How To Hashtag

Now that Twitter has increased its character limit, there is space for even more hashtags. The question is, however, how can you use this popular symbol to benefit your social media marketing?

All of the top brands use hashtags, according to the Interbrand 100 list, so there is no reason why you should not jump aboard this… we want to say ‘trend’ but it seems that hashtags are here to stay! The hashtag became relevant when Twitter, the giant social media platform, hyperlinked hashtags to search results. In other words, Twitter made hashtags ‘searchable’.

Nowadays, most platforms from Facebook to Instagram give the option to search a hashtag so that you can see who else is talking about the same topic as you. Hashtags can be used by groups of people supporting something, from raising awareness about a natural disaster or for sharing their love of #foodporn, or it can be used by accounts to generate robot likes by using hashtags such as #l4l (like for a like) or #f4f (follow for a follow). Moreover, hashtags can be used to join in a conversation. Whichever way hashtags are used, it is undeniable that they are increasingly popular and are here to stay.

Start Conversations Specific To You

One of the best ways you can get people talking about your brand is by running a campaign with its own hashtag slogan. You’ll see on various television adverts and shows that there is an encouraging hashtag in the corner so people can see what other people are saying about the brand. Make a brand-specific hashtag that is unique so that your followers can join in the hashtag. If you search #EveryLittleHelps on Instagram or Twitter, you will see an influx of posts about Tesco, even when the word ‘Tesco’ hasn’t been searched – this is because they have turned their slogan into a hashtag. Similarly, you could have searched #Imaceleb and seen hundreds of posts about the television show I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! Once you have a brand-specific hashtag, make sure you use it on all of your social media platforms so that you remain consistent and encourage those conversations and content that are specific to your brand.

Join A Conversation

Conversations are increasingly important in the social media world – as technology advances, consumers are looking to see brands as more ‘human’. As such, if there is a trending hashtag you should join in and Tweet with everyone else. Twitter has a feature that alerts people when followers are tweeting similar content, creating even more of a buzz around your brand and the topic you are discussing. So use these trending tags to get your message seen by a wider audience which, in turn, should encourage like-minded people to follow your brand on social media.

Will you be #hashtagging anytime soon?