Whip out your best hashtag. June 30 marks the official occasion to embrace your cyber self for  Mashable’s National Social Media Day. From dawn until dusk (and a few times in between), thousands of social media enthusiasts will flock to meetups across the globe and celebrate the digital revolution.

To join in the festivities, Clairemont team members Dana Hughens, Sarah Hattman and Cherith Mangum share a glimpse into their own experiences with online communication. We’ve culled out a few highlights, favorites and tricks of the trade to help you shake up your next posts.

Stealing the Spotlight: “One of my favorite creative social media campaigns…”
Dana: I’ll give this one to Travelocity and the Roaming Gnome. Tweet him and see what happens. This is a fantastic example of how social media is used as an extension of the overall brand strategy, and it combines beautiful photography (that makes me want to travel) with humor by inserting the gnome into the pictures.
Sarah: For me it’s Urban Hilton Weiner’s selfie campaign. Visitors to the store were given a $10 coupon if they tweeted a selfie of themselves trying on clothes from the South African retailer and used the hastag #urbanselfie. What better way to engage customers and generate brand awareness than with the power of the selfie?!

My Ah-Ha Moment: “Social media all clicked for me when…”
Cherith:  A local celebrity tweeted me back…twice. I’m still amazed by the instant bond one teeny “like” can foster. Talk about brand loyalty. I’m pretty sure I felt like a lifelong friend after those two exchanges on Twitterverse.

Changing History: “If social media existed, it would have revolutionized…”
Dana: The Women’s Rights Movement of the 60s. #braburning
Cherith: Neil Armstrong’s “one giant leap for mankind.” (Selfie with a martian!)

Popular Pitfalls: “One thing to avoid in social media…”
Sarah: Neglecting it! If you don’t have time to keep them updated and respond to followers it does not make sense to even set up the accounts.
Cherith: A “Belfie,” the bathroom selfie. And while we’re at it, consider steering clear of these 16 other Sh-Elfies (“shudder-worthy selfies). (Okay, fine, it’s not a real word. But results still border on committing a faux pas.)

“In social media, wouldn’t it be cool if…”
Dana: You could be reminded to wish your friends a happy birthday. Post pictures of your dog. Share a video of your kid. Search by topics. Put filters on your photos to make yourself look like a much better photographer than you really are.

Now Featuring: “My favorite feature on social media is…”
Sarah: Twitter’s “Who to Follow” suggestions. It’s a great (and easy) way to expand your network and allows companies to interact with potential customers.

Happy tweeting, posting, pinning and gramming!