Hashtags are a great way to discover new content that you are interested in. Google and other search engines support hashtags in their searches, Facebook has added hashtags and brands are beginning to recognize the power of them. Google’s update to include hashtags in organic search results and on Google+ . But, how do you use the power of a hashtag?
Research
Use hashtags to do research on what your target demographic is talking about. You may find relevant information about your product that your target audience is talking about.
Join a Conversation
You can also use hashtags to join a conversation that is already happening like #blackfriday or #emmys. The popular television show Scandal owes part of its popularity to the hashtag. The writers, producers and actors encouraged fans to use hashtags while watching the show. The show exploded and is now one of the most watched shows on television currently. Social media users use hashtags to seek more information on a topic. Be sure to use hashtags that are relevant to your brand. Use your designated hashtags often in your social media posts or when you post a blog post on Google+ to have your content included.
Promote your Event
Hashtags are a great way to promote an event and encourages your attendees to facilitate conversation with other attendees, meet other attendees and find out more information about your event. It’s also a great way to facilitate a question and answer segment with your audience when their questions from Twitter are tagged with your designated hashtag.
Make it Simple
You want your brand’s hashtag to be simple and easy to remember. A long hashtag can be misspelled, forgotten or too long to include in a tweet with a limited amount of characters. It should also be relevant to your products, event or brand. You also want to use only 1-2 hashtags in your brand strategy. You can go overboard on hashtags and it may become irrelevant or look too spammy.
Make it Consistent
Your designated hashtag should be used on all of your social media channels. The most popular social channels all use hashtags so you want to be sure you reach the intended audience on each channel. Don’t forget that hashtags are forever just like your tweets so be sure the hashtag you use will be relevant in the future.
Always remember that a hashtag can be a powerful thing if used the correct way. You don’t want to be like these guys and #hashtag #everything. “#Hashtag” with Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake
Snap Agency is an digital marketing agency dedicated to helping eCommerce and local businesses get more leads and sales online. Our social media marketing team can manage and create content for your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest or YouTube pages. Give us a call at (763) 548-2297 or contact us online to request a free consultation.