Hashtag holidays: pros and cons for communicators

National observances such as Fourth of July, as well as whimsical salutes like Sunglasses Day, afford brand managers a chance to make a splash online. Just make sure it’s not a belly flop.

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Social media hashtag holidays are everywhere.

Being a part of the conversation entail more than just posting a stock red, white and blue image to celebrate Independence Day. Though it is easy to participate, that doesn’t mean you always should.

The observance du jour should be relevant to your brand, and you must post about it in a creative way.

A few best practices for celebrating social media holidays and trending hashtags:

A special note about trending hashtags related to when heartbreaking events occur in the world: Even though you might feel compassion, it is often not relevant to your brand to participate.

Guidelines are flexible based on the situation, but participate only if the event happened nearby, affected people related to your organization, or the event is related to your industry. Even if your participation comes from a good place, it can come across as disingenuous.

[RELATED: Make sure your team is up to date on the latest skills, strategies and practices. Learn more about Ragan Training.]

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