1.Introduction to #Hashtags

While #hashtags are a relatively new “buzz word” over the
last decade, it’s a word that a vast majority of us use daily
in our own lives. So what exactly are #hashtags? Lets take
a look at the official definition of a hashtag.

Definition:
noun: a word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media sites such as Twitter to identify messages by a specific topic.

Lets be honest, hashtags have become a part of modern culture, their place hasn’t been restricted to appearing just
on our social media accounts, #hashtagged phrases hav been used on everything from t-shirts to mugs and
cushions.

They have even found their way into general conversion with phrases such as “#sorrynotsorry!” In terms of social media, #hashtags were first found on
Twitter but soon found themselves used on all other social media channels. Hashtags are great for both setting and finding the latest trends. They can be key to social media campaigns going
viral.

The great thing about hashtags is that it’s up to you, how you use them.

You can find the latest trends and use one of them or you can set your own. When a user clicks on the hashtag it will bring up all the tweets, posts or images that have used that hashtag. So now we have looked at what a hashtag is, lets move on and see how hashtags are relevant to your business!

2.How can Hashtags benefit your business?

Social media marketing is one of the top marketing methods for any business right now. This is why #hashtags should be playing a massive part in your business marketing strategy. Riding the waves of the latest trends or even setting your own, can drive thousands of visitors to your website or business each and every day! This is also inexpensive and highly targeted traffic, assuming your hashtag are indeed relevant to your content.

There are various ways of using #hashtags for your business across a number of social media platforms. However before you even consider using a #hashtag you really need to think about what it is that you want to say.

You can’t just throw any old #hashtag phrase out there, and expect an immediate increase in website traffic and sales.

Obviously you will want to use #hashtags that promote your
offers or events, like webinars or sales. However that doesn’t mean you want to go with a #hashtag as bland as #sales or #livewebinar. One of the first things to consider is that you will want to create something unique. You will want to use #hashtags that stand out from the crowd, that are instantly recognizable, memorable and that promote exactly what you have to offer. This might mean you have to get a little bit creative but the extra work will be well worth it.

You could use the initials of the company in the #hashtag or perhaps some other part of your branding or marketing the choices really are endless. Just keep in mind you want your message to be clear and Unique!
The next thing you will want to consider is that what you decide to use as a hashtag should be easy to remember, if you have a specific #hashtag that is part of your overall marketing plan, then don’t be afraid to put it on other marketing channels. Think how often you see a hashtag that appears on the corner of your TV screen for the show you are watching, or if you buy a programme for an event you will often see the #hashtag within the pages telling you to check it out the next time you are online.

So always keep in mind what your marketing message is, then make sure your related #hashtag is clear and easy to understand and remember while also being unique enough to stand out. Once you have you #hashtags in place remember to use the same ones across all the social media platforms that you use and then just wait for the traffic to start rolling in!

We have looked at how #hashtags can help your business if you have a specific event or offer to promote. But, what if you don’t have that and you are just looking for a great hashtag to use to help you increase your brand awareness and drive more traffic to your website?

One of the key things you will need to do when it comes to using #hashtags as part of your social media marketing
campaign is research your #hashtags. What we mean by this is doing a little bit of exploring to discover what are the most popular trends in your niche. For this there are a few websites out there that can help by showing you what is trending. One of the first websites to look at it:
http://statweestics.com/

Once you go to the website it will show you the top trending topics of the day / week etc. and then you can select the
hashtags tab and take a look at the hashtags that have been trending within the last 24 hours, or week or even month and find the ones that would work best for yourbusiness. Other website that you could go to in order to research the best hashtags for your business is:
https://www.hashtags.org/

This will give a look at the hashtags that are trending, the hashtags that are most popular. You can even see which
hashtags are popular where. Twitter and Facebook also have their own trending analytics that will let you see the most popular hashtags on their website that day.

All of these tools and websites will help you research the best hashtags for you to use in your business.

It’s amazing how many business owners find the thought of
using #hashtags as part of their marketing plan a bit scary!
Then because they are a bit intimidated at the thought of
using #hashtags or more importantly the thought of getting
it wrong they just don’t bother with them at all, and that’s
crazy! Hashtags are really easy to use once you have gotten the hang of them. That’s not to say you can’t get it a bit wrong and make some mistakes, but it’s OK even the biggest
companies make mistakes (and we will show you that in
more detail in a bit)
So the first thing to consider when it comes to writing
your #hashtag is the length. Ideally your hashtag should
be between 1-3 words, it shouldn’t be anymore than that. Let’s face it we have all been annoyed by a hashtag that’s far to long!

The next important thing to keep in mind, is do NOT keyword stuff, I realize its tempting to hashtag your keyword three different ways in the one tweet or posts but don’t do, it will look like spam and its unprofessional. Always keep the reputation of your brand in mind when you are creating your hashtags, you are trying to grow your brand image nor ruin it. You need to really think about what you are hashtagging and if it can be used against you. The most famous example of this was when McDonald’s used the hashtag #mcdstories. What they wanted to do was encourage people to share positive experiences of eating at McDonald, however what also happened was that people used the #hashtag to share horrible experiences of using McDonald, and whenever the hashtag was used the really bad experiences came up as well! There is always a chance a hashtag can be used against you, so what you have to ensure you do is be prepared to turn a negative response into a positive one. So always prepare for everything. One of the best ways to use hashtags is to ask questions as it is a great way of getting people to engage with you, and can really open up the lines of communication between you and
your potential customers.

When you are using #hashtags as part of your social media
campaign its vitally important that you track their results,
so that you can see what is working for you and what isn’t. Just like you would track Google analytic etc. The best way to track these results is to use tracking tools in
order to help you, track, monitor and analyze your social
media #hashtags. So lets take a look at some of the best tracking tools there
are available right now in order to help you make the most
out of your #hashtags!

1.Tagboard: https://tagboard.com/

Tagboard is great for analyzing the information around the hashtag. So it collates texts images posts and videos to show you the full picture of your #.

2.Talkwalker: http://www.talkwalker.com

Talkwalker gives you data for gender distribution,
geographic distribution and sentiment analysis on your own
hashtags, as well as your competitors’ hashtags.

3.TweetReach – http://tweetreach.com/

TweetReach is a tool that is great to use on a regular basis to
see how successful your tweets were and how many people
they reached. Search a keyword or hashtag and you will be
able to see the number of estimated accounts reached,
exposure, as well as an activity chart and a list of top
contributors and most retweeted tweets.

Conclusion

As you can see #hashtags are an easy and effective way of driving traffic to your website and helping build your brand. As long as you are prepared to research the best #hashtags to use for your business then they can be a fabulous tool in your social media marketing campaign. Once you have your #hashtags up and running remember to track their results and change any that are not bringing you
in the desired results.