5 Ways of Using Twitter Hashtags for Branding

What is a Twitter hashtag?

Hashtags are text(#). They are used to lay emphasis on a particular keyword or phrase so that twitter users can easily track them. Twitter tracks these conversations but the hashtags are created by the users themselves. They are one of the quickest and efficient ways of branding on twitter. However, hashtags should not be used more than 2 - 3 times in a tweet to avoid spamming.

For example, if you are a coffee brand and want to create a coffee date campaign, then the tweet can be as follows:

What would you order on a #coffedate? #Cappuccino or #Icebergcoffee?

So how does one use hashtags effectively for branding? Here are 5 ways of using Twitter hashtags for branding.

#UseExistingHashtags

There are other brands and users using the same hashtag. Include the same hashtag in your tweet. When you click on that hashtag it will automatically appear on the list of that hashtag that is being used by others. This will enhance the visibility of your tweet or campaign.

For example, if you are a shoe brand, you can search for existing hashtags used by other shoe brands and use them in your tweets, like this:

What's your guy's idea of #hotshoes?

# Pick Keywords

Use keywords that people might enter in search engines to obtain information on a topic. This might increase your twitter brand visibility on search engine pages.

For example, an online shopping website may use the keyword 'Online Shopping India', like this:

Buy the neon laptop on our site #onlineshoppingindia

# Create a hashtag campaign

Get creative by using a hashtag campaign. Create buzz around particular words related to your brand. Classic examples of Twitter hashtag campaigns are #Chappalmaro by The Bombay Store to announce their new collection of flip flops and the #Whatwomenwant campaign by @KiehlsIndia to promote their brand. This way your brand gets more followers and the number of participants in the campaign or contest increases. It is one of the best ways for brand promotion, visibility and goodwill.

#LiveTweetChats

This kind of tweets need a little preparation beforehand. For example, if you are an events company working for the IPL, then your followers need to know beforehand that you are going to tweet about IPL once the cricket match starts. In this case, the company can let their followers know about the live chats by using simple hashtags like #IPL or #MumbaiIndians. Once the match starts the chats could be like #KolkataKnightRiders and #ChennaiSuperKings giving each other a tough time at the #IPL. Which team will outdo the other in your opinion? Live tweet chats will get a lot more people involved and increase brand visibility and engagement.

#BonusHashtags

It's time to measure brand effectiveness by going offline the campaign. For example if you handle the Twitter account for a show called I love India then your general tweets will include #IloveIndia. But if something interesting happens in the show then use bonus hashtags like #PunjabIndia or #RasgullaIndia. The bonus hashtag strategy will help measure at what times people were most engaged during the campaign.