If you don’t quite get how hashtags work or how you can make use of them, don’t feel too bad. For those of you who have avoided using hashtags, they’re not scary at all. They can be fantastic tools for marketing, SEO and, especially, branding. Most people associate hashtags with Twitter only, and reasonably so, since that’s where the whole hashtag boom began. However, hashtags have spread to other social media platforms.
If you want to build your brand, add another tool to your marketing toolbox or just expand your social media audience, you too can join the uber-trendy world of hashtagging in the following social media platforms.
Example of a hashtag
What is Negative #SEO? ow.ly/gtMx7
— Brandignity (@Brandignty) January 2, 2013
Twitter is certainly where hashtags are used the most, and is the best place to start if you’re new at it. There will be a bigger audience response for hashtagging in your posts as well, and it may be easier to get them to catch on, compared to hashtagging in other social media platforms.
Twitter is also inherently more compatible with hashtags, providing options like All, Top, or People You Follow to filter results. It also displays trending hashtags The results are filtered for “all,” so they even display foreign language Tweets, and as usual, results are in real time.
Always research any hashtag you create for introducing a new product, service, article, content or whatever you’re trying to promote. Using a hashtag that has already been used can have disastrous results, like linking your brand to a totally irrelevant discussion. You can definitely use existing hashtags that align with your marketing goals or SEO in your posts, but for your own hashtags, be sure to thoroughly search for possible duplicates before applying it to your brand or promotion.
Hashtags are new to Facebook, but this actually provides an advantage, especially for broadening your brand and brand voice. Since hashtags are new to Facebook, it allows them to stand out more. However, use caution, because there are reportedly some Facebookers who get kind of grouchy about it for some reason.
People use hashtags in the search option to see and join conversations, such as niche interests. By using a hashtag in your post, you can reach an audience who would otherwise never see your posts. For example, 12 Keys Best Rehab, a treatment center in Florida, connects with new audiences by sharing a #MotivationalMonday quote each week.
One of the best and most unique advantages of using hashtags on Facebook is that you can track the results and progress with Facebook Insights.
Google+
Marketers and business owners should use hashtags in Google+ whenever possible. This is because search results for hashtag links are displayed for both search results that include or are similar to that hashtag as well as search results from within Google+. This provides huge potential for expanding visibility, building your brand and expanding your market reach.
Instagram is a great social media platform for contests and building your market reach. Using a hashtag for photo contests allows entries to be seen by all participants. In doing so, you’ll make it much easier for your followers to share with their networks and acquire more followers.
Instagram hashtags are also great for connecting with your target market. Figure out what interests your potential customers, and then use the same hashtags they’re using. For example, a company that makes pet washes might connect with pet owners using the immensely popular hashtags #cat, #dog, #catsofinstagram, and #dogsofinstagram.
Remember to do you research before creating hashtags. Always keep it short and memorable, and if you use hashtags in a clever, shareable way, you might be surprised just how well they catch on – and what awesome promotional tools they can be.
About author:
Adrienne is a freelance writer and designer obsessed with social media. You can follow @adrienneerin on Twitter to get in touch or visit her http://designroast.org/.
It is no secret that social media sites are becoming popular by the day; these platforms are being used for more than just meeting new people. Businesses around the globe are starting to utilize them as a way to increase their marketing efforts and help to get their brand noticed online. This is considered to be a tool that small businesses can use to increase their market reach and build a larger global market.
Twitter is without a doubt one of the most popular social media platforms available. People are given this powerful tool to voice their ideas and opinions and update their current activities, which is also a good way to introduce your small business’ products and services. One of the best ways to get noticed is to create an online trend, which refers to the ability for a user to make use of hashtags to get their business known.
Example of a hashtag
What is Negative #SEO? ow.ly/gtMx7
— Brandignity (@Brandignty) January 2, 2013
Using the Hashtag
A hashtag is simply a word or phrase that has a “#” prefix at the front. For e.g. #microsoft or #apple. Primarily, the main purpose of using a hashtag is to make sure that a conversation around a specific topic or word can easily be tracked. Twitter users can easily use this marketing tool to track the conversations about their business and get a good understanding of their popularity online. You can use this to increase awareness of your small business online.
One of the best ways to create a buzz around your business with the use of hashtags is to promote your business’ products or specials. The global reach that Twitter offers its users allow you to reach a wider audience and thereby increasing your exposure. Another benefit of using hashtags is the ability to be part of a current trending topic that your small business may be related to. By introducing your business to the trend, it will allow people to associate your brand and create awareness.
Always remember to use the correct hashtag. Topical tags are usually the best way to go about the process, and this means that it has this bigger reach in the overall market. Use these tags as part of your tweet, rather than just using them separately. It will be easier for readers to become informed about what your business is or what you are trying to say when they can read it in context as a complete tweet.
Finally, remember to track the hashtag’s progress to see if it’s effective for your marketing goals. There are various tools that can help you do this online, but Twitter can also provide you with this information. It’s a great way of measuring your reach on this social media platform and you can easily keep an eye on conversations regarding your product, service, or brand.
Benefits of Using Hashtags for Business
- The most important benefit of using hashtags is to create awareness for your brand. By using this tool you can make it easy for people to re-use it and mention your brand or company in their own conversations and tweets online.
- You can keep track of your reputation. Hashtags make it easy for you to monitor what people are saying when they talk about you or your brand. If there are any negative statements or customers who are unhappy with a product or service, you will be able to pick it up and put in some effort to rectify the issue or put the customer at ease.
- Hashtags allow you to measure your reach. You can keep an eye on all the conversations around your chosen keywords or topics and find out where your business is being mentioned, by who, and how often. This is a good indication of how far your business’ reach is and what your target market looks like. Businesses are increasingly seeing the benefit in this.
- Make your tweets easier to find. Hashtags allow you to easily find previous tweets and it also categorises your tweets for your followers to find. Leads, customers, and prospects can easily join in the conversation by using your hashtags in their own discussions.
- When you have a new product or service available you can easily create new hashtags so that your followers and customers will be able to easily and effortlessly identify them and be updated on new updates and developments within your business.
The more hashtags are being used on Twitter, the more it will encourage the use of better statistics, control, and a better understanding of this tool in general. People all over the world can benefit from hashtags and it should be a positive and useful experience for everyone – regardless whether you are using it for personal or business purposes. With social media being such a powerful online tool, this is becoming a very popular way of expanding your market reach, keeping an eye on conversations around your business, and allowing people to easily follow updates around your business.
About the Author:
Lorien Roux is an entrepreneur and blogger who loves writing on anything related to business and marketing. She also manages BusinessProfiles.com, which provides registration information on businesses across the U.S.
