Make The Most Of The #Holidays In Social Media

From important events like Women’s Day to silly ‘hashtag holidays’, there’s an occasion for just about everything on social media. While they’re not on traditional calendars, hashtag holidays are taken seriously online.

Some create awareness around social and environmental issues, while others are just an excuse to have a laugh (and a good reason for marketers to get creative).

Important days and hashtag holidays are often opportunities to increase engagement and reach new audiences.

How To Pick The Right #Holiday

There are so many days and occasions to choose from, it might seem difficult to choose the right one for your brand. If you’re feeling stuck, just ask yourself three questions.

1. Is the day relevant?

Does the celebration or issue resonate with your brand? You could likely find a way to make #InternationalNinjaDay work for a financial services provider on LinkedIn, but would that tie in with brand tone and values? And would it work on LinkedIn? Probably not.

Your audience doesn’t want to feel like you’re just hijacking a hashtag or commemorative day. Bear this in mind, because you could lose rather than gain following by aligning a brand with the wrong event. A lipstick company, for example, might not be a believable supporter of World Autism Day and a cosmetics company’s campaign surrounding autism spectrum disorders could alienate people, not win influence.

When it comes to platform, go where the hashtags are. The obvious choices are Twitter and Instagram, but always do your research.

2. Is there any overlap?

Be careful that the day you choose doesn’t overlap with another holiday. Unless you want it to, of course. #Festivus, on 23 December, is very close to Christmas Eve and the heavy marketing that goes with the holiday season. If your brand and audience have a sense of humour (and a grumpy bent), #Festivus might be right for you. It was created by character Frank Costanza of sitcom Seinfeld to combat the commercialisation of Christmas. It involves the ‘airing of grievances’ – perfect for anyone on Twitter feeling some seasonal outrage.

3. What’s the right hashtag?

Often hashtags differ simply because of typos or mistakes. July’s Pina Colada Day, for example, tends to be written either as #NationalPinaColadaDay (the correct hashtag) or #PinaColadaDay (often the more popular hashtag). As a rule, shorter hashtags are preferred, so keep this in mind. At the same time, use data to make sure you’re on the right track.

Use your analytics to listen to the conversations happening around the hashtags online. Track two – or more – versions of the hashtag and pick the one that comes up most often. Being correct isn’t important here. If the most popular hashtag isn’t the official one, it’s still going to get you better traction than something nobody’s using. Remember that this could change from year to year, so it’s better to do the research yourself than rely on somebody else’s research.

Tip: You don’t always need to use a standard hashtag (see our Women’s Day case study below). If you’re posting with messaging that resonates on a specific important international day, timing is more important than hashtagging.

Case Study: Women’s Day 2017

There were more than 7.5 million tweets related to International Women’s Day on 8 March. #IWD2017 and #InternationalWomensDay were the two top trending hashtags on Twitter. You’ll notice how the hashtag is used differently in these celebrity posts for Women’s Day 2017, and how some brands broke the rules completely.

Did you know there was such a thing as #NationalBeerDay? We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting – and quirky – hashtag holidays still coming up in 2017.

Important Days To Remember Every Year

Some hashtag holidays are just for fun, while other days could give your brand a chance to take a stand on an important issue. We’ve rounded up the top 15 important days celebrated around the world every year. You can find the full list on the UN website.

Whether you choose to take a light hearted or a serious approach to hashtag holidays and important events, always keep your brand values and audience top of mind. Don’t feel the need to follow the crowd. Pick your timing and approach carefully, and plan ahead to guarantee success. Visit the National Day Calendar for more ideas.