Choosing a Strategy For Trending Hashtags

Twitter most of the time is about fun. Trending topics and hashtags  spring up out with no real point other than have fun. These trending moments are your chance to shine as the right tweet, with the right message, can go viral and be retweeted, commented, and favorited in the hundreds in minute.

General Hashtags

Perhaps the most popular time for brands to take advantage of trending topics and hashtags is when they know they can plan for it. Consider events as New Year’s Eve, Awards, Super Bowl, etc. Get in on this type of hashtag, with the right content, to gain a few retweets. 

Controversial Hashtags

Trends that form around controversial themes, or are about breaking news stories that just can’t be marketed about could be risky to get involved. Participate if you’re directly linked to them. For example:

Religion. Even though these tweets were getting massive retweet numbers. The backlash on your brand could be fierce.

Childless couples and people’s decisions on whether or not to have children. It is a zero fun topic, and is another example of where your brand could choose not quite right word and face a big backlash.

The last example is about a comment made by Arianna Huffington on unpaid writers. That hashtag changes with the day as it’s used over and over by the Late Night news viewers. You could tweet something in reply to it on the right day, but a discussion on writer’s pay may not be the best time to insert your brand.

For these types of trending topics you need to be an expert in the field, or you need to let them pass you by as you wait for the next appropriate trend.

*have a strategy in place for trending topics is to ride the virality associated with them.

*find cultural moments that your brand can fit its message into

*consider both sides of this virality before you press the tweet button

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