A Quick Guide To Hashtags

If you are new to the social media world, then hashtags may seem difficult or strange to understand. The Hashtag is a word or symbol with a # in front of it. Created in 2007 by the Twitter community to group conversations around the same topic. The hashtag has since evolved, touching every social media platform where each use case is different, but what remains true is the core function of the hashtag. It is used to SEARCH conversations, events, community driven content and posts.

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Hashtags: A Quick Guide

So what kind of hashtags should your business have?

• Brand Name Hashtag. The best way to market your brand is by a hashtag!
• Campaign Hashtag that you can use as your unique positioning
• Industry Relevant Hashtags that are relevant to your line of business and use them in industry relevant posts

Hashtags are a cost-effective way to keep your business on-trend and attract new leads. If you want your brand to remain relevant on social media, hashtags are a great way to get the traffic numbers you want for your content! By including hashtags in your content, you can reach people outside of your audience or following, as you help social platforms index your content in a way that is SEARCHABLE to everyone so your business can be found by users actively looking for things online.

Most social media platforms today make use of hashtags in some way or form, so they are very relevant if you want to take increase engagement and make your business relevant on social media.

Top Tips

Here are our  tips on how to effectively use hashtags for your business:

1. Establish a company hashtag that can be used by you, your clients and your followers to search various social media platforms
2. Keep the hashtag relevant. What is your business about? What products or services do you provide?
3. Tie the hashtag back to what your brand signifies, your brand positioning, brand belief
4. Set your post or campaign goals, what is the desired outcome of this hashtag
5. Do your research, identify trending hashtags that are relevant to your industry
6. Be specific and relevant if you are wanting to use a hashtag to join a social conversation or topic
7. Understand the different social media platforms and which hashtags to use where

Hashtags can be a great way to attract your ideal clients and drive new leads, act as a branding building block for your business and keep you relevant on social media.

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