If you have ever been on any social network like twitter or instagram you will have noticed the wide use of hashtags. To make it clear and understandable, a hashtag is simply a way for Tweets or pictures to have a common topic and also to begin a conversation. It starts with a pound sign (#) and is always followed by keywords. It is meant to mark topics or keywords in a Tweet or picture. Hashtags are used as a way to categorize messages and organically created by Twitter users. It is important to do a little research before using any hashtag to make sure it relates to your topic or picture. Choosing a successful hashtag can be tricky, but here are four tips to make your life a little easier:
#1 Be your own kind of beautiful (hashtag) be unique
As a marketer, you want to choose a hashtag that will reach your target audience. This is really important during Twitter chats, webinars or events. Using a more unique hashtag will allow others to join the conversation and be able to actually engage with each other. Simple hashtags do not work well.
When differentiating your media strategy and self, your hashtag needs to be unique and clear. You also have to make sure the hashtag you choose is not being used by other companies. Using general terms like #seo or #marketing will put your Tweet or picture in the results of everyone using those keywords. It could be a good thing, but not if you want to carry on a conversation with your audience.
#2 Choose a hashtag that is easy to remember
It is important that you choose a hashtag that is easy to spell and easy to pronounce as well as easy to remember. Being able to remember the hashtag will allow users to join in the conversation more effortlessly. Within the social media universe there are thousands of hashtags roaming the web. In order, to be successful with hashtags businesses need to create user-friendly hashtags. Short, easy to spell, easy to pronounce hashtags will give users a better idea about the picture, tweet stream or topic of conversation.
Short hashtags are always easier to remember and take up less space in tweets 140 character limit. Short and simple hashtags allow users to organize what people are saying about the topic of conversation and engage users. Consider what your objectives are. Why do you want people to come together for a conversation? Make the hashtag easy to understand and remember. People will more then likely forget your hashtag if it is too long, complicated or hard to spell. One of the main purposes of hashtags is to engage an audience right? Make sure it’s a hashtag people won’t forget! Obvious hashtags help guide and control conversations and attract your target audience.
#3 Decide on a hashtag and use it on multiple social media channels.
After deciding which hashtag is right for you, try using it on multiple social media channels. Twitter may have had the first hashtags ever, but they are now used on multiple social channels like Instagram, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Hashtags are great for allowing users to organize their pictures and content as well as engaging their audiences into the topic of conversation.
It may take a couple times for people to remember a hashtag, but once they see it, it usually sticks in their mind. By using your hashtag on multiple social media channels you give it more publicity for people to be able to share it with others. People will more than likely remember your hashtag when they see it numerous times on different social media channels.
#4: Do your homework before using a Hashtag
An embarrassing moment may occur after tweeting a hashtag that has been used for a completely different topic. Do your homework! Researching any hashtag you plan on using will prevent any unnecessary humiliation from occurring. What if the hashtag you’re using has already been used for something grotesque? What if its associated with inappropriate content, but you didn’t realize it until after you tweeted it? Always, always, ALWAYS do your homework before using a hashtag. Researching what other people are saying and what other people are using will prevent future headaches. You NEVER want to tweet a hashtag that links to something negative. In order to drive traffic to a secondary site have a plan in place. Filter through all the different definitions for keywords. You don’t want to choose a hashtag that means something else and attracts the wrong audience.
In Your Social Media Strategy, use relevant hashtags. The key in using hashtags in your social media strategy requires perfect timing with hashtags and guaranteeing you influence your audience in a optimistic and positive way. These four steps will help you to make wiser choices when deciding on a hashtag that is unique and unforgettable. But most importantly, the step to not forget is research on the hashtag before you use it. Seeing what other people are talking about on a particular hashtag will help prevent any error on your part. Don’t forget that generic hashtags are more difficult to make effective when engaging an audience for a topic of conversation. It is never recommended to use more than two hashtags per tweet. Only use multiple hashtags if the topic is right.