15 Jan Guess Free Guide to Hashtags

Having trouble with hashtags? If so, you’re not alone. Twitter launched hashtag use in 2007. Since then, hashtags have gone from a “Twitter thing”, to a viral social network phenomena. Yet, they still seem to confuse the best of us in business. We’ve got you covered with our Guess Free Guide to Hashtags. But before we get into the goods, let’s go over a little Hashtag 101… Who uses hashtags? Simply put, consumers. Potential customers are now finding things they need via this little symbol: # Hashtags are making it easy as pie for people to link directly to you, talk about you, your business, and your products or services. How are hashtags used? A hashtag placed before a keyword makes that keyword clickable. When a user clicks on that hashtagged keyword, they’re redirected to all the images and content related to that hashtag. Think of them as a micro portal through which you can connect with your target audience with keywords they’re already using based on their interests, providing a fast track back to your brand. Where are hashtags used? By now, you’ve noticed them everywhere in social media. They don’t just work wonders on Twitter, they work across the social spectrum— especially on visual content sites (i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr). They’re working so well in fact, mega-brand Amazon jumped on the hashtag bandwagon in May 2014 because of this viable, growing, and direct connection between businesses and buyers. Amazon and Twitter joined forces to allow “users of the social network to add items directly to their online [Amazon] shopping cart just by [connecting their accounts], sending a tweet, and using the hashtag #amazoncart,” as reported in an article published in The Guardian. Why use hashtags for your business? Even if you don’t have a “social shopping” business model, the big take away is that customers are ready to integrate hashtags into their consuming habits. Find a way to implement them into your marketing efforts, and you’ll be able to hashtag your way to a better bottom line. Now, instead of throwing hashtags on your social media walls to see what sticks, use our Guess Free Guide to Hashtags below. With the help of smart hashtagging, customers will find you, share your content, and grow your business. Do your research. Though hashtags are a relatively new social tool, traditional marketing caveats apply. Focus on your audience, and target your market through finding out how they’re using relevant keyword hashtags. By doing your homework, you learn to best use effective, trending hashtags to make it easier for your potential customers to connect with your company. Don’t forget the message. Simply hashtagging keywords in a post is not enough. There needs to be context to your content. Smoothly integrate #hashtags into the sentences of your post. Or, have a small series of hashtags at the end of a post. Do go with short and sweet. Single word hashtags are best. Don’t go beyond a combination of a few simple words (with no spaces in between). By using #annoyinglylonghashtagsinapost, you’ll just confuse and lose people. Make it easy for followers to catch on, and your hashtags will start popping up in your audience feeds. Don’t serve hashtag spam. Hashtagging every word is NOT the secret to making this social media strategy work. It won’t turn followers into brand advocates, but it will make your content wreak of that obvious “ad” essence— and it won’t get read, or spread. One or two hashtags will typically do, limit three at most. Do hashtag accordingly. Hashtags are used on several platforms. Thus, they perform differently on different social sites. Increased engagement is mainly on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. However, hashtags are now used on Facebook and Google+ to connect conversations. Make sure to use hashtags appropriately, depending on which platform your posting content. Don’t be inconsistent. When using branded hashtags across multiple channels, make sure yours are consistent. This ensures that no matter which social media site your followers prefer, they’re using hashtags that will funnel back to your business. Remember that hashtags aren’t marketing magic, and there’s no exact science for success. But with a savvy strategy, your social fan base will recall and reuse your hashtags with ease. Making content socially friendly means you’ll find a sweet spot where your customer communities will be happy to interact, stay loyal, and spread your brand love. Need a bit more guidance on the hashtag game for your business? Get in touch with us at Social Spice Media. Call us direct at (805) 482-8312, or, email us at info@socialspicemedia.com with how we can help you get on the social marketing road to happy hashtagging.