Remember how hashtags started?

The first hashtag was started back in August 2007 by Chris Messina on Twitter. Before that, the hashtag was just used as a symbol around the web.

While scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, you have particularly noted hashtags in the captions. Whether there is a post from a high-end brand like Michael Kors or Prada or a popular food chain like Wendy’s, they never forget to use hashtags in their captions.

Wondering why they use hashtags in every post?

Ask any social media marketer about the importance of hashtags in a single post, and they will provide you with a list of key benefits they are getting through these hashtags. Let’s be honest; hashtag has revolutionized the way we use our social media platform, especially for all the popular big brands.

You have probably heard the phrase, ‘hashtag can make or break your marketing campaign.’ It is rightly said because it can help you to drive traffic to your post, creating more opportunities for engagement that leads to more potential customers.

While digging for the right hashtag campaigns, I figured out one important thing: if you use a hashtag correctly, your post can get more eyeballs, and a wrong one can damage your brand’s reputation.

Well, you can’t deny the fact that hashtags leave a huge impact on your social media posts. Influencers like Zach King and Addison Rae know the drill to increase their followers using trending hashtags.

Just to give you a helping hand, here’s an ultimate hashtag campaigns guide that will help you to climb the ladder of successful marketing campaigns. With the best social media management tool by your side, you can get the most out of your hashtag campaigns.

Hashtag Campaigns – Quick Overview

So basically, hashtag campaigns are marketing initiative that uses a specific hashtag to build brand awareness and drive high engagement around a certain topic or idea. This type of campaign is used to promote a product, service, event, or anything. Hashtag campaigns often create a sense of community around a brand or topic and generate more user-generated content.

From Facebook to YouTube Shorts, hashtags are everywhere! I mean, you can find them everywhere. Let’s say you are following your favorite brand on TikTok or Instagram, and they created a challenge. The brand will even name its challenge with a hashtag. If I talk about Chipotle, then this food chain launched a popular #Guacchallenge on Avocado day, and to date, this hashtag has more than 1 billion posts. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?

You can say that this type of campaign circulates around creating your hashtag or using an existing one to increase the reach of your message. The goal is to create a hashtag that is easy to use and can be remembered by your audience, just like the #InMyDenim campaign from the fashion brand Guess. This easy hashtag can be remembered and will get people talking about your brand. And, of course, with hashtag campaigns, you can reach a larger audience and engage with them in meaningful ways.

Let’s just not forget that a single hashtag campaign has a huge power to reach a wider audience, increase engagement, build brand awareness, drive sales, and get your message out to a wide audience. They are one of the reliable and easiest ways to engage with your followers, build relationships, and increase your brand’s visibility.

Benefits of Hashtag Campaigns

In the world of social media, hashtags have become an integral part of the conversation and a powerful tool for brands to reach their target audience. You can say hashtag marketing campaigns can be one of the effective ways to draw attention to your content, create a buzz around your brand, and increase engagement with your followers. This campaign has become a popular way for brands to engage with their audiences and generate content.

From increasing brand awareness to building community, here are some of the top benefits of hashtag campaigns that strongly unveil the power of hashtags in your social media posts.

1. Escalate Brand Awareness

   Let’s start with a question. So what do you get when you blend a trending hashtag and a brand? A delicious recipe for viral success!

   Hashtags are a great way to generate buzz and create a loyal following around your brand. Creating a hashtag and promoting it across multiple platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can help you reach millions of people who may be interested in their product or service. Successful hashtag campaigns can create meaningful conversations, leading to increased engagement, brand loyalty, and, ultimately, increased sales.

   Here’s how Duolingo is making the most of brand awareness using their #Duolingo hashtag.

   @duolingo

   “what do u do on ur lunch break” #dualipa #dulapeep #duolingo #languagelearning #fyp

   ♬ Virtual furniture by carter – Carters Tombstone

2. Drive High Engagement

   Whether you are trying to promote a product or service or just want to engage with your audience, then, believe me, hashtags can be your loyal friend. Think about it; hashtags are like a secret language that helps people find and join conversations. They are a valuable tool for driving engagement on social media, allowing brands to reach more people and build relationships with their followers.

   So, create hashtag campaigns that resonate with your audience and encourage them to engage with your content. You can come up with a fun challenge, create your hashtag and ask your audience to follow it. Moreover, you can even create a giveaway for your followers. Challenges and giveaways can be used for social media hashtag campaigns as they ignite high engagement.

   Well, Apple knows how to drive high engagement with its hashtag campaigns.

   

3. Promote Products or Events

   So, we have all seen them and been a part of the most successful and popular campaigns. Whether promoting an event, creating hype around a product launch, or spreading awareness, hashtag campaigns can do wonders. It can help get people talking and create buzz around a product or event.

   You can even create and share eye-catching content associated with the hashtag on multiple social media platforms. Moreover, you can even promote your products or an event with influencer and content marketing. Just don’t forget to use the custom hashtag along.

   Have a look at Audi’s event.

   Gearing up for MISSION:ZERO. At @greentech_fest New York, we’ll be illuminating the ways Audi is putting sustainable progress into action today. #FutureIsAnAttitude #Audi #GreentechFestival #GreentechFest #eMobility #CelebrateChange​

   Discover more https://t.co/gyfB8LYFZQ pic.twitter.com/cqEJ4xxPOL

   — Audi USA (@Audi) September 14, 2022

Related Article: Social Media for Business: Reshape Your Marketing Strategies in 2025

Types of Hashtag Campaigns

Before creating your hashtag campaigns, knowing the difference is important. There are a variety of hashtag campaigns you can use to engage with your audience. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular hashtag campaigns types, so you can create the one accordingly.

1. Branded Hashtags

   Have you ever seen a hashtag that was so cool and catchy that you just had to know what it was all about? Well, chances are that hashtag was a branded hashtag.

   Let’s make it simple for you, branded hashtags are custom hashtags created by brands to promote their product or service. They are used to encourage users to post content related to the brand and to track user-generated content. So, if you want to boost your social media campaigns, branded hashtags are the way to go!

   Branded hashtags are becoming increasingly popular on social media for business as they help huge brands create a consistent message and identity across all major social media platforms. Moreover, they help to create a unified voice and drive engagement with your posts.

   

2. User-Generated Hashtags

   We all know the most popular hashtags like #love and #instagood, but have you ever thought about how they got there? The answer is user-generated hashtags. User-generated hashtags are hashtags that are created by users, not by brands or influencers. They can be created for various reasons, including self-promotion, joining a conversation, creating a trend, or simply expressing an opinion.

   From funny jokes to serious conversations, user-generated hashtags can spark conversations and engage with your audience.

3. Trending Hashtags

   Let’s get into the details of trending hashtags, the hottest of the hashtag bunch. Trending hashtags are the ones that are currently trending on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms. They are the ones that people are using right now to discuss the topics they are passionate about. Whether you are a brand looking to join the conversation or an individual looking to get your content seen, trending hashtags can be the key to success.

   Let’s be honest, these trending hashtags can be incredibly powerful when used correctly, as they can help you tap into a larger audience and increase your visibility.

   @sandiegozoo

   Go wild with these Valentines. #valentinesday #valentines #love #animalsoftiktok #animals #sandiegozoo

   ♬ original sound – cheddariniii

How Big Brands Run Successful Hashtags

Wondering how big brands make sure their hashtags are successful? You just can’t blow a hashtag out there and hope for the best. From choosing the right hashtag to creating campaigns around it, careful planning is the key to a successful hashtag. Let’s dig into the right details.

1. Understand your Target Audience

   Of course, hashtags can help you reach the right people, increase your visibility and boost engagement. Just to make sure your hashtag campaigns are successful, you need to understand who your target audience is and how to engage them. Knowing who your target audience is crucial and what they care about is key to creating effective hashtag campaigns. You need to understand your target audience.

   • Who are they?
   • What do they care about?
   • What kind of content do they like?
   • How do they interact with your brand?

   Once you get the answer, you can easily create successful hashtag campaigns.

2. Define your Goals

   Hashtags are an exceptional way to extend the reach of your content and engage with new audiences, but they can also be tricky to get right. If you want your hashtag campaigns to succeed, you must define your goals.

   Without a clear understanding of what you are trying to achieve, you won’t be able to measure the success of your campaign. Once you have defined your goal, make sure you have a clear plan on how to achieve it. Create a list of hashtags to help you reach your target audience and ensure your content resonates with them. With the right strategy and creative thinking, you can create successful hashtag campaigns to help you reach your goals.

3. Choose the Right Platforms

   Hashtag campaigns have become popular for businesses to reach and engage with their target audience. But with so many social media platforms out there, deciding which ones to use can be difficult. To ensure a successful hashtag campaign, choosing the right platform to help you reach the right people and drive engagement is important.

   Different social media platforms have different audiences, so choosing the ones that will give you the best results is important. For instance, you can say some hashtags work pretty well on Instagram, while some important ones work well on Twitter or TikTok. Take your time and analyze the right platform for your next successful hashtag campaign.

Related Article: 16 Amazing Social Media Calendar Tools for Business

Popular Hashtag Campaigns of All Time

From the iconic #ShareaCoke to the popular ones like #IceBucketChallenge, these successful hashtag campaigns are sure to get your creative juices flowing. Let’s have a look at some of the best campaigns of all time.

1. Coca-Cola – #ShareACoke

   Starting with one of the most popular hashtag campaigns of all time,  #ShareACoke. What even can be more exciting than seeing your name on such things? Coca-Cola came up with a unique marketing technique. The soft drink company kicked off the campaign by printing people’s first names on the cans and bottles.

   The campaign witnessed an 870% spike in traffic, which is huge. The brand got overwhelming love from all around and welcomed nearly 25 million new Facebook fans. Consumers worldwide shared a picture of a bottle with their names on it using the hashtag #ShareACoke. The idea behind the hashtag campaign was incredible, driving massive sales and tons of user-generated content on social media.

   One of the best marketing campaigns of all time 👇

   Personalized mass-marketing.

   Coca Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign increased sales by 11% in the US.

   Why it worked:
   ✅ Feels like it's just for you
   ✅ Creates a fun scavenger hunt
   ✅ Encourages social media sharing pic.twitter.com/FSe9VMQWhP

   — Joe Portsmouth (@joe_portsmouth) July 24, 2022

2. Nike – #JustDoIt

   Another favorite hashtag campaigns in the list is Nike’s #JustDoIt campaign. I really like Nike’s message out there, promoting a sense of positivity. Instead of just selling out their new collection, they prefer to promote a healthy lifestyle, motivating their loyal customer base to do everyday activities such as walking, jogging, and swimming by saying #JustDoIt.

   The brand’s hashtag campaign worked very well, gaining massive user engagement. Nike customers from all around the world were snapping Instagram shots, participating in the brand’s hashtag campaign. This Nike brand has almost 20 million posts on Instagram and around 57% text-based tweets on Twitter.

3. Disney – #ShareYourEars

   While researching all these popular hashtags, the Disney campaign #ShareYourEars caught my attention and took me on a nostalgia ride back to the 90s. The company celebrated 90 years of Mickey mouse and invited all its fans to join in the celebrations. The main goal of kickstarting the campaign with Mickey mouse ears was to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

   Fans from all around posted their cute selfies. Celebrities like Jimmy Fallon and the Fallout Boys jumped on the bandwagon and shared their pictures with the creative hashtag. This ensured that the campaign took off in full swing. Today, the hashtag campaign is still alive and running with 1.77 million posts with 54 million media impressions. The campaign was actually super successful as it touched the sentiments of every Disney fan out there, who grew up watching the iconic channel.

   

4. Purina – #PetsAtWork

   Ever thought of bringing your furry best friend to work? I would love the idea of bringing our furry friends to work someday. Purina has made that dream a reality with its #PetsAtWork campaign. The campaign encourages businesses to become more pet-friendly and allow employees to bring their pets to work.

   The brand believes that pets have a special ability to reduce stress in the workplace and create a more welcoming atmosphere. From providing pet-friendly amenities like dog beds and areas to hosting events like pet yoga and pet-friendly meetings, the #PetsAtWork campaign is helping create an environment where pets and people can thrive.

   This campaign was the most successful hashtag campaign and got massive engagement in no time.

   

5. KFC – #FriedChickenDay

   The fast food chain came up with the unique idea to celebrate Fried Chicken Day with a bang.

   KFC launched its #FriedChickenDay campaign, and the brand offered various promotions and dedicated a day to all fried chicken lovers. From recipes to discounts, there was something for everyone. With this clever marketing strategy, KFC celebrated the joy of fried chicken by giving away free food, running fun contests, and creating unique experiences. It’s all part of their mission to unite people over a fried chicken bucket.

   Happy N.F.C.D. from H.A.R.L.A.N.D. (the terrifyingly advanced drive-thru robot). #NationalFriedChickenDay pic.twitter.com/HVa7Hk2Vjz

   — KFC (@kfc) July 6, 2017

   The campaign was one of the most productive hashtag campaigns of all time, it brought tons of engagement and user-generated content for the brand.

6. ALS – #IceBucketChallenge

   Remember the ALS #IceBucketChallenge that took over social media a few years ago? The viral sensation swept the nation in 2014, with everyone from celebrities to everyday people dumping buckets of ice water on their heads to raise awareness for ALS. Millions of people participated, raising millions of dollars for research into the disease.

   The challenge, which was created to raise awareness and support for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), was being used to raise funds for research and treatments of the disease. The challenge involved participants dumping a bucket of ice-cold water over their heads and then challenging three other people to do the same.

   It was an easy and fun way to show your support for the cause and help spread the word about ALS. Many celebrities like Shakira and Girard Pique participated in the challenge too, posting their funny videos on social media platforms.

   @joshxkatie

   Reply to @juliette.piotrowski she wasn’t happy about this one 😂

   ♬ original sound – Josh & Katie

7. Dominos – #LetsDoLunch

   Maybe you have heard of Domino’s #LetsDoLunch campaign? This creative campaign by Domino’s Pizza was created to encourage people to get together and enjoy their favorite pizza. The campaign was simple: if you buy two large pizzas, you get one free. This was a great way to get people to come together and enjoy a delicious meal without breaking the bank. The campaign was a huge success.

   The campaign reminded people that lunchtime should be about more than just eating. It should be about taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life and connecting with the people around you. Domino’s Pizza has turned this message into a fun and engaging campaign that has been a hit with consumers.

   This hashtag campaign has over a million posts tagged to date.

   Domino's Tweet Treat has begun! Include #letsdolunch in your tweets to knock money of our Pep Passion. Full details http://t.co/kRe4OuOf

   — Domino's Pizza UK (@Dominos_UK) March 5, 2012

Right Hashtags Lead to Successful Marketing

Hashtag campaigns are one of the spectacular ways to increase brand awareness and engagement with your target audience. When utilized properly, they can increase user engagement, create meaningful conversations, and help you reach new audiences. The key to running successful hashtag campaigns is to be specific, be creative, and work with other influencers. Remember that hashtags should remain unique and timely.

Frequently Asked Questions