What a Good Hashtag Can Do For Your Business

If you have a social media account, whether it is on a personal or business account, you are sure to have seen the “#” come up followed by a catchy phrase or wording. This is a hashtag and is used as a discovery tool that allows others to find your tweets based on certain topics. They are mostly used on Twitter and Instagram but have made their way onto Facebook and Google+. If used correctly, businesses can use hashtags to their advantage as a way to build their brand awareness.

Designing the Perfect Hashtag

Although it may seem like a simple phrase that anyone and everyone is using, there is an art to crafting the perfect hashtag so that it has a positive impact on your business. Not only should hashtags be short and simple, but they should also be fun. Try to incorporate your brands name in a clever and playful way that makes customers willing to use it and draws attention to a crowd. If it is clever or trending, users are way more likely to click on it and see what information is being promoted. A trending hashtag is one that is used by a large number of people and is featured on Twitter’s Trending Page. It is critical to take advantage of these trending hashtags such as #MondayMotivation, and #ThrowbackThursday to reach a massive audience. Lastly, pay attention to how many hashtags you use per post. On Twitter, stick with only one or two as your only allowed limited characters and can be overwhelming to those reading it. On the other hand, when using hashtags on Instagram, multiple can be used to reach every target market and category desired.

The benefits of Hashtags

Great way of grouping together tweets for easy access

By using hashtags and generating a conversation around them, they become grouped together making it extremely easy for you to follow along. All you have to do is click the hashtag and you are instantly transported to every tweet that uses that keyword. For example, if #justdoit was trending after the release of a new Nike line, users can get lots of information about the new products and Nike can get a sense of customers’ responses to it.

They receive far more engagement

Tweets with hashtags receive 12% more engagement than those that don’t include one. In addition, hashtags are a great way to generate buzz and monitor the conversation. Its versatility allows you to use a hashtag for promoting a specific brand, a campaign, or even an event like #PanAm2015 or #icebucketchallenge. Lastly, hashtags are also used for running a contest by letting users enter a contest using a specific hashtag. Entries can then be easily monitored and a winner can be chosen.

Increases brand recall

Every company strives to have their brand be the first on a consumer’s mind when promoted by a product category. Through hashtags on social media, this has been made much easier. Since most people turn to friends, family, and social media for shopping recommendation, it is extremely effective to promote your brand using hashtags. A hashtag that is clever and relevant becomes memorable in the mind of consumers, making them more likely to be loyal to your brand.

If your brand is able to construct a fun and engaging hashtag, then you are sure to increase brand awareness and stay sustainable in this digital world that we live and shop in today. Remember to keep hashtags short and catchy and include them in all posts for a favourable response!

DMAC offers Online Social media Courses and Corporate Customized Digital Marketing Training sessions for businesses and individuals seeking to develop or upgrade their online marketing skills. To learn more about our Social Media Marketing Courses click here. To book a free 30 minute corporate training consultation click here.