Start with two or three sentences explaining why this blog post is worth reading/what they will learn.
Explain what a hashtag is first for people that don’t know. Possibly introduce by using a short example of a famous hashtag that most people would recognize.
Hashtags were created in order to connect people with a message to convey or a common goal or interest and allow them to group together on international chat boards. Hashtag use has been increasing over the last few years particularly with, politics and activism. This may seem confusing at first, however, when used correctly, hashtags can make any social media campaign successful!
In order to benefit the most from the network hashtagging provides, your hashtags need to be:
- Unique.
- Interactive.
- Relevant.
Let’s learn how you can use hashtags to help potential clients discover your business and connect current customers to your content!
Unique Hashtags
The first thing you have to think of when considering the usage of hashtags is your business! One of the easiest ways to promote your brand using hashtags is by making your own brand name into a hashtag! This simple method makes your brand immediately reachable on social media platforms and makes you stand out. Not only can your clients follow your business through the linked hashtag, but it can simultaneously encourage them to share and use business generated content.
Interactive Hashtags
Use your audience’s response:
Social media is used to engage your audience and interact with them and to benefit the most from it, you will need to encourage you audience to utilize your brand hashtags.
If your clients use a particular medium where they share their interests, this would be the perfect place to use your original hashtags to advertise your business!
Though, as a rule-of-thumb you will always want to double-check that your hashtag is actually original and not linked to somebody else’s hashtag – it won’t help you to advertise an unrelated brand or product! Additionally, be absolutely sure that your hashtag can’t be taken out of context either because you definitely do not want to go viral for the wrong reason! Always proofread your hashtag!
Keep up with the trends:
“Hashtags that are used often tend to also be searched for often.” -Is this a quote somebody said? Make sure to give them credit if it was.
Hashtag trends are always constantly changing. What is popular today can be gone tomorrow. Googling hashtags can help you keep up with these trends and you can use your preferred social media platform’s search bar as a simple way to keep track of them as well. Some great hashtag tracking apps such as _______ can help with that.
While the hashtags you create will mostly be unique to your business, a relevant, trendy hashtag can bring you right into the heart of the buzz, where you can attract more consumer interest.
Especially if it is not something that happens often but is a topic relevant to your campaign that seems to be getting a lot of attention, you can always utilize that attention and include it when posting about your business and brand!
Relevant Hashtags
Location:
Think about hashtags in terms of that popular hangout spot downtown. Every hangout spot has its frequenters, and hashtags are the way those people share about these spots so others can enjoy the place too.
For example, if your business is doing a special event or sale at B city, adding #Bcity to your posts can help you expand your audience considerably. People who are interested in your brand that also live in that region are now more likely to see this post and check out your special promotion or event!.
Context:
No one likes spam, so packing your posts with too many silly and meaningless hashtags, can detract from their effectiveness. Going around mentioning every popular hashtag you can find is as efficient as inviting everyone you know including vegetarians to a carnivore barbecue party and then still expecting them to partake.
Using popular hashtags, is an important way to grow your audience, however, your hashtags need to be relevant to your business. It needs to be in the context of what you’re marketing. Also, you have to consider your product or your services, where and when you’re selling it, and who would buy it.
Knowing who your target audience is, is immensely important , not only when choosing your hashtags, but when marketing your business in general (to learn more about target marketing, click here). Putting yourself in their mindsets will help you picture what would catch their attention, and what would sound interesting to your clients.
Hashtag Do’s and Don’ts
Hashtag Do’s
- Substitute words in hashtags:
This way you can include a hashtag while just mentioning your brand name or mentioning your location. It makes it more likely that your hashtag is seen and remembered.
- Keep it brief:
Generally, you should keep your hashtags brief and avoid using long sentences. Some fairly known hashtags worked out pretty great despite being sentences. But, those are the exception to the rule, and usually, it’s better to keep them brief and to the point.
- Choose your hashtag according to your social media platform:
Though hashtags are a constant presence in Instagram and Twitter it’s not the same for Facebook and some other platforms. Each platform has its own trends, nuances, and style when it comes to hash tagging and you have to consider that.
Hashtag Don’ts
- Use too many hashtags:
This can be a turnoff and can backfire on you. Although platforms, like Facebook, limit the number of hashtags used, others don’t. Using too many can have consequences such as distracting from your main point or drawing people away from your own brand or company. Five hashtags is always a safe number to stick to, but if you feel like you can reach out with less, even better!
- Use a trendy hashtag for the sake of its popularity:
Using irrelevant content in your post even though it’s popular is never a good idea. As a business owner, you will want to project a succinct image of your brand. Using unrelated content to make quick cash is never a good idea.
- Randomly chose your hashtags:
Strategic testing to see which kind of hashtags get the best reaction from your audience is highly recommended because you ensure you are selecting the most appropriate hashtags for your brand. Randomly creating them is not something you should do if you want your hashtag to be impactful.
How do I use my hashtags?
So far, we have discussed how to choose your hashtags. Now we are going to talk about how to actually put them to use in your social media post!
In general, a combination of your personal hashtag, and a specific one t that categorizes your business is a good combination. (What is the difference between the two?)
You may also want to add a location hashtag, as we mentioned above, or pick relevant trending hashtags.
The combination that will work best will depend on the nature of your post, the platform you’re using, and the time when you’re posting it. Not to mention the mission of your business and the purpose of your social media marketing campaign.
Still Need Help?
TomKin Consulting can help! We can help you build a strategy based on analytics specifically about your business in order to create a suitable and successful social media campaign for your business!
Sources: GoDaddy, Ad Espresso