And The Winner Is #Rotary6250
By: Michelle Skemp
District Public Image Chair, Rotary Club of La Crosse
In the October Public Image article, “Navigating Your Club’s Social Media,” I highlighted the significance of utilizing #hashtags. Since then, our District Public Image committee has chosen #Rotary6250 as the official district hashtag. Moving forward, please incorporate #Rotary6250 into your social media captions to bolster a stronger Rotary presence for both your club and our district’s public image.
Why are hashtags important? Prior to the pandemic, hashtags existed but were not fully utilized. However, during the pandemic, they transformed into an essential tool, evolving into an effective and convenient system, similar to a library's Dewey decimal system. By attaching hashtags to your social media posts and events, you are organizing and deliberately promoting your club’s image in the way you want it to be perceived by others. By including the district’s hashtag, you can increase your club’s visibility and engagement with a broader audience.
No club hashtag? No worries, just create one! Ensure it is short, unique, free of spaces, and easily recognizable. Before implementing it, research your new hashtag by entering it into the URL. If it doesn’t generate too many hits or irrelevant uses, you’re good to go.
Hashtags are free, never owned, and are most effective when they don’t have an established social following. For instance, avoid #imlovingit because people associate that with McDonald’s.
Experts suggest using about 3-6 hashtags per post. After including your club and district hashtags, here are some others worth considering:
#EndPolioNow | #PeopleOfAction (7.6K) | #RotariansInAction (11K posts) | #rotariansatwork (7.1K posts) | #rotarylife (5.1K posts) | #Rotarians (32K posts) | #rotaryinternational (798K posts) #Rotary (1.8M posts) | #RotaryFundraiser (1.6K posts)
To further enhance your posts, tag businesses and individuals by using the @ symbol before their names in your captions and tagging their images in the post itself.
These straightforward steps, if used with persistence and consistency, will help enhance your club's digital footprint and attract new members.