In the ever-evolving world of social media, LinkedIn has proven itself a powerful tool for event professionals. It's particularly effective for event planners and marketers, offering an opportunity to promote events, engage with potential attendees, and cultivate valuable connections within the industry. One key to LinkedIn's success is understanding and employing the platform's hashtag functionality.
Here's a comprehensive guide to mastering LinkedIn hashtags for event professionals, with an emphasis on three distinct categories:
- niche hashtags
- personal brand hashtags
- community-based hashtags
1. Niche Hashtags: Target Your Ideal Audience
Niche hashtags offer a way to target your ideal audience directly. They are less crowded and allow you to make your mark by dominating your industry niche. You can start by searching for hashtags followed by your target audience—those likely to give your content initial visibility and actively engage with your posts. Look for hashtags with fewer than 10,000 followers, which are more likely to be relevant to your content.
Remember, the more important hashtags, such as #digitalmarketing, might have millions of followers, but that also means millions of potential posts. With smaller, niche hashtags, you have a better chance of standing out and reaching an engaged, interested audience.
Niche Hashtags for Industry Peers: Build Your Network
Firstly, let's delve into niche hashtags designed to target fellow event professionals. These hashtags allow you to enter the discourse within your industry, positioning yourself as a thought leader and strengthening your network of event professionals. Look for hashtags actively followed by your peers—those that provide value and encourage engagement.
Here are examples of some of the most popular hashtags event planners, event marketers and other event professionals use to target fellow professionals on LinkedIn:
#experientialmarketing
#eventdecor
#meetingprofs
#eventmarketing
#eventbranding
#virtualevents
#eventtech
#eventindustry
#meetingsandevents
#eventprofessionals
#hybridevents
#onlineevent
#sustainableevents
#b2bevents
#eventcoordinator
#eventorganizer
#eventtrends
#eventvenue
#conferenceplanning
#eventstrategy
#eventplannerlife
And here are some high-volume hashtags you may want to follow but not necessarily target:
#events
#eventmanagement
#eventplanning
#eventprofs
#corporateevents
#eventsindustry
#eventdesign
If you are a wedding planner, party planner, destination wedding specialist, or event stylist, you may want to tweak this list to reflect your niche-specific list of top hashtags!
Niche Hashtags for Clients: Engage Your Target Audience
Next, we focus to niche hashtags targeted at potential and current clients. These tags help your content reach your ideal clientele by tapping into their interests and needs. Do your research to find the hashtags your clients are following or using. It might be industry-specific (#TechConference, #FashionEvent) or even more specific to your client's business sector (#SaaS, #Retail).
Similar to the previous category, the aim here is to locate and use hashtags with fewer than 10,000 followers, which likely indicates a more engaged audience. It allows your content to break through the noise and reach the right people, enhancing your chances of conversion.
Here are some hashtag generators to help you explore the top hashtags for your target industry:
- Hashtagify - https://hashtagify.me/
- All Hashtag - https://www.all-hashtag.com/linkedin/hashtag-generator.php
- Ritetag - https://ritetag.com/best-hashtags-for/linkedin
These tools allow you to explore related hashtags and trending hashtags, just be aware that they are more focused on finding Instagram hashtags for event planners looking to publish an Instagram post.
Helpful Tip: We suggest compiling a preliminary list of potential LinkedIn hashtags using these tools. Once you have the list, visit LinkedIn to assess the number of followers per hashtag. This information will assist you in making an informed decision on which hashtag to incorporate into your content marketing strategy.
2. Branded Hashtags: Stand Out from the Crowd
Next in line is the branded hashtag. Creating and promoting a branded hashtag helps build your brand visibility on LinkedIn. This unique identifier works as a rallying cry for your event planning business, something that your audience can associate directly with your brand.
The good news? It’s relatively simple to get started. Once you have a branded hashtag in mind, start using it and encourage your audience to do the same. Don't worry if the hashtag starts from zero; it's all about organically growing it. Also, make sure your branded hashtag isn't lost in a sea of others – give it its own identity and make it stand out.
3. Community-Based Hashtags: Stay Current and Connected
Finally, let's delve into community-based hashtags. These tags represent movements, events, or conferences relevant to your industry. Although they are often short-lived (ranging from a week to a month), they provide an excellent opportunity to engage with a larger community, stay current with industry trends, and expand your reach.
Community-based hashtags are particularly valuable for event planners and marketers, as they allow you to join timely conversations and demonstrate your brand's active involvement in relevant industry events or discussions.
The Do's and Don'ts of LinkedIn Hashtag Usage
Now that we've explored the three types of LinkedIn hashtags, it's important to know how and where to use them properly.
The most common place to put hashtags is in your posts, but avoid embedding them in the post text. Doing so turns them into hyperlinks that could potentially distract your audience. Instead, place your chosen hashtags at the end of your post to maintain your audience's focus. And remember, using hashtags in comments does not contribute to reach.
Also, resist the temptation to overload your posts with hashtags. Too many can be overwhelming and may dilute their effectiveness. Instead, aim to use less than 10 per post, ideally fitting within two lines to maintain visual appeal.
Wrapping It Up
When used correctly, LinkedIn hashtags can significantly enhance your brand's visibility and engagement on the platform. By understanding the distinctions between niche, branded, and community-based hashtags, you can create a dynamic and effective LinkedIn hashtag strategy to put your event planning business on the map. Happy hashtagging!
