtags don’t talk to Twitter and will never be picked up.
Macca’s have been popping up in a few of my feeds of recent. Typically coming across in a condescending way, trying to harmonious their soulless agenda with Australian summertime .
McDonald’s: you sell fast food ffs and often the litter on the beach is from the mindless herd who you fleece, leaving your wrappers for others to pick up. Please stop it. Perhaps post up photo’s of a burger and create a hashtag #getfat or #heartattack.
The cheek of it?!