Bayer Hashtag Strategy

Using hashtags should align with the best practices outlined for each social channel. Don’t use hashtags just because they exist. Instead, we recommend only using them in a purposeful and strategic way to help increase the engagement with Bayer content.

Social listening efforts also can help identify top trends and corresponding hashtags to provide opportunities for Bayer to effectively enter and contribute to those conversations.

Start with Insights

1. Before deciding which hashtags to use to support social content, search for them on the platform for which they will be used. For larger campaigns/initiatives, the Insights and Content & Channels Teams can assist with research.
2. Consider which topical hashtags are relevant both to the content itself as well as the conversation on social media. 
3. Check the volume behind plural/singular or nouns/adjectives. For example: farmer vs. farmers or sustainable vs. sustainability.
4. Double-check the meaning to make sure the hashtag accurately conveys your intended message.
5. Determine if a competitor is using the hashtag in a way that does not represent Bayer positively.

Make a Selection
 

Establish how many hashtags to use on the channel. If only 2–3, consider selecting 1–2 highly topical keywords and 1 hashtag with particularly timely relevance (e.g., it could be trending, a themed day, an event hashtag, etc.)

Keep hashtags short and distinct so they can be easily added to posts.

Use capital letters to break up more than one word. This improves readability and helps smart screen readers interpret hashtags for those with visual impairments, thereby making content more accessible.

Performance Analysis

 
Hashtags are one of the most powerful social media metrics. To maximize their performance, they need to be tracked and measured regularly to understand when, where, how frequently and by whom they are being used. 

It is also important to monitor related topics and the associated sentiment(s) surrounding specific hashtags. This will provide valuable insights into an audience’s authentic interest(s) rather than simply latching onto overused or irrelevant hashtags.
 

For researching hashtag usage on Twitter, we recommend BrandWatch or TalkWalker, which both provide detailed data and insights that can help you understand which hashtags are most effective—and why. 

Working with the International Insights & Strategy Team in TalkWalker and CIRCA (Crop Science), we can track hashtag performance and shifts in usage over time.

Important Hashtag Metrics to Track 

Popularity
 
How often are specific hashtags being used? Popular hashtags tend to be searched frequently. Make sure the hashtags are relevant to the content. Using popular but irrelevant hashtags will cause posts to look like spam and will negatively affect post performance.

Reach

Reach is the total number of people that see a hashtag. Measuring reach will help us eliminate poorly performing hashtags and replace them with other hashtags that can generate more attention and better engagement.

Users

Tracking who is using specific hashtags is a great way to verify if our target audience shares the same interests with our brand. Also, tracking users will help discover influential profiles for building meaningful relationships.

Engagement 

Once an audience is attracted with the right hashtags, the next step is to get them to engage with content. By tracking hashtag performance over time, we can see which hashtags are associated with increased engagement.
 

Learn more about Bayer's approach to reporting on digital channels

Types of Hashtags to Track

• Content hashtags (e.g., #sustainability)
• Branded hashtag (e.g., #TeamBayer)
• Trending hashtags (e.g., #ClimateChange)
• Event hashtags (e.g., #GreenWeek)
   

If a company elects to create a branded hashtag, it should maintain a singular, unifying hashtag for consistency and sharing power. For Bayer, this hashtag is #TeamBayer.

Additional Bayer-specific hashtags (e.g., #InnovationAtBayer) should be avoided, as they have little search value and add confusion for employees and channel owners. Using one, singular Bayer hashtag also aligns with our simplified brand model.

Channels have a limited character and hashtag allowance, which means it’s generally best to avoid the situation where multiple brand-specific hashtags take up space and attention that should be focused toward participating in the broader dialogue. Using multiple brand hashtags is not in line with social media best practices, as it doesn’t reflect well on our leaders or Bayer channels. 

Alternatives to Brand-Specific Hashtags 

Bayer channels and employees should selectively utilize specific, content-related hashtags that enable us to participate in the larger conversation. 

If tracking is needed, tags can be set up in Sprinklr and reporting needs should be discussed between content owners and the Content & Channels Team.