How to build influencer campaigns around trending hashtags

Building influencer campaigns around trending hashtags is an effective way for brands to increase their visibility, reach a larger audience, and connect with consumers in real-time. By leveraging trending hashtags, brands can tap into viral conversations and stay relevant in a fast-paced digital landscape. However, designing an influencer campaign around these trends requires careful planning, a clear strategy, and an understanding of the ever-changing nature of social media. In this guide, we will walk through how to successfully build influencer campaigns around trending hashtags from the initial research phase to post-campaign analysis.

1. Understanding the Role of Hashtags in Social Media Campaigns

Before diving into the mechanics of creating influencer campaigns around trending hashtags, it’s important to understand why hashtags play such an essential role in modern social media marketing. Hashtags serve several purposes:

Visibility: When a hashtag is trending, it means many people are actively engaging with that hashtag, making it a goldmine for exposure.
Categorization: Hashtags group content together under a specific theme, allowing users to find posts that align with their interests.
Real-time Engagement: Trending hashtags typically reflect what’s happening at the moment, whether it’s a global event, a viral meme, or a cultural shift. This provides brands with the opportunity to tap into current conversations.

By connecting a campaign with trending hashtags, brands have a chance to be part of the conversation and attract attention from new audiences who are already engaging with those hashtags.

2. Identifying Trending Hashtags

The first step in building an influencer campaign around trending hashtags is identifying which hashtags are currently trending or have the potential to trend. Here are several ways to stay updated on trending topics:

Social Media Platforms: Each platform has its own algorithm for showing trending content. On Twitter, you can see trending hashtags in the “Trends” section, while Instagram offers trending topics in the Explore tab. TikTok displays trending sounds, challenges, and hashtags on its For You Page (FYP).
Third-Party Tools: Tools like TrendTok, Hashtagify, and Trendsmap can help identify popular hashtags and emerging trends in real-time.
News and Media Outlets: Keeping an eye on current events, news stories, and viral content can help spot the hashtags that are gaining traction.
Google Trends: This free tool by Google shows real-time data on search trends and can be useful for spotting larger cultural or global trends.
Social Listening Tools: Platforms like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or Brandwatch allow brands to track hashtag popularity across multiple platforms and get insights into what’s driving conversations.

When identifying trending hashtags, it’s essential to evaluate whether the trend aligns with your brand’s voice, values, and target audience. Not every trend is worth jumping on—brands must be discerning and only engage with trends that feel authentic and relevant to their messaging.

3. Setting Campaign Goals

Before reaching out to influencers, it’s crucial to define clear and measurable campaign goals. Influencer campaigns are most successful when they are aligned with broader marketing objectives. Common goals for influencer campaigns around trending hashtags include:

Brand Awareness: Increase visibility and recognition of your brand by associating with a trending hashtag.
Audience Engagement: Encourage interaction with your content, such as likes, comments, shares, or retweets.
Sales and Conversions: Drive direct action, such as website visits or purchases, through the use of trending hashtags and influencer promotions.
Content Generation: Utilize influencers to create user-generated content (UGC) around a trending topic or hashtag.

Clearly defining these goals will help guide the entire campaign, from selecting influencers to measuring the success of the campaign.

4. Selecting the Right Influencers

The next critical step in building an influencer campaign is choosing the right influencers to partner with. Not all influencers are suitable for every campaign, and working with the right individuals can significantly impact the success of the campaign. Here’s how to select influencers for your campaign:

Relevance: Choose influencers who align with your brand’s values and resonate with your target audience. This will ensure that your messaging is authentic and impactful.
Engagement Rate: A high number of followers is not always indicative of a successful partnership. Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares) is often a better measure of how actively an influencer connects with their audience.
Niche: Influencers with a niche following may be more effective than general ones, as their audiences are highly engaged and more likely to act on relevant content.
Content Quality: Review past content from potential influencers to ensure their style and quality align with your brand’s aesthetic and standards.
Platform Fit: Different platforms have different user behaviors. Ensure the influencer’s primary platform is one where the trending hashtag is being actively used and engaged with.

You can use influencer marketing platforms such as AspireIQ, Upfluence, or Influencity to help identify potential influencers and analyze their performance metrics.

5. Crafting the Campaign Message

Once the influencers have been selected, the next step is to craft a compelling campaign message that aligns with the trending hashtag. This message should be:

Authentic: The messaging should feel natural and fit within the influencer’s usual tone and style. Audiences can easily detect inauthentic promotions, which can negatively impact the campaign.
Clear and Concise: Influencers are creating content quickly, so your message should be easy to understand and concise, especially if you are jumping on a fast-moving trend.
Aligned with the Trend: Ensure the message is relevant to the trending hashtag and that it adds value to the conversation rather than simply trying to piggyback on a viral moment.
Call to Action (CTA): Every influencer post should include a clear CTA, whether it’s encouraging followers to use the hashtag, visit your website, or purchase your product.

It’s also important to provide the influencers with any necessary resources, such as brand guidelines, visuals, or specific messaging points. While you want to give them the freedom to create content that feels authentic to their audience, providing these assets will ensure consistency across the campaign.

6. Launch the Campaign

Once everything is in place, it’s time to launch the campaign. Here are a few tips for launching a successful campaign around trending hashtags:

Coordinate Timing: Timing is critical when working with trending hashtags. Make sure the influencers post when the hashtag is most active, which may involve some research and communication with the influencers.
Track and Monitor: Use social media listening tools to monitor the performance of your campaign and ensure the hashtag is being used correctly. Respond to any questions or comments in real-time to maintain engagement.
Encourage Interaction: Engage with the influencers’ content by liking, commenting, and sharing. This will not only help amplify the campaign but also make the influencers feel supported and appreciated.

During the campaign, it’s crucial to monitor the performance of the influencers’ posts, including engagement metrics and audience sentiment. Social listening and real-time feedback will help adjust the campaign as needed.

7. Measure Campaign Success

After the campaign concludes, it’s time to measure its success. The metrics you focus on should be aligned with the goals set in the earlier stages. Here are some common KPIs to measure:

Reach and Impressions: These metrics show how many people saw the campaign content and how far it spread.
Engagement Rate: Look at how much interaction the content generated in terms of likes, comments, shares, and overall sentiment.
Hashtag Performance: Track how many times the trending hashtag was used and how many people engaged with it across various platforms.
Sales and Conversions: If your goal was to drive sales, track how much revenue or conversions can be attributed to the influencer campaign.
Influencer ROI: Calculate the return on investment (ROI) for each influencer by comparing the cost of their involvement to the revenue generated or the level of engagement they brought in.

In addition to quantitative metrics, qualitative feedback is also valuable. Monitor audience sentiment to gauge whether the campaign was well-received or if any adjustments need to be made in future campaigns.

8. Best Practices for Influencer Campaigns Around Trending Hashtags

To ensure success, here are some best practices for running influencer campaigns around trending hashtags:

Stay Agile: Trends can evolve quickly. Be prepared to pivot if a trend changes direction or loses momentum.
Be Transparent: Always disclose sponsored content according to platform guidelines. Transparency builds trust with audiences.
Collaborate Creatively: Encourage influencers to create content in ways that resonate with their unique style, whether that’s through videos, stories, or challenges.
Diversify Platforms: While one platform may be the epicenter of a trending hashtag, don’t overlook others. A cross-platform approach can help extend your campaign’s reach.
Respect the Trend: Be mindful of cultural sensitivities and avoid hijacking trends in a way that could be seen as opportunistic or tone-deaf.

9. Conclusion

Building an influencer campaign around trending hashtags is a powerful way for brands to stay relevant, engage with real-time conversations, and extend their reach. By carefully selecting the right influencers, crafting a compelling message, and staying agile throughout the campaign, brands can maximize their chances of success. Ultimately, the key to a successful influencer campaign is authenticity, creativity, and the ability to adapt to the rapidly changing digital landscape.