Wondering how to use those pesky hashtags strewn over your newsfeed to market your brand? Fret not! Keep these four strategies in mind when using hashtags and pave your way to greater viewership and a growing consumer base:

A hashtag as unique as your brand

Brand hashtags are the key to effective social media marketing. Create a hashtag that is unique and catchy to get your brand’s name circulating throughout the internet. Do not underestimate the power of a viral hashtag; it can be as crucial to your brand’s online success as a well designed logo. It is also important to distinguish between brand hashtags, which serve as the brand’s tagline or slogan in the virtual world and campaign hashtags, which are often short lived and part of an advertising campaign designed to market the brand. A widely successful example of the latter can be found in Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke campaign, which went viral across the world. A great way to engage your target audience is to use hashtags for online contests. Who doesn’t like to win? This method can contribute greatly to the brand and its marketing campaign’s virality in the social-media sphere.

Take on what’s trending

Next time you see a hashtag trending on Twitter or Instagram, jump on the bandwagon and integrate it into your brand’s marketing, because this bandwagon leads straight to greater viewership and ultimately gets your brand noticed. Keep an eye out for trending topics and engage in the discussion and the chances are that your brand will be noticed a lot easier this way. Make sure the trending hashtags you incorporate into the marketing of your brand are actually popular with your target audience. But a word of caution. The online world is perpetually changing, so take advantage of the hashtag in the moment. Do not attempt to make use of it once its popularity has died down, as you risk putting your brand in a fairly awkward and embarrassing situation. Steer clear of such a blunder.

Help your customer find your brand

Content hashtags are a way to help your target audience find your brand on social media. They can range from what your product is to the location where it is available. The purpose of such hashtags is to reflect the kind of content your brand is about - and they don’t necessarily have to be trending or brand-specific; they are there simply to help your consumer base reach you and allow you to attract potential customers. Generic hashtags such as #SummerGetaway or #GlobeTrotter can be used by tour agencies to attract customers, because when individuals interested in such hashtags click on them, it is likely that they will end up stumbling on the brand, resulting in increased likes and a growing audience. Similarly, location or event hashtags can be used to attract consumers in the area where the brand is operating, leading to a growing interest in the brand.

Keep it clean and simple

The golden rule of using hashtags to market your brand is: DO NOT overdo it. Too many hashtags can result in posts appearing like spam, making your target audience’s feeds seem cluttered. This may result in a quick unfollowing of the brand’s page. Keep it clean by not going overboard with the hashtags. Pick the few you believe will be most effective and stick to them. Fight the urge to add more in order to increase the likes on your posts, because although they may result in increased activity, it is likely that the people who are actually interested in your brand will be turned away. Also, keep the brand and campaign hashtags short, simple and sweet. No one wants to go through the hassle of constantly looking up how to spell the words included in a hashtag or what order the words appear in, and chances are that if your hashtag is too long or too complicated, your campaign will fail.

Keep these four hashtag strategies in mind and your brand is ready for the virtual world!