Tips For The Best Event Hashtag

Now that you’re in the marketing stage for your upcoming event, you’re probably facing the hard fact that event marketing isn’t cheap. It rarely is– there are dozens of print mediums and online presences to consider advertising through, all of which require quite a bit of cash to kick off. Most marketing techniques also require an additional chunk money to get anywhere beyond the starting line.

Luckily, if you still have some time and creative juices left for your marketing campaign, you can get pretty impressive results from just one, simple (and totally free, by the way) event hashtag. If you can effectively utilize a hashtag that represents your event well, you can increase your outreach significantly and create the kind of buzz that money just can’t buy.

Sound appealing? Give the following tips a try as a part of your current social media strategy, and watch the traction from your hashtag do wonders for your event.

Choose the Perfect Event Hashtag:

Easier said than done, right? This is the step where your creativity will come in handy. It’s far from being an exact science, though there are some basic guidelines you should follow: keep it short, make sure it’s unique, and keep the word or phrase somehow relevant to your event. The more snappy and memorable your hashtag, the better it will do. Do not make it long & confusing or else it will not be used correctly or at all.

Start Posting As Soon as Possible:

It’s never too early to start getting your hashtag out in the open. Tack it onto the ends of Facebook statuses, sneak it into tweets– whatever you can do to start getting your audience familiar with your special tag. Make sure your hashtag placement stays consistent (either at the beginnings or the ends of all posts). The more that people have seen it, the more likely it is that it will be used.

Provide All Event Updates Through Your Hashtag:

Make it clear that those who want to stay in the know about all things concerning your event need to watch your Twitter or Facebook page closely. By taking one step further and categorizing all updates under your hashtag, you’ll help your attendees and sponsors commit the tag to memory and hopefully find it useful. Chances are, once the buzz around your event gets going, they’ll just start using the hashtag on their own without any prompting!

Promote Your Hashtag Everywhere:

The closer you get to your event, the more prominent your hashtag should be on all marketing materials– yes, that includes both digital and print materials. This should also be a major consideration when producing materials for the event itself; the hashtag still needs to hold its place in the spotlight after the event actually kicks off. Make sure the tag stays visible by printing it on event banners, including it on special slides to be projected, and even incorporating it into table centerpieces if appropriate. The more visible you can keep your hashtag, the more actively it will be used by all involved in the event.

Encourage Any Speakers to Use Your Tag:

If your event will feature guest speakers, this is a perfect opportunity to get unique and engaging content under your hashtag. Ask speakers to request follow-up questions using the tag. This will stimulate valuable (and maybe even innovative) conversations under your brand. Best case scenario, these conversations will end up providing you with positive publicity long after your event ends!

Incentivize Attendees to Post Under Tag:

Use your remaining creative juices to find a unique and fun way to encourage attendees to post throughout the event. You could hold a raffle where you draw your entrees from users who have posted under your hashtag, or prompt attendees to post their best photos from the event or share their favorite stories. When in doubt, contests are generally pretty effective in persuading posts. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it and see what works for your individual event. You can also use gamification and reward the attendee with the most engagements seen on your Tweetwall.

Respond to Tagged Posts:

Most importantly, make sure to always reward your audience’s engagement with positive reinforcement. Thank Twitter and Facebook posters with direct replies, and always, always answer your user’s questions. Your own involvement in the conversations is the missing link– your hashtag risks becoming dull and lifeless without it.