Tips to Help You Unleash the Power of the Hashtag

Are you using hashtags in your social media marketing? Hashtags are symbols that help to organize and classify information. Clicking on a hashtagged word will show you other tweets and messages marked with that same hashtag. Although you can use a hashtag anywhere in a message or tweet, using them in a sentence can give your audience better context.

Hashtags began on Twitter, however their use continues to spread to more and more social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and YouTube. Marketers love the fact that hashtags can create buzz around products, events, campaigns, and more.

• It is important to use hashtags that are easy to remember and also easy to spell. The fact is, concise hashtags are more effective than long hashtags, which may sound clever in your head, but are hard to read.

• The best hashtags look good in sentences. Plus, using your hashtag in sentences will help your audience join the conversation because it gives them context.

• Try to create hashtags that are unique so they stand out from the crowd. Keep in mind that once a hashtag is established and shared, anyone can use it, which means that they can also be hijacked and manipulated.

• Make sure that you format your hashtags correctly. A hashtag should consist of a single word or if you use a phrase, it should have no punctuation or spaces between words. It is possible to use the underscore, but starting each word with an uppercase letter makes a hashtag more readable without forcing your audience to remember to use the underscore.

• Don’t overuse hashtags or they lose effectiveness. Try to use no more than two hashtags per post.

• Promote your hashtag to create more buzz around it. Include it on your website and social media accounts. You should also use it in your other marketing materials. You should also use a call to action to encourage people to share your hashtag and expand the reach of the conversation.

• Use a call to action to ask your audience to share your hashtag.

• Don’t use inaccurate hashtags, which is basically spam. Using hashtags incorrectly can cause frustration for your audience and lead to a negative perception of your brand.

Hashtags continue to grow in popularity as they give people a way to easily find and join conversations across social media. Using hashtags the right way can really give a boost to your marketing efforts. Following the tips listed above will help you to achieve success in your efforts.