Understanding the #hashtag

Love them or hate them, hashtags are nothing to be feared. Hashtags ( # ) are simply labels that helps your customers find you brand in the clutter.  Hashtags are another avenue for your content to be found on social media, a social way of engaging a dialog with your audience or getting people to talk about your product/company. Just like any new skill it’s something that you get good at, with practice and understanding a few basics.

First of all DON’T fear them! Hashtags are becoming more and more popular with advertising campaigns and weather or not you want to jump on the bandwagon, they will help increase awareness of your brand. Hashtags were successfully used in the last Superbowl with some of the more memorable being: #BestBuds #salute #AmericaIsBeautiful #vw.

An easy way to start using hashtags is by simply labeling your business/products into your posts, just like you would label a recipe. The data shows that hashtags double your following when used. If you are already using them, you can check your hashtag popularity here.

Tips on how to create a hashtag:
• Observe the hashtags other companies use.
• If you decided on a hashtag, research the popularity of your hashtag on: hashtagify.me
• Trending. Use hashtags.org and tagdef to check hashtag trends.
• After you did your research, decide which hashtags are best for your brand or campaign and implement them on your social channels.
• Use no more than five hashtags per post.