9 Tips For Crafting A Successful Hashtag

The main purpose of hashtags across social channels, including twitter and Instagram, is to pull together conversations around a topic, campaign or event, in to an easily searchable stream.

As well as collating a brands campaign reach & temperature, they should be used by brands, regardless of size, to locate people talking about the things that matter to you and your business, in addition to allowing you an insight into what competitors are  doing. 

So you have a campaign idea, the purpose and projected outcome, and now you need a way to measure success, and discussions across social channels by creating a new hashtag, there are a handful of important things to consider; 

1. Be original

Searching Twitter and Instagram for hashtags couldn't be more simple. In fact there is no excuse for not researching if your potential hashtag is already in use.  

Although in recent times there have been hugely successfully 'hashtag takeovers' where a campaign with one initial purpose, is then taken over by another. This has been seen happening in cases of feminism, politics & body shaming. Campaigns include #whyvoteukip - initially set up for UKIP supporters to share their support for the party, in fact more than 60% of the tweets including the hashtag were sarcastic, ironic & mocking tweets against the political party. 

This infographic from Twitter might just help you along your way!

 2. Bigger isn't better 

Twitter offers only 140 characters, that isn't likely to change any time soon, with that in mind why monopolise its entirety with a hashtag? 

Remember, as mentioned earlier the purpose of any hashtag is to instigate and allow conversation, by dominating a tweet with the hashtag alone you're limiting that discussion and therefore the reach and potential of your campaign. 

3. Create discussion around hashtag

Imagine a campaign with numerous end goals, how do you begin to amalgamate the success? Honestly, you don't. The same can be said of hashtags, pick one and stick to it. 

Consistency & clarity is key when it comes to campaigns whether on or offline, this should ripple through every aspect of it to ensure the most traction

4. Keep it clear 

There have been some absolute shocker hashtags, ones that although considered to be thought out most certainly missed the mark. The one that comes to mind near enough instantly is #susanalbumparty, hoards of social networkers were quick to spot the letter sequence could be read as "Su’s anal bum party" instead of its intended meaning: "Susan album party." 

With this shocker in mind, take the time to consider not only the length of the hashtag, but also how it could be read or misconstrued.

Great examples of quick & snappy hashtags include; Travelocity and their #iwannago campaign described by Bradley Wilson, chief marketing officer, as a way to "celebrate the universal truth of wanderlust and to encourage travellers to share their travel dreams with others," 

So keep it easy to read, easy to use & easy to share. After all if people can’t understand it, then why would they use it?

5. NO SPACES

No spaces and no special characters, including “!, ?, %, &, *, +, .” can be used in a hashtag, doing so will break the search link and make the hashtag useless. Budweiser prove this, although the campaign was great #saluteahero - they failed to ignore the grammatical need for spaces and in turn rendered the hashtag entirely pointless.

Keep your hashtag to simple letters and try to only use numbers where necessary, such as movie titles or event dates;  #50shadesofgrey, #GE2015.

7. Display loud and proud 

Make it easy for people to use, have it on all marketing material, whether that be magazine or television advertising, websites, newsletters, etc. Also suggest if it's supporting an event that you have it front and centre to remind people to use it throughout.

8. It's not just Twitter 

Instagram: used as on Twitter to support and compliment photographs. Not only as part of campaigns but by way of finding new followers and interested accounts. 

It would be foolish to ignore Instagram for digital campaigns, especial where there is chance to share imagery and inspiration. It also increases your campaign reach, by allowing for users to interact across various platforms in a variety of ways.

Whilst on Twitter it's recommended to only use one hashtag, on Instagram it's acceptable to use more than just the campaign hashtag as long as they're all in keeping with the image. Examples include #throwbackthursday #selfie #fromwhereistand.

Google+:  Google+ has a search function for hashtags that's collates results including the original hashtag as well as posts with similar tags and keywords. Google search results display on the left side of the page, while hashtag results from within Google+ appear on the right. Google also gives you the option to search within Facebook or Twitter if required.

Tumblr: Tumblr posts have a special “Tag” section where you can enter tags. These tags function like Twitter hashtags, organizing posts by topic, but are not transformed into links.

Pinterest: The hashtag in a pin description allows navigation to results that contain the exact hashtag, plus pins with the same word or phrase in the description. 

Great for continuing a campaign hashtag long after it may have ended on Twitter, due to the nature of sharing on Pinterest.

9. Report, report, report 

These tools can help to measure hashtags success 

http://www.hashtags.org/ – also great to see if your proposed hashtag has been used previously 

http://tweetreach.com/ – provides reports on the estimated reach of your hashtag

You can contact me for all things Blogger Outreach, Social Management and Digital Strategy http://www.emmalouisetrotter.com/ or follow me over on twitter.

Tips for Hiring a Social Media Manager

Hiring new talent into a business is one of the most time consuming, and commitment heavy tasks a company takes on. You want to be sure that the person you bring into the fold not only can fulfil the role, but they fit into the business and the business fits with them. 

If you are on the hunt for a new Social Media Manager, hopefully the list of skills to look for will help ensure the person you choose is the right person, whether they are full or part time, in house or remote, freelance or employed. 

The last 5 years has seen an explosion of roles that simply did not exist in the way they do now. The internet boom and accelerated leaps in the tech world has lead to the creation of roles such as app developers, influencer engagement mangers, SEO experts, the list goes on.  

Of these roles, the social media manager has become one of the most sought after and therefore one of the hardest roles to successfully fill, due simply to the vast range of expectations the role requires.

 Regardless of brand or business size, the requirement for a strategised social presence is greater than ever, and more and more that role is coming into it's own and the responsibility for that can no longer be spread amongst a number of other existing roles.  The following list of traits and experience should help smooth the search for the perfect social media manager

What is a Social Media Manager?

I don't know about you, but I've noticed more and more obscure job titles appearing, ones that force me to say 'what on earth do they do'

So here's a little clarity for you, as to what the Social Media Manager means;

social media managers are responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies for a business’s social media sites. This might include blogging, creating social media profiles, managing regular posts and responding to followers. They must stay at the leading edge of industry trends, so they can create a marketing strategy that generates inbound leads, gains followers, and creates a positive image for the company. They are also responsible for regularly evaluating the success of their marketing efforts and tweaking their marketing strategy as needed.

Monster.com

That's quite a description I am sure you'll agree. What type of person shouldl fill that role? What attributes and skills should they have? Hopefully the list below will help. 

Skills 

Social media expertise

It almost seems ridiculous to include this, especially as the first point, but let me explain why. 

They must know more than the names of the platforms, what they do and to have occasionally used them. They must also understand the inner workings of the analytic side of them, the back office, and the nuances of each platform. 

It's about knowing the audience and creating content they respond to, and the simple fact that there is no such thing as an 'average' social media user. 

They should understand the power of 'calls to action', how to impliment and report on social spending including Facebook & Twitter Ads, Instagram sponsorship and when posts should be shared in line with the audience engagement. 

If all they are interested in is helping you gain more followers, they are not the right person. Sure followers are important but they are a part of a much greater strategy that should focus on engagement and building rapport not simply beating a competitor in a like for like follower race.

Tools 

Your new social media manager should come to the table with a depth of knowledge and comprehensive understanding of the tools they will use day in day out, which far surpasses what you as a business already know. 

Personally I don't have an opinion as to which scheduling platform is best, it is whatever suits the person. I use Buffer because the platform is easy to navigate, the app works fantastically and the analytics provided are in depth enough for me.

That being said there are a wealth of other platforms out there and as long as your appointed social media manger has a firm grasp on the one they use, the reasons for it and the benefits to the brand, all is well. 

SEO 

This is a point of contention I am sure. Personally I think that to get the most out of a SEO strategy, you need someone who's specific role is SEO. That being said a level of understanding of SEO is vital for a social media manager to have within their arsenal of skills. 

A blended SEO and social media strategy has the power to bring your social audience members to you with the potential to build a relationship that communicates with, not at them.

Successful social media and SEO are directed by great content, and in the words of Forbes;

content is the cornerstone of your SEO strategy, and your social media manager is the gatekeeper and promoter of much of this content

Creativity

There is no possible way to be a successful social media manager without having a level of creativity that excites you. Striving to make fantastic content is key, without a doubt, it is the way in which your brand will be defined and will carve it's place in their industry. 

Creativity does not mean wacky or close to the bone, it can do, but certainly doesn't have to. It means thinking with a more open mind about how best you can use those 140 characters, for example. 

Creating consistency whilst avoiding monotony is key and can be the difference between coasting and flying online

Passion

I have left this until last for a very important reason. Every single one of the above mentioned skills can be learnt, can be taught, can be created. Passion is something you have, you are, you live with. 

Sure you can care about your job, you can care about the company you work for, but to have passion is the attribute that elevates a person in their role. 

As the digital face of a business, social media should be a shining beacon of all things 'BRAND'. It should clearly depict the business, it's tone and positioning, it is in a lot of cases the first moment of engagement for a new customer and to be met with anything other than passion is a disappointment that will always be remembered.

I hope all of this helps and you keep these things in mind when you are searching for your next or first social media manager. 

Happy hunting! 

4 Simple Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

Go ahead and Google "simple social media tips for small business" and in 0.79 seconds you have 206,000,000 search results.

If you are like the majority of small business owners, mastering social media more than likely feeling like a gargantuan task that you have no instructions for. It can feel incredibly daunting when you want to be heard over the constant hum of larger, established brands. Fear not, I am going to share with you four simple tips to help you not only get started but help you get awesome!

Be Consistent

As with any aspect of business, the key to success is consistency, it is just as imperative for a brands social media.

• Keep your Bio's on social channels the same - include the same information and links, in addition ensure that your tone and language is the same across the board. This instills confidence in consumers that they have found the correct account/page. 
• Use the same image on every platform, again this creates an instant brand/client trust. If you are a sole trader or one-man-band then I strongly suggest you use a picture of yourself, so fans/followers know who they are talking to. If however you are a larger company and numerous people will be managing the channels then a logo is more suitable. 
• Keep them updated, if something changes, be it your location, URL make sure you update your social bio's. 

24/7 Social

Regardless of your business or industry, and the standard office hours, social media does not work like that. The majority of consumers access their social channels before work, at lunch and in the evenings. To dismiss your social channels from 5pm-9am could seriously harm your brands positioning online.

The answer is not however, staring at your screen for 20 hours a day, instead it's about strategy, scheduling and a little science; research your audience, if you have a e-commerce site analyse the times of day that customers visit, use these statistics as a basis to draft a monthly strategy and schedule. Tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer offer more than just scheduling, they have in depth analysis crafted from algorithms that can be utilised to guide your social strategy. 

Be Vocal 

Once you have the strategy and scheduling in hand you must learn to speak up and have a voice on social channels, it is not enough to simply retweet, share links and the occasional funny picture.

You have to interact; the clue is in the word social, converse, get involved, share your expertise, engage in industry conversations and debates. Treat your time on social as you would a face-to-face networking event; imagine a fellow networker was stood in front of you, would you simply spout headlines from the news or would you instead strike up a conversation about, how it affects business, what it means for the industry you are in etc...

It sounds like | am teaching grandma to suck eggs, but time and time again I see brands talking AT people no TO them, and with 1000's of brands all competing for their air time online you have to be seen to be doing something a little different. 

Understand what your audience needs from you, and give the people what they want. It really is that simple!

Don't Sell 

If I had £1 for every time this conversation has cropped up with clients, I would be able to comfortably retire. Social Media is not the place to hard sell your wares or services, it is a platform for conversation, interaction and sharing. This can be a bitter pill to swallow, especially for keen start-ups who simply want the world to know what they do. Yes, you should make it easy for people to find out what you do, where you do it, and how they can find out more, but they shouldn't feel suffocated by the sales pitch. 

Blogger extraordinaire Erica Domesek hit the nail on the head when she said; "You're marketing to humans, not robots." 

Appeal to consumers emotional needs and genuine natural engagement will follow. Create content that is interesting, valuable and sincere and the chance of sharing, commenting and 'liking' will only increase. 

The world of social media is moving so rapidly it can be dizzying trying to keep on top of everything, I spoke with some fellow Community Managers and Social Media Stars and they had this to say;

"Articulate their brand voice, personality and values clearly before even setting up a Twitter or Facebook account" Erin from Engage Comms

"Don't get disheartened, results don't happen over night - stick with it" Lil from CopyStorm 

"Interaction is massively important. Don't just schedule tweets and expect stuff to happen" Charlie, Blogger 

I would love to know what your thoughts are, what great or shocking advice you were given when you started out!

For more Social Media conversations make sure you pop over to twitter 

Photo Credit http://deathtothestockphoto.com/