How to Create A Hashtag Campaign on TikTok
TikTok is a game changer. Millennials are addicted to the app and new influencers are gaining attention from businesses. As of June 2020, TikTok had around 500 million monthly active users on all devices. It has become one of the most downloaded social media apps on the App Store.
TikTok is stealing the spotlight from Facebook and marketers are watching it closely. Instead of banking on overnight success, users need to have a solid strategy. For this, hashtag campaigns are essential.
Why Use Hashtags on TikTok?
If you’ve used hashtags on any social media platform, you’ll know why so many brands and influencers love them. Hashtags on social media platforms are what keywords and SEO are for website content. With the right hashtags, your posts have the opportunity to gain increased exposure. Generally, hashtag optimized posts perform best because the content is more visible.
Many TikTok users browse through content related to a particular topic. If your post has a relevant hashtag, users will naturally come across it. Without a hashtag, you push your post into a sea of billions of other posts. Hashtags signal to TikTok what your post about, enabling the algorithm to group it with similar content.
With this advantage, you’re more likely to find audiences who enjoy your brand and product. The benefits of hashtag campaigns are listed below.
1. Highlight Competitors — We recommend using industry hashtags — words and phrases relating to your niche. Not only will your customers find these posts more easily, but they also allow you to highlight your biggest competitors. If you scroll through the hashtag feed, you’ll see the other brands using these hashtags and how they’re using them. Over time, you can keep an eye on competitors to learn what generates results.
2. Increase Exposure — As we’ve discussed, hashtags allow you to reach your audience based on their interests. Businesses that sell sports equipment can create TikToks with hashtags for specific sports. In this way, you’ll engage your followers while boosting exposure to new visitors.
3. Gain Followers — More exposure means more followers. Continue to post winning content to drive interest in your offerings, and the results will speak for themselves.
Finding the Right Hashtags for Your TikTok Campaign
Think carefully about hashtags that might resonate with your audience. Here are some tips for finding hashtags for your campaign:
Assess the Competition — You can learn a lot from the companies around you. By following competitors, you’ll learn which of their hashtags generate the most engagement. Don’t rely on this approach exclusively, but be sure to combine it with our other suggestions.
Watch Industry Content — This should be a back-up strategy because the other two in this short list are far more effective. However, it’s worth mentioning; some have struck gold this way. As you browse industry content, look for terms that show up repeatedly. Pinpoint the keywords that have an audience without too much competition. Sound familiar? This is exactly what we’ve been told to look for with keywords and SEO.
Use Hashtag Finder Tools — For those who are impatient and want to get started immediately, the best option is to use a hashtag finder tool that links to Instagram, Twitter or TikTok.
Create Your Own — If you’re a new user your own hashtag won’t have traction yet, but if you’ve been active for a while this is a powerful way to get followers involved with your brand.
Below is advice for hashtag campaigns on TikTok.
Creating a Hashtag Campaign — ZALORA Example
TikTok recently published an example of how hashtag campaigns can add value to a business. As a fashion eCommerce service based in Asia, ZALORA wanted to boost exposure for its fashion festival. After working with TikTok, it launched a branded hashtag challenge. All participants had to do was a ‘Z’ hand signal in front of the camera and their virtual outfit would automatically change. Not only could fashion lovers show off their own wardrobe, they could also view ZALORA’s items and get people talking.
How did the campaign go down? The videos across the campaign received engagement from nearly one million views and over 62,000 people. Additionally, ZALORA enjoyed the following:
- 1,100 unique submissions
- Conversion rate 2.5X better than previous ad creatives
- Reduced cost per click of 54%
- Reduced cost per install of 27%
As a direct result of the branded challenge and hashtag campaign, ZALORA’S CTR improved by nearly 20%. If done correctly, there’s no reason why you can’t succeed with a similar campaign.
Tips for Successful Hashtag Campaigns
Create One at a Time — Firstly, we recommend focusing on one hashtag for a single campaign. Why? You don’t want to include six different hashtags because users won’t copy every one if they leave a comment. At best, you’ll gain average performance across six hashtags rather than strong performance in one.
Demonstrate Your USP — What is the business’s main selling point? What makes your service unique over every other? Once you answer this question, you can make an informed hashtag campaign. Think about your USP and use visual effects to demonstrate it.
Let Your Product Play a Role — Your product should be front and center. With the ZALORA example above, the reason the hashtag campaign worked was that the challenge revolved around fashion while it was raising awareness for a fashion show. If you can, make your product a part of the challenge rules. The further removed the challenge is from your product, the poorer the results will be. Although the challenge itself might gain high traffic, it’s useless if people can’t discover your products and brand.
Play with Virtual Try-On Experiences — With mobile devices and social media, we have a world of wonderful opportunities at our fingertips. If possible, offer a virtual try-on experience in your hashtag campaign. Naturally, these campaigns are suited to businesses selling clothing, sportswear, furniture, decorative items and similar products.
Add Some Sound — There’s nothing worse than a video or interactive creative with no sound. Instead of having everything written, engage TikTok users early and get them to follow audio instructions.
Encourage Real-Life Scenarios and User-Generated Content — User-generated content is reliably effective. It gives people a chance to express how your product or service met their needs.
Use Trending Memes — One great way to engage people is through memes. If you post a meme that they already know, your campaign will get attention.
Use a Self-Explanatory Hashtag — Hashtags shouldn’t cause confusion or lead to more questions, which is why the very best are often self-explanatory. Accessible hashtags let users know immediately your message. If they need to tap to learn more, you risk the chance of losing their attention span.
Use Simple Words — The easier it is to spell and use your hashtag, the fewer mistakes consumers will make typing it. Avoid linking several difficult words together because this is sure to cause problems.
Now that you know how to find the best hashtags for your TikTok campaign, start testing out which ones work best for your audience engagement!
