All You Need to Know About Hashtags #
What are hashtags and how can you use them effectively on Social Media?
When it comes to promoting your brand on social media, hashtags are a great way to achieve greater visibility and online awareness… when used correctly.
For example, on a Monday we’ll use #MarketingMonday as it is a popular hashtag for Monday’s and, as a Marketing agency, fits well with our niche and reaches the right target audience; people who are interested in learning more about Marketing.
WHAT is a Hashtag?
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the pound symbol (#). On social media, it serves as an indication (for users and algorithms) that a piece of content relates to a specific topic or belongs to a category.
The HISTORY of Hashtags
# signs were first used as hashtags in the summer of 2007 by Chris Messina, a web marketing specialist. He suggested Twitter should start using the pound symbol to group related Tweets together.
Hashtags are now used extensively across all social media platforms.
WHY Use Hashtags?
- Increases the visiblity and engagement of your post
- Build brand awareness
- Be a part of the relevant conversations
- Show support for social issues
- Help your target audience find you
HOW to Use Hashtags?
- Keep them simple and relevant
- Utilise trending hashtags
- Don’t overuse hashtags
- Be specific
- In most cases, less well researched hashtags have more impact than a high number of them.
Hashtags are just one simple but effective way to increase your reach (number of people who see your content). Start by looking at popular hashtags that are relevant to your industry, or even come up with your own hashtag as a way of building a community. Remember, the right hashtags can put you in front of your target audience.
