Create a Conference Hashtag

A Conference Hashtag can be a great way to increase visibility. Nearly every conference these days has a hashtag, which creates a short-term community that is filled with people in your target audience. An event hashtag when used well brings together all the online discussions about your event and connects all your attendees online. A well-chosen and well-promoted hashtag also increases the online visibility of your event and encourages other Twitter (and Instagram) users to join the conversation.

Plan your conference hashtag in advance.

Your conference hashtag should not be an afterthought. You should plan it in advance and include it in your marketing materials (both online and offline) for your conference. Start creating your buzz early.

When choosing your hashtag you should keep it short and simple but you should also try to make it:

• unique. Don’t pick something too generic or that could get confused easily with something else. Make sure you run a search on your ideas to see what comes up before making the final decision.
• clear . You want people to use it and get it right so keep it clear and simple. Even if it means going for a slightly longer hashtag. Make sure you try it out in advance is it easy to type.
• memorable. Following on from the above not only should it be clear – it should also be memorable. If it isn’t memorable people won’t remember to use it.

It should go without saying make suure you run a search of you chosen hashtag. Check what comes up and check for other ways the hashtag could be interpreted to ensure that there are no negative associations.

Top Tip: Create a strong presence with your hashtag. Host a conference each year? Use the same hashtag and keep the conversation going throughout the year not just on the day.

Use your conference hashtag to market your event.

As mentioned above having a conference hashtag is a great way to market your event.

• Before your event: Promote your hashtag and include it on all your promotional materials and communications and remind people about your hashtag.
• During your event: Use the hashtag to create conversations on social media. Remind your speakers and visitors of the hashtag. You can also stimulate the conversation by being active on Twitter yourself. Reply, respond and retweet, to connect with your attendees.
• After the event: The hashtag allows you to keep the conversation going after the event to continue networking with attendees and sharing photographs and information.

Top Tip: Unlike the other social media platforms, Twitter and Instagram make your posts visible to people who aren’t already in your audience, providing an opportunity for you to meet new prospects and influencers and encourage attendance at your event while also keeping those who couldn’t attend your event engaged.