Crafting the right hashtag for your event is truly an art. You don’t want to #annoy #people #with #too #many hashtags. You also don’t want to create a hashtag that’s going to leave your community confused and scratching their heads.
However, it is important to optimize social media by creating and using the right hashtag for your event. A good hashtag will allow your event to be more visible and increase the conversation both online and offline. The right hashtag can also showcase your brand advocates and help you get to know your audience a little better by tracking the hashtag with other social media tools.
Keep it short
KISS your event hashtags (keep it simple, stupid). Your event attendees, vendors, investors and staff have enough things to remember in their crazy schedules. Creating a super long and complex hashtag is not going to do your event’s buzz on social media any good.
Create a hashtag that is focused, unique and easy to remember. It is also important for us to note that simple does not mean generic. If you are hosting an annual 5K in your city to raise awareness for something you care passionately about, using #5K is not going to catch you the unique recognition you deserve for your event.
Pro tip: Camel case your hashtags so they are easier to read. #WhoAreYou is a lot easier to read than #whoareyou.
Keeping your event hashtag simple and short will have you kissing your attendees for the social media ROI you’ll be sure to receive.
Make it actionable
Calls to action are proven to have higher engagement on social media. Actionable hashtags can ask questions, play off emotions or provoke a sense of urgency. Think of stuff that will require engagement and slap a hashtag in front of it!
If you’re having trouble getting your brain thinking about hashtags to incite a call to action, we researched a few examples we love:
- #MakeBetterHappen
- #JustDoIt
- #DoSomething
- #WeAccept
- #WhatsInYourBag
- #OpenYourWorld
Think evergreen
The best hashtags can be universally used in the present and future. An evergreen hashtag can be something related to your audience’s greater interests but still specific enough to be directly correlated with your event.
Using an evergreen hashtag can and will benefit you in more ways than one:
- You can track your attendees evolving experience
- You can turn into a branded hashtag used for all your events
- Speaks to your community’s interests and truths
- Attracts the attention of people who have the same interests as your event community but are not yet in your event community
- An evergreen hashtag can optimize SEO and drive social shares, leads and website traffic
Make sure the hashtag isn’t already in use
This is a good opportunity to scope out what your competitors are doing to ramp up their own social media. Make sure your hashtag can be differentiated and can’t be confused with the likes of their event. Look over the conversations using their hashtags and see what’s working for your competitors and what areas they could improve in.
Next, double-check for double meanings. If your organization is named the Association of Inspiring Redheads and you shorten your name for a simple hashtag #AIRHeads, you can be confused with the sticky candy you used to eat as a child, a person that is lacking intellect or any other meaning of airhead you (or we) don’t want to be confused with your event. Your hashtag needs to be truly representative of your event and brand to generate the online traffic your event needs to succeed.
Build a community around it
Keep all content using the hashtag relevant. You want (and need) to build a strong community around the hashtag to facilitate the most engagement possible before, during and after your event. If applicable, use the hashtag across all your social media platforms so your community will be able to find and join the conversation for your event no matter what platform they are on. Consider providing incentives for your community to use your event hashtag. A good inventive is the opportunity for a photo posted with the hashtag to be featured on a social wall at your event.
Last but definitely not least, track your hashtag. Make sure the sentiment built around the hashtag is positive and encouraging people to attend or invest in your event.
Ready to put your hashtag creating skills to the test? Create your next event with Events.com and start building an online community with the perfect hashtag.
