Why no one is using your hashtag

You have a great idea for a social media contest. You plan it out, come up with a really great hashtag, and when you launch your posts?

You hear crickets chirping.

We’re all taught in social media marketing 101 the importance of a hashtag, but if you’re not careful, you could end up wasting your time, as The Onion pokes fun at here.

There’s a Field of Dreams tendency sometimes with social media. We believe “If we build a hashtag, people will come to use it.” That’s not always the case.

So, here are some questions to ask when no one is using your hashtag.

• Is it too long or clunky? It needs to be short, catchy and easy to remember. If you can tie it into a slogan or phrase in your campaign, that’s great, but there can be a tendency to want to cram too much into a hashtag, so resist that urge.
• Is it branded? If you are a for-profit business, also try to resist the urge to include your brand in the hashtag. This can potentially make the post seem too salesy. Remember: social media is to engage, not to sell.
• Is the community using a different hashtag? Sometimes it makes sense to use an existing hashtag, while other times you want to go out on your own.
• How did you promote it? Do you have any influential social media users using it?
• What is your target demographic? Anecdotally, I’ve noticed that millennials are far more likely to use hashtags than Gen X or Boomers. So if you’re target audience is made up of entirely baby boomers, do you even need a hashtag?
• Are you on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Again, anecdotally, I rarely see any impact from using hashtags on Facebook.
• What does it add to the post? Does it add anything? Why would I, as a listener, engage with it?

Remember: Content is king. I know it’s cliche, but it’s true. People aren’t sharing a sunset photo because you included #sunset. They’re sharing it because it’s a great photo. Focus on the content and worry less about the hashtag.