I recently wrote about “non-sexy” brands gaining popularity on social media. One of the ways they were doing this was by focusing on having conversations and interacting with their followers rather than simply fixing their

Image courtesy of @Wendy’s

followers’ attention on product promotion. Ragan’s PR Daily has highlighted yet another secret to gain momentum on social media: Use popular hashtags—specifically, Throwback Thursday, better known as #TBT.#TBT has become one of the most consistent and popular hashtags on social media and brands are taking advantage of it. People magazine posted my favorite example of a brand’s #TBT on Twitter. The post was a picture of the

dashing Justin Timberlake during his ‘N Sync days, highlighting a young face with bleached hair and a stylish ‘90s sweat suit. This post generated almost 600 retweets as well as 461 favorites.

Another interesting example was a picture tweeted by Wendy’s from 42 years ago, displaying the chain’s first drive-thru window. It was nostalgic, like other #TBTs, and imparted a sense of history of the company, giving viewers the chance to feel a more intimate connection with the brand. Younger fans got to glimpse “the old days,” and an older generation could relive them.

These types of posts mimic advertising, but with some significant advantages. Like advertising, these posts appeal to customers’ emotions and help build brand reputation. Unlike advertising, social media is inexpensive and time efficient. Posts such as these also do not have the same tone as an advertisement, giving the brand and company a more peer-like feel rather than coming across as strictly out to make a profit.

#TBT is proving to be a valuable tool on which brands should capitalize. Not only is #TBT one of the most popular and regularly used hashtags—effective for helping promote your brand—but also it shows that providing an interesting conversation topic on social media can be more effective than merely placing an advertisement in front of consumers.

Tags: #TBT, Hashtags, PeopleMagazine, ThrowbackThursday, Twitter, Twitter Hashtag, Wendy's Filed under: Positioning, Social media, Strategy