Image source 

When creating captivating content to grow your fan and follower base using social media, did you know that one of the most effective tools to use for your company is SMO, or Social Media Optimization? SMO allows brands to track, evaluate, and modify their content to align with social media best practices, lets you capitalize on the shareability of your content, and boost the likelihood of user engagement. Several social sharing tools contribute to Social Media Optimization, but one great SMO technique for making your content findable is using hashtags. Taking it to another level, your hashtags are even more powerful when paired with branded giveaways. By marrying the two, your brand can create exciting opportunities for your social channels by increasing the number of followers you have, converting leads, and raising the awareness of your brand.

What is a Hashtag?

A hashtag is a term that is commonly used in social media that refers to keywords or phrases that help your content expand to wider audiences worldwide, make it easier for users to find your content, and connect you with those who share similar interests. Essentially, any social media platform your brand uses, such as LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest permits the use of hashtags to attract more potential followers. The most obvious benefit of using hashtags is the increased visibility your brand can get because of the wider audiences who actively search for specific topics and keywords that are associated with your brand.

Hashtag Best Practices

When using hashtags on your brand’s social media channels, remember to:

• Use trending or niche hashtags that make sense for your brand and community
• Don’t have an avalanche of hashtags on your posts: Although you may want to cover a lot of ground by using 50 hashtags that perfectly describe what you’re posting about, that can be a huge turnoff to your followers and potential followers, ultimately leading to reduced engagement with your posts. Instead, include 3-5 appropriate hashtags for each post you make on your socials so you don’t scare users away!
• Observe the success of your hashtags: Don’t forget that you can monitor how effective your hashtags are through insights and analytics. By doing so, you can see which of your hashtags are receiving the most interaction, exposure, and impressions!

Lastly, to give an example of how useful hashtags can be for your brand, posts on Instagram that were complimented by a hashtag saw 10% more engagement than posts that didn’t utilize hashtags.

Contest and Promotional Tool

The use of hashtags can also be a powerful tool to boost social media traffic through contests, promotions, sweepstakes, drawings, and giveaways. These types of competitions generate a “buzz” within your online community that increases traffic, brand awareness, and ultimately revenue. Some of the most effective strategies include:

1) Contests and giveaways give your brand a chance to grow the number of followers you currently have, increase the engagement you receive on your socials, and benefit the visibility of your brand. Some examples of contests may include:

• Follower milestones: Let’s say your company has reached 10,000 followers on Instagram (congrats!), you may use this opportunity to celebrate this accomplishment through a giveaway. Have interested users like, comment, and follow your company’s Instagram (or whatever social media account you’re currently on) for a chance to win whatever it is you may be giving away.
• Tagging your followers to enter: Simply have your call-to-action for your contest or giveaway be as simple as having your followers tag their friends and family in the comment section of your contest or giveaway post!
• Have your followers create a unique caption for a photo: Let your followers or potential followers get creative by having them leave a caption in your comments regarding a picture you posted, which could be silly, serious, or anything else you can think of. A user leaving a caption in the comments will count as one entry for your contest or giveaway. For instance, the image below be captioned “When the social media post you’ve spent hours perfecting gets 0 likes…” by a user interested in your competition or giveaway.

Image source

2) Sweepstakes allow you to randomly choose a winner from all of the submissions your contest has received. Many companies offer highly sought-after promotional products in a lucky drawing or choose from people who re-post your message, which enables you to reach even greater numbers within a wider demographic. To give an example, let’s say that you’re a well-known cruise company running a sweepstakes on your Facebook page. Your sweepstakes could be as simple as “enter your email on our website for a chance to win a free 1-week cruise!”

3) Polls are straightforward and very effective. By using polls for your contest, not only do you learn more about your target market, but they also get a chance to win something of value. It’s a win-win! Additionally, if you prompt your followers to share the poll contest with their friends, that’s more eyes on your brand, which is another win.

4) QR codes are another advertising craze that turns passive individuals into active customers. These codes are commonly found on posters, business cards, various types of print advertising including books and magazines, and even on computers and smartphones. Potential customers simply scan the QR code, which leads them to your website, social media page, or competition landing page. Ultimately, QR code contests can help your company achieve greater reach, engagement, and branding. It is a fun and easy advertising technique that truly has unlimited possibilities. So, get creative!

Advantages of Using Hashtags for Promotions and Contests

One of the greatest advantages of using hashtags to manage entrants’ submissions is the increased amount of control. Hashtags make it extremely easy to find all the posts related to a specific event or competition. It is also very inexpensive since the only real cost is the value of the prize. Furthermore, it encourages your followers and contestants to share your content, which has the potential to attract more social media traffic to your company site or competition landing page. Besides increasing traffic, you also demonstrate social media platforms’ potential as an advertising and marketing tool for your company and key stakeholders.

The most vital characteristic of hashtags is their versatility and use across various social platforms including X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest. Although social media can be an excellent marketing tool, your usage of hashtags must remain consistent. This way, you will optimize exposure across the various social platforms, ensuring compatibility and recognition.

Leave us a comment sharing your favorite contest or promotional tool we highlighted and why. Are there any contest or promotional tools your company has used in the past or is currently using that were not covered in the blog? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

About the Author

Digital Marketing graduate from DePaul University, part-time Marketing and Sales Coordinator at the National Institute for Social Media, and professional bass player with a passion for music, traveling, fitness, and social media marketing.