Hashtag Campaigns: Modern Marketing for IG Influencers!

Big brands no longer invest money in sophisticated commercials. Hashtags campaigns are how you get your name out there.  You may have been on social media long enough to see some successful ones.

Could your brand have the same fortune? In this article, we talk about the importance of using hashtags as part of a marketing campaign. Of course, some people like to see real-life examples. So, we will discuss some hashtag campaign case studies.

We have some great tips in this article. Read for everything you need to know about your next hashtag campaign!

This Is What Your Hashtag Marketing Strategy Should Do

You’ve heard of the hashtag concept since the advent of Instagram. Years later, it hasn’t gone anywhere. It is still a very powerful marketing tool. Instagram influencers of all sizes incorporate them into their Instagram captions.

It’s time you develop a good hashtag marketing strategy for your brand. We don’t mind doing some convincing here. We list three things your hashtag campaign should accomplish for you. 

1. Categorize Your Social Media Content 

When you click on a hashtag, Instagram takes you to a database of posts. You see every post that uses that same tag. 

Now, your post is part of the search results for an Instagram user. Instagram has become a search engine. People can now associate your content with the hashtag.

2. Produce More Visibility

Hashtags give content the visibility they deserve. You want to reach more people on Instagram. It’s difficult to do that when you post your following. You want to allow your content to reach more people. This is exactly what a hashtag does.

People may not search for your Instagram account. But they may search for a particular hashtag. If you use that hashtag, you bring yourself closer to those people.

3. Increase Brand Awareness

Someone might be in the neighborhood. They want to know where they can grab a quick cup of coffee. 

As a business owner, you want them to come to your business. But how do they do that if they’ve never heard of it? The trick is to turn keywords into a hashtag. 

“Coffee shops in Brooklyn” could be a hashtag in itself.  When your brand shows up in the results, people become aware of its existence. Hashtags are a great way to bridge the gap between you and consumers.

3 Types of Instagram Instagram Marketing Hashtags To Incorporate

You’ll have to understand that hashtags are not monolithic. You can incorporate different types in your Instagram Stories and captions. If you don’t see the desired results, you might not be using the correct blend of hashtags.

When creating your Instagram marketing hashtags, keep these three categories in mind.

1. Popular 

These are the hashtags that come to your mind immediately when you think of a topic. They are the most obvious keywords that you would associate with something. It’s good to use some of these in a post.

If you thought of this keyword, chances are the average person also thought of it. There is a likelihood that they will search with this keyword and find your content. 

Unfortunately, many other creators may use this popular hashtag as well. Your post could drown in other posts with this already-trending hashtag. For this reason, you should incorporate niche hashtags as well.

2. Niche 

Niche hashtags are the less obvious words that come to mind. These could be the gateway to you finding your target audience. 

It’s less likely that your post will have to compete with other posts. Yes, fewer people may search for this keyword. But there’s a higher chance of them finding you. Therefore, it ultimately works out well for your brand.

3. Branded

Certainly not least is the branded hashtag. This is for businesses that want to create a unique hashtag for the brand. It’s a great tool for creating a database of posts. The hashtag will be a way to store content about your brand on the app about your brand.

With this advice, you will know how to use hashtags on Instagram.

5 Hashtag Campaign Examples That Transformed Brands

Some well-known brands understand the power of hashtags. They’ve even spearheaded some successful hashtag campaigns. 

Even brands with established reputations need to increase their user engagement on occasion. A social media hashtag campaign is just the thing to do.

Let’s discuss five hashtag campaign examples that got the people talking and tagging.

1. #ShotOniPhone by Apple

You know of the constant battle between Apple and Android. For some reason, both phone users believe they have the best camera. Apple decided that they wanted to settle this score. What better way to do that than to incorporate user-generated content (UGC)?

Apple invited their phone users to take photos using this hashtag. They promised to share the winning images on their various platforms. Pretty soon, every amateur photographer was uploading their best photo to Instagram. They used the hashtag because they wanted to get Apple’s attention.

This was an ingenious idea. Apple used this tag for its entire marketing campaign. We imagined that it involved very little capital outlay. Instagram users produced the content for Apple. They were happy to show off what they could do with their cell phones. 

The hashtag created a database showing how beautiful photos on an iPhone could be. Surely, this enticed some people to grab an iPhone for themselves.

2. #IceBucketChallenge by ALS Association

A social media campaign doesn’t have to generate money for a huge corporation. Sometimes, they can aim to help a charity. That was the case with this hashtag. This challenge required you to dump a bucket of ice over one’s entire body.

The viral ice bucket challenge then involves nominating multiple people to take part in the challenge. If they didn’t take the challenge within 24 hours, they had to donate $100 to the ALS Association.

Ultimately, the challenge raised over $100 million for the foundation. How could you keep track of all these challenges? Well, the hashtag certainly helped. People could watch their favorite celebrities dump ice on themselves. They simply had to search for this hashtag.

3. #ShareACoke by Coca-Cola

You may vaguely recall a time when Coca-Cola bottles featured the names of actual people. This is not some fever dream. It was part of a marketing campaign that the brand conceptualized.

People were excited to see their names on Coke bottles. They shared them on Instagram with #Shareacoke. It was an excellent campaign that put the drink back on people’s radars. Customers also liked the possibility of Coca-Cola featuring their photo on a banner.

4. #JustDoIt by Nike

Nike is a household name. Still, some people associate the brand with professional athletes. People may not think that it is for the average person. Of course, this could drastically affect Nike sales. There are more “normal people” than there are professional athletes.

A hashtag could help people realize that Nike is for everyone. Nike used its trademark slogan to encourage everyday people to get up and move. Of course, if they are wearing Nike apparel.

People who jogged, did yoga or went to the gym occasionally joined in on this movement. When you click on #JustDoIt, Instagram takes you to a page full of photos of people wearing Nike products. 

Nike created a catalog of average people wearing their products. Now, other people will see their brand as a little more attainable. They may not be Olympic athletes, but Nike is also for them.

The social benefit is also noteworthy. It encouraged people to get up and move. The hashtag simultaneously increased the goodwill in their consumer base.

5. #ShareYourEars by Disney

Speaking of goodwill, Disney used a hashtag to improve theirs. Disney and the Make-A-Wish Foundation joined forces to help out kids in need. Disney asked Instagram users to take a picture with their ears. They may have gotten these errors when they visited Disney World.

Disney would donate $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation when they incorporated this hashtag. You didn’t even have to go back to their amusement park. If you saved your ears from when you were a child, you could take the picture. 

A worthy charity benefited when people used a playful hashtag. A viral hashtag campaign doesn’t have to be just for generating income. It could be for a good cause as well.

4 Keys To Successful Hashtag Campaigns

We want you to have one of those successful hashtag campaigns. We don’t want you to come up with one that falls flat. Keep these four tips in mind as you create your brand-specific hashtag.

1. Keep the Engagement Going

You can’t just create a tag and hope people use it. Promote the hashtag even after you launch the campaign. If you must, kick off the entire campaign by making the first post. You may have to make a few posts just to get the momentum going.

When you see someone use the hashtag, engage with the post. Share it to your Instagram Story. People know that others are taking part in the campaign. Some of these big-name brands can have the campaign on autopilot. You may have to do some legwork for the span of the campaign.

2. Make It Easy To Remember 

You need a catchy and easy-to-remember hashtag. To you, this is a very aggressive social media marketing campaign. To the average IG user, it’s just good social media fun. They will move on to the next internet trend if you make it too hard to participate. Make it easy for them to make their own submission.

A hashtag that is too complicated won’t go over well. Some people might spell it incorrectly. You will lose the benefit of all the posts that did not spell the hashtag correctly. The campaigns we listed were fairly simple to remember.

3. Align It With Your Brand 

The hashtag has to match your brand. If you can include your brand’s name, that would be helpful. You want people to remember your brand as they use the hashtag. If they don’t, you lose the benefit of gaining visibility.

4. Do a Hashtag Competition

If you can, incorporate a reward for using the hashtag. Maybe you can’t afford billboard space. But some users don’t mind great visibility on your platform. Others will compete for small gift certificates, discounts, or prizes. A hashtag competition could incentivize your followers in the right way.

Frequently Asked Questions About Campaigns With Hashtags on Instagram

Many people want to know more about hashtag campaigns. Let’s answer some popular questions from creators interested in influencer marketing campaigns.

FAQ: How do you run a hashtag campaign on Instagram?

To run a hashtag campaign, you must first create a branded hashtag. Then, you should promote the hashtag on Instagram with clear instructions on how to use it. If possible, include a prize for the best use of the Instagram hashtag.

FAQ: What is an Instagram hashtag strategy?

An Instagram hashtag strategy incorporates popular, niche, and branded hashtags to generate more visibility for a brand. An Instagram account will utilize hashtags to increase the likelihood of other users finding their content.

FAQ: What is an example of a hashtag contest?

A hashtag contest could require other Instagram users to create hashtag content. The contest winner could be the best post under the hashtag. Or, the user could choose the post with the most likes as the winner.

We Hope These Hashtag Marketing Examples  Inspired You

Now you see how a good hashtag can transcend social media walls. It’s time to get your followers to participate. Do you want more of an Instagram following before you launch your campaign? Having a good initial base could be a springboard for gaining more followers.

These hashtag marketing examples all included strong IG followings. Let’s increase your following as well. We want you to get followers who would love to join hashtag campaigns. With our advanced AI targeting algorithm, we can do that.

Find engaged IG users to improve your following. We’ve helped content creators like yourself before.

Are you ready to expand your platform? Sign up with Plixi today!