Rehashing the Hashtag

Hashtags are a way businesses can tag their posts with keywords, making them easier for social networks to organize and users to search. It’s a great marketing tool embraced by major brands, such as Coca Cola, Oreo and McDonald’s and is supported by most social media platforms now, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

How do they work? If you add a hashmark (#) before a word, phrase or sentence without punctuation or spaces on a social media site, it will link you to the conversation about that hashtag. For example, #LoveWins went viral last summer after the Supreme Court ruled it legal for same-sex couples to marry, sparking an outpouring of status updates, posts and photos, all united by this single hashed phrase.

Hashtags are a great way to market, express an opinion on a trending topic or be humorous, but there are a few dos and don’ts to be aware of, especially if you’re a company trying to maintain a positive reputation.

3. Create a hashtag you don’t want to know the answer to. JP Morgan launched a marketing campaign via a question and answer session with the hashtag #askJPM. Over 54,000 inquiries attacking the bank’s business practices and legal troubles drove them to cancel the Q&A session.
Solution: Don’t go out of your way to invite negative attention.

2. Jump onto the trend bandwagon. Trendy topics are usually morphed into a hashtag — use it to your advantage! Oreo Cookie’s Twitter account was one of the first major brands to use #SuperBowl #blackout and it left a lasting impression on consumers.