4 Tips for Creating an Event Hashtag Like a Boss

Is your business planning a social event? Are you wondering if you need a hashtag for the event so your attendees can stay social, but have no idea where to start? Well, in the social world we live in today, hashtags are a vital piece in the success of an event. So the answer is yes, you absolutely need one and we’re here to help.

Your Event Hashtag Should Be:

• Unique: Search Twitter and Instagram for your hashtag. If there is no match, it’s yours! If there is, or something similar, you may want to rework it.
• Short and sweet: Remember we live in the fast lane and want everything to be simplified, especially when it comes to social media. Keep in mind that Twitter is limited to 140 characters, so if you’re sharing from Facebook or   Instagram, it will need to translate.
• Related: It should contain the event name.
• Include the year: Create a new hashtag each year if it’s an annual event. This will help you accurately gauge results and numbers.

Let’s take a look at this year’s Ocoee Founders’ Day Festival.

Founders’ Day Festivals are held all over the country, but in this case, ‘Ocoee’ is what makes this particular one unique, so it should remain whole in the hashtag. Founders’ Day Festival, however, should be abbreviated to FDF. To finish it off, add the year which is 2014 and BAM! You’ve got yourself a one of a kind event hashtag.

Once you have your event hashtag, light it up on social media. It should be visible on your website, included on posters and brochures, and of course, a part of every update on every social media network. Get people excited about it and watch it fly.

Now you’re probably wondering how you’ll keep track of the hashtag’s activity. You think it will be an overwhelming task, but it’s not at all. With data mining sites like Storify or Keyhole at your fingertips, it’s super easy. Through Storify, you can find, collect, and share what people are saying from every corner of the web.

And tracking your hashtag activity on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter is a piece of cake with Keyhole’s real-time tracking.

Keyhole also gives detailed reports, giving insight into the hashtag’s traffic, including how many people it reached and which social network saw the most activity. Access to this information is crucial when planning the next event.

 

When you think about it, there’s a little science involved when picking the right hashtag for your big event, but it’s a formula that’s tried and true. The right hashtag is absolutely necessary to build social buzz about the event and to track effectiveness of your marketing efforts. The bottom line is make sure the hashtag you choose is unique, clear, and short, giving people enough room to share their thoughts.

So now that you’re armed with the wisdom of the almighty event hashtag, go forth and create. If you have a question, ask us! And if you have a killer hashtag tip to add, please share it with us in the comments!