Can a #Hashtag Fill Your Next Event?

Could a number sign followed by a few letters help fill your event?

The answer is YES if it is part of a well designed social media marketing plan!

Really?!

Yes, really!

What is a #Hashtag?

Digesting information on Twitter can be like trying to drink from a fire hose – way too much!  A hashtag is a tool to pull off a bit of that information, just the information you want, so you can use it.  For example, a common hashtags I use when Tweeting are #heart, #stress, and #wellness.  Using those hashtags allows people interested in those subjects to find my information, and by following those hashtags I can see what information other people are tweeting.

What makes a good #event Hashtag?

According to Social Media Guru Phil Gerbyshak, here are 5 tips to create a good one:

1. Make sure it’s unique – Do a quick search on http://search.twitter.com for your hashtag and make sure nobody else has used it in recent history. Don’t worry about forever – most people’s memories only last 90 days.
2. Make sure it’s easy to remember – #GoRedMKE13 (for the Go Red for Women Luncheon in Milwaukee) is a wonderful hashtag. #GRMKE13 is even better.
3. Make sure it’s not too long – 14 characters is the maximum for a hashtag, as that’s 10% of the entire length of a tweet. If you can get it shorter, do so. Make 2013 just 13, abbreviate your organization to just it’s initials, something to keep it short.
4. Make sure everyone can explain it – If your people fumble with what the hashtag is and why it is what it is,
5. Make sure it doesn’t say something that has another meaning – If your organization is called the Wyoming Train Federation, and you use the hashtag of #WTF2013, be prepared to be mocked mercilessly online. Ask a teenager what your hashtag means to them, and if they giggle, pick a different one. Don’t believe me? Go here for a list of terrible hashtag fails.

How can I use an #event Hashtag to promote my event?

Include the hashtag any time you tweet about your event, or post on facebook. Encourage others to use it too.

To really leverage that hashtag, it should be a part of a social media campaign.

Don’t have one?

No problem!  Phil and I are hosting a webinar to show you exactly how to do it!

Join the
Maximize Event Attendance & Donations Using Social Media Webinar
on Monday, December 10, 2012  12:30 – 2:00 pm Central Time.

Whether you are a seasoned social media user or new at the game, you will find tips and strategies you can use right away:

• What you need to have in place before your begin.
• What content do you need to gather or create.
• Who should be on your team.
• Specific plans for Twitter, Facebook, and email.
• How to measure your success in hard numbers.

So you can:

• Access people who wouldn’t normally know about your event.
• Engage people (and get donations) even if they cannot attend your event.
• Build your Twitter & Facebook reach, and your email list.
• Promote your silent auction and even allow virtual bidding for those who cannot attend.
• Add value for your sponsors.
• Provide educational information to a larger audience.

To join us for this free webinar, click this link.  You will be added to our email list, confirmed, and then you will receive an email with instructions.  This list will be used ONLY for information on this webinar.  You can unsubscribe at anytime! (No hard feelings, really)

We hope you join us Monday, December 10, 2012  12:30 – 2:00 pm Central Time (every attempt will be made to record the webinar for later listening as well – please register even if you can’t join us on the day!)

Oh! Please feel free to pass this opportunity along to colleagues (committee members or sponsors as well) who might be interested.

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after wellness & stress management speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.