To orient and to engage: Metaphorical hashtags in Weibo posts of Chinese banks

Hashtags on social media, as topic-markers and attention-drawing devices, can indicate the aboutness of posts and maximize audience engagement. Some hashtags including attention-drawing metaphors are named as metaphorical hashtags. This study set out to explore the relationship between (metaphorical) hashtag use and thematic orientations, and (metaphorical) hashtag use and audience engagement, based on a combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approach to a corpus of Weibo posts sent by Chinese banks. Results showed that over two thirds of posts are attached with hashtags, in particular when posts are oriented thematically towards product and service; one third with metaphorical hashtags mostly involving war and animate metaphors, in particular when posts are oriented thematically towards corporate social responsibility, service and life. Moreover, posts with hashtag use could be more significantly engaging than posts without it, and posts with animate metaphor hashtags tend to be more engaging, though there is no difference in the engagement between posts with metaphorical hashtags and posts without them. Taken together, these results suggest that hashtag use and animate metaphors in Weibo posts can effectively enhance audience engagement. The findings will be of interest for digital marketing practitioners to use hashtags in Weibo posts more strategically.