How to create a hashtag for an event

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Event organizers also need to consider how to extend their event’s reach. An event hashtag is a great way to do that, but how to create a hashtag for an event? Let’s dive in…

The conference can use the hashtag to make announcements and share information on Twitter and Instagram. Attendees can share their thoughts and observations.

What makes good event hashtags?

The easier it is to remember, the better. Some acronym hashtags work, and some – usually ones that are longer – don’t. Short phrases are good, too. Either way, make sure they are under 8-10 characters.

Should hashtags include the year?

In general, I would advise not to update the year in the hashtag every year. Pick one hashtag and use that over and over.  Why is the year important anyway? It just eats up four more characters that could be used for other words.

One way to keep an event hashtag going year-around:

• By sharing ongoing, new, and related content.
• Do live video events and use the hashtag.

Of course, using a year in a hashtag wouldn’t make sense when these strategies are implemented.

Changing the hashtag yearly also cuts metrics apart. There are services out there that allow you to measure impressions and people reached by a hashtag. Keeping the same hashtag keeps all these metrics attached to one versus many hashtags for an ongoing yearly conference.

Where should I promote my event hashtag?

Everywhere. Promote it in offline materials, online, and on your website. That’s another reason you wouldn’t want to change the year in a hashtag every year. It would be a lot of updating every year. Use it on all the relevant social platforms.

Read next:How to create conference speaker images for better event promotion

Then, participate in the use of the hashtag. Hashtags take off when others, as well as your own organization, participate in them. Encourage other people to share their stories and thoughts on your topic. Consider embedding the conversation on your website or on-site.

How do I pick an event hashtag?

I’m a big fan of topical hashtags, but for conferences, it probably makes more sense to have the name of the conference somehow in the hashtag.

Keep it short and go to the platforms where you will use it to see if others have used it. If others have, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t use it. You just want to make sure the conversations don’t interfere with each other. Sometimes people haven’t used a hashtag in months and it’s okay to now use it for something new.

Event hashtag conclusion 

Hashtags can extend events into the digital space. That means attendees can converse during sessions and build relationships. It also means that the event gets amplified online and reaches even more people. Some of them might attend next year.

But don’t assume that people will use the hashtag. Encourage it and participate yourself as well. Keep it going and build a community.

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