Hashtags look like they’ve been part of social media since the beginning.

Did you know that hashtags were first used in 2007?

While 2007 may seem like a long time ago, the outbreak of the pandemic is now well underway. However, hashtags have made it possible to revolutionize Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Although it is not easy to create a successful hashtag campaign on social media, you will be able to get traffic and engagement with a well-researched hashtag marketing strategy.

Let’s get inspired by 8 great social media hashtag campaigns.

1. #DistanceDance Procter & Gamble

The pandemic’s first months were difficult and frightening. Procter & Gamble launched the social media campaign #DistanceDance, which encouraged people to stay home while still having fun.

P&G joined forces with TikTok sensation Charli Da’Amelio, who encouraged people to make a short dance video and upload it on TikTok under the hashtag #DistanceDance

The campaign was hugely successful. The campaign attracted 8 billion views in just one week. This included celebrities, sports teams, and big influencers.

Many were drawn to the P&G agenda, which donated to Feeding America for the initial 3 million videos.

P&G also recognized that TikTok is a popular platform for dancing videos and challenges and included this part in their campaign.

This shows that analysis and research go a long way in making campaigns successful.

2. Adidas – #HereToCreate

87% said that personally relevant brand content positively influences their feelings about a brand in a survey.

Who doesn’t love personalization, after all?

Adidas used this tactic at the 2018 Boston Marathon. They made customized videos for each of the 30,000 athletes. These videos were posted on social media using the hashtag #HereToCreate.

This campaign was not only a great way for Adidas to convert these 30,000 athletes into their brand advocates, but it also allowed Adidas to reach the respective athlete’s fans.

This campaign increased Adidas’s reach and appeal to sports enthusiasts.

Personalized content and hashtag campaigns on social media can go a long way.

3. Spotify has #SpotifyWrapped

Spotify shares its year-end data with its users. This includes a list of the most-listened songs, artists, and albums. It is presented in a customized “Spotify Wrapped” summary.

This year, they made this even more important. Instead of sharing data from a single year, they provided a summary of the past decade showing how users’ listening habits and preferences have changed.

These snapshots were made available in easy-to-share formats, so people can share them via social media using the hashtag #SpotifyWrapped

Spotify went one step further and created customized summaries for artists that allowed them to see which countries their music was streamed from, how many followers they have, etc.

#SpotifyWrapped was a successful social media hashtag campaign that combines personalization with easily shareable data visualizations.

4. #ShotoniPhone from Apple

Apple’s #ShotoniPhone hashtag campaign on social media has been a great way to harness user-generated content via Instagram.

This hashtag is used by people to share and showcase images or videos that they have shot with an iPhone.

Unpaid contributors create user-generated content. These contributors could be customers, followers, or fans.

This is a powerful way not only to source great content but also to engage your target audience.

There have been 19 million posts to the #ShotoniPhone campaign. Think about it. Apple didn’t have to spend a dime for this brand exposure.

This is not all. A study by Comscore found that brands that share user-generated content get 28% more engagement than standard posts.

Isn’t it great?

5. Dove #ShowUs

A social media hashtag campaign can be a wonderful way to build a relationship with your target audience.

Dove has been creating campaigns for years that promote natural beauty, inclusion, and positive body image. This campaign is no exception.

To dispel beauty stereotypes, the #ShowUs campaign has been created. After discovering that 70% of women feel unrepresented in advertising and media, they created this project.

Dove partnered up with Getty Images, Girlsgaze, and other women all over the world to support this campaign and create a photo library.

The campaign was also a hit with a lot of user-generated content, which made it an instant internet phenomenon. Dove demonstrated that social media campaigns that connect and build a relationship with their audience work best.

6. Coca-Cola #ShareACoke

The #ShareACoke campaign aimed to create cokes that had people’s names, titles, or locations printed on them. These bottles could be gifted to others. Coca-Cola launched a website to allow customers to order personalized bottles due to the popularity of the campaign.

This campaign created happy experiences for customers, in addition to personalization. This resulted in a lot of user-generated content. People shared their pregnancy announcements on Facebook by printing the labels “Mom”, and “Dad”, on Coke bottles, and then sharing them on Facebook.

Coca-Cola also collaborated to boost their social media hashtag campaign with celebrities like Selena Gomez or Ryan Seacrest

7. Redbul: #PutACanOnIt

Redbull’s #PutACanOnIt Campaign is a great example of a campaign that is innovative, and fun and sparks creativity in its customers.

Users simply had to bring out their creative geniuses by placing their Redbull cans in a way that made the image funny, inspiring, witty, or creative.

Redbull received a lot of user-generated content, which got them a lot more attention than they paid.

They just shared their favorite content by searching the #PutACanOnIt hashtag.

8. Domino’s: #LetsDoLunch

With this hashtag campaign on social media, Domino’s created a community around its brand.

It was 2012 when every person who retweeted #LetsDoLunch would see the price of pizza drop to $3 per day.

They encouraged everyone to encourage their friends and family to help them get the best Domino’s pizza. This is a great way to engage customers.

Domino’s was able to take advantage of this by offering customers exclusive deals or giving away giveaways.

Conclusion

You can increase brand awareness through social media hashtag campaigns. One campaign could be all it takes to make your brand a viral sensation.