By now, you’ve seen thousands of #hashtags hanging around on social media. They have certainly changed their meaning from the sign we are used to seeing at the beginning of a telephone number. When used correctly, jewelry hashtags can really make a difference to the social media marketing for your diamonds and jewelry business.
But first, let’s start with a short history of hashtags.
The Evolution of Hashtags
Back at the beginning of the 1990s, the hashtag, or the pound key (as it was known back then…), was used in IT networks to categorize items into groups. In August 2007, designer Chris Messina brought up the idea of modifying the symbol for social media use, to group together conversations under various categories or topics. In 2014, the term “hashtag”, as it applies to use on social media, was added to the Oxford English Dictionary, and thus became a formal part of our everyday lexicon.
The hashtag took some time to get established and remained for the most part only used on the Twitter platform. Over time, the successful use of the hashtag enabled it to make the migration to other social platforms, and you will now see this humble sign appearing everywhere, most commonly on Instagram and Pinterest. Hashtags are a form of “metatagging” - that is, a user-generated tag that makes it easier for people to search and find content via particular topics or themes. Hashtags are popularly used to categorize social media content, and every industry has its own hashtags. Anyone can create a hashtag, but it’s also useful to get on the bandwagon and include existing popular hashtags in your posts.
How Do Hashtags Work?
Hashtags are used for a purpose, and this isn’t just to collate topics under one umbrella, but also to assist in social media searches. Online content is gathered according to shared hashtags, so people can then search social media networks using those hashtags. Statistics can show us what topics are ‘trending’ by calculating which hashtags are proving the most popular.
Hashtags can be used around specific events or themes connected to events. For example, the hashtag for International Women’s Day is (not surprisingly) #InternationalWomensDay, and the theme for International Women’s Day in 2018 was #PressforProgress. A post related to women’s rights or the day itself could include both or one of these hashtags. Then, people searching for news or commentary around the event could easily filter their social media posts according to these hashtags.
It is not only events that can utilize hashtags. Businesses in every sector, including jewelry, can use hashtags to create a buzz around their own brand, products or activities. This can be done in a number of ways.
Campaigning with Jewelry Hashtags
A great way to create a campaign for your jewelry business is to start a hashtag trend, or join in a popular hashtag trend. Here are some general examples of the types of hashtags jewelry businesses can use, and how they can use them:
Competitions and promotions:
Why don’t you get your customers to submit a photo or post to your social media pages using your chosen hashtag such as #ShowusyourJewels or #Howdidyoupropose? In return the customer will be entered to your contest, or receive a promotional code.
Themes:
Is there a local bridal fair coming up, or are you promoting a new winter jewelry line? Use themes in your hashtags, based on interesting events, seasons, fashions and celebrations.
Jewelry types:
Use hashtags like #necklace or #engagementring to indicate the type of jewelry you are promoting. This is an easy way for customers to see a range of jewelry pieces via one filter. Of course, a very general hashtag will return a much larger number of results. Narrow it down by making your hashtag more specific, for example: #diamondnecklace rather than just #necklace.
Brand names:
Leverage jewelry brand names in your inventory by including them as hashtags in your jewelry posts. Then, people searching for specific jewelry brands can more easily find your social page.
Check out this article for examples of great hashtag campaigns in the jewelry industry.
Want to check out more social media marketing tips for jewelers? Read our previous post.
Now that you have some new ideas, it is time for you to get campaigning. #Havefun
