Just rehashing, if you have read Part 1 ‘What’s the ‘hash’ on hashtagging?’ you would have already learnt about the history and power of hashtagging. In Part 2 ‘Getting a handle on your hashtags’ I discussed the dos and don’ts of hashtagging across social media. What else could you possibly learn about hashtagging? Believe it or not hashtagging can also help market your business. It’s true!
Hashtags are a great way to reach customers or clients who you aren’t already connected with via social media. In fact, majority of the world’s top brands have adopted the use of hashtags, and tech-savvy marketers have found new and innovative was to use hashtags as a fresh and interesting way to drive conversation, gain public support, and garner positive and exciting attention to their brands. A trending hashtag that is connected to your business can be discovered by anyone searching for that hashtag or discussing that hashtag. Let’s take a look at the best ways to market your brand or business through hashtagging.
#HASHTAG MARKETING TIPS
# Remember that hashtags can now be used across a wide variety of social media platforms. The most common ones include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, YouTube, Kickstarter, Vine and Flickr to name a few.
# Do your research to find out what similar hashtags your intended audience are already following. This could give you ideas on what hashtags might work for your business. Doing your research also means you won’t be caught out using a hashtag that’s already been used for a different purpose or one that doesn’t align with your company values or product.
# Get creative and devise your own hashtag. It can be whatever you want as there is no registration or database of hashtags. It should be something that whenever someone reads it, they will be reminded of your brand. Keep in mind a hashtag is not a trademark. It belongs to the community so you can’t censor or control how it is used.
# Keep your hashtag simple, direct and easy to understand. However it should be entertaining or educational, as this will help encourage sharing. A hashtag that is too complex is unlikely to gain much traction.
# Have a good think about what your audience would be interested in sharing. If your hashtags are too promotional and not valuable, people may not want to share them. It is in your interest to have your posts (and hashtags) shared to reach an even wider audience!
# You can create marketing or advertising campaigns around a particular hashtag. Your hashtag should have a cross-channel nature, meaning that you can use it across a wide range of social media platforms and advertising mediums.
# By using a unique hashtag you can easily search, organise and report on how the hashtag is trending across those different platforms or mediums.
# Hashtags are a clever way for your followers to submit their content along with that hashtag. This is a great marketing and advertising tool for creating brand awareness and brand engagement.
# You can utilise trending keywords to base around your business hashtags, however it is best to avoid piggybacking on hashtags that already exist. You can craft your company tweets around trending hashtags as a way to gain visibility, though be aware that it is vital that your business is relevant to that particular hashtag otherwise you could leave your business open to social media suicide.
# If you are tweeting, include a link and a hashtag as this has shown to have the highest engagement rate of any type of tweet.
# Don't weigh down your posts or tweets with excessive hashtags. Too many hashtags reads like a desperate marketing ploy, and is a sure fire way to lose followers quickly. It’s advisable to only use a couple of hashtags in a post, so choose your words wisely (not to sound too ominous).
# Always check the hashtag first to see how much activity it receives, the sorts of content people share, and how well such content is received.
# Use your hashtag to amplify your brand. A promotional hashtag is a great way to help spread an idea or new product to the masses.
# You can also use a hashtag on your social media posts to highlight a competition, promotion or coupon, and again this can be spread across all of your social media platforms.
There you have it! When used the right way hashtags can be extremely helpful to your business marketing plans. By simply using hashtags you have the ability to expand your reach to a much broader audience and across a wide range of social media platforms. Social media and hashtagging really are BFFs, so follow these tips and your business will be hashtagging its way to success in no time at all.
#SocialMedia #Growth #Success
