There has been debate about brands jumping on the ever-increasing number of hashtag holidays. While trending topics such as #NationalSiblingsDay or #NationalLipstickDay can be a fun way to join the conversation on Twitter or showcase your brand’s personality on Instagram, marketers should develop a strategy before launching a campaign. Below, we offer four tips to consider before tackling trending topics.
Does it make sense for your business?
Many marketers make the mistake of creating social posts for every hashtag holiday or reacting to trending hashtags just to be included in the conversation. Before posting, and ask yourself it makes sense for your brand to be involved. Does it feel authentic or forced? Posting about too many trends, particularly when they are unrelated to your business, is considered spam and bad etiquette and may potentially lead to getting your account suspended. Instead, select holidays throughout the year where you know your brand has a chance to stand out and create strong, on-brand messaging that relates to your marketing goals.
Plan in advance
There are several calendars that aggregate hashtag holidays and make it convenient for brands to decide which events to include in their social media strategy. Chase’s Calendar of Events, National Calendar of Days, Days of the Year, and Checkiday all list offbeat holidays, but be warned—since there are so many of these “unofficial” official celebrations, there are bound to be conflicts. We suggest you check among several sites to build a consensus on which National Brownie Day you plan to celebrate. Planning in advance allows your social team to build content and create images that represent your brand and voice in the best possible way.
Research before engaging
Always look into a national day before participating to understand how brands are engaging. Do you know the history of the holiday? How does your industry participate? What are your competitors doing? Understanding the context will help to inform your content.
Is your content creative and clever?
Generally, the goal of a hashtag is to entertain. Clever posts and striking images can help your posts get noticed and show off your brand’s personality.
Does your brand need a more strategic approach to social media? Women’s Marketing offers a suite of social media marketing services and media planning and strategy services to brands who want to know how to market to women. Contact us today to discover how we can put the buying power of women to work for you.
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