It’s back to school season, which means legions of fashion-conscious teens and their parents are checking out all the deals on social media. Make sure you’re part of that experience through strategic use of hashtags designed to capture your local customers’ attention. Be aware that different social media platforms have different hashtag conventions – in other words, an Instagram post can easily have more than 10 hashtags, while on Twitter, three to four is plenty. So follow best practices wherever you post, keeping these points in mind.

Point One: Start with the School

In addition to the #BackToSchool hashtag, tag your posts with the name of your local school districts. Make sure to include public and private schools, on both the high school, junior college, and university level. In some communities, tagging with the name of a local middle school may also be appropriate.

Point Two: It’s All About the Sale

Back to School shoppers are looking for irresistible deals. They search on words like #Sale #Coupon #CouponCode and the like to identify savings opportunities. Use one or more of these terms as appropriate in combination with your school specific hashtags.

Point Three: Promote Merchandise Strategically

[Tweet “Consider your audience when using #BackToSchool! “]

Your Back to School shopper generally isn’t your custom jewelry or engagement ring shopper. So don’t bother hashtagging that type of content with your Back to School mix. Instead, focus on the items and brands that students and teachers would consider essential school supplies. Make sure to include watches – they’re smart as well as stylish, which makes it easier for parents to say yes.

Point Four: Not So Subliminal Messaging

If you have the space and your brand identity supports it, you can use humor with your hashtags to help sell your jewelry. For example #TellMomNow might just be the nudge a teen needs to share your post with her parents.