If you’re thinking of building your presence on social media, one of the best and most effective ways to do it is by conducting a promotional campaign. A good example is using the hashtag sweepstake. It is easy to run, costs less, and can give you more reach when done well.
What is a hashtag sweepstake?
A hashtag sweepstake, coming from its name, is the use of a particular hashtag as part of the promo mechanics of a particular campaign. It is a marketing strategy that aims to gain attention, create engagement, or drive traffic to the brand, product, or business page.
Here are the other benefits of joining the hashtag trend:
- Using a hashtag helps organize or classify posts. It acts as a category where you’ll see all the posts people share about similar topics using the same hashtag. If you use one, it would be easier for you to see the results you need.
- It helps businesses determine the latest or most relevant hashtags to use for their marketing campaigns. That is more evident in Twitter, which has a trend ranking.
- If more people participate in your campaign, you’d get the chance to trend nationwide or worldwide. That may trigger curiosity from people and may encourage great following or engagement.
What platforms should you use?
You’ll see hashtags being used across most social media platforms, but Twitter and Instagram still take the lead in this. If you’re holding a hashtag campaign, and you aim for a bigger chance of success, go to these platforms.
How is it done?
Everything starts with the sponsor or promotion host coming up with a specific hashtag to use for the campaign. Here are the things to consider when coming up with a hashtag:
- It should be easy to remember
No one would like to type a long hashtag that they can’t even remember from the start. Make your hashtag concise and something that they will not find too difficult to use. - Brand it, if possible
The best way to own your campaign is to add your name to it. Nowadays, people get creative by trying to incorporate their brand or business name smoothly into the hashtag. It is additional exposure for your brand or your campaign, especially if it starts to trend. It might not work for all though, so check if your final hashtag will sound good to your ears. - Check the trademark
Before you own a hashtag, make sure you’re not violating any copyrights. Do your research and see if other brands already have intellectual property rights for your hashtag idea.
After securing the hashtag, the mechanics are made. Part of the mechanics should be including the hashtag in social media posts of the participant and following your social media accounts. If you forget to add the last tiny detail to your mechanics, you’re missing out on the chance to gain followers.
Lastly, ensure that your hashtag sweepstake follows the rules and regulations. The same law of traditional sweepstakes should be implemented, and that means that no purchase should be required before joining. You should also familiarize yourself with the endorsement guidelines and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to avoid any penalties.
Conclusion
Starting a hashtag sweepstake is one of the easiest ways to get online success. Although it sounds easy to create, it will still require proper brainstorming, creative execution, good research, and hard work to get great results.
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