What are hashtags (#) and how to use them?

What are hashtags and how to use them? #seoexpert

Hashtag

A hashtag (#+keyword) is a word or group of words which do not have spaces between them and they have pound sign ‘’#’’ in front of them. Inserting the” #’’ sign alters a word and phrase without spaces into shorthand which people can apply to get information about that particular phrase or word. When introducing a new product in market, hosting an event and starting a discussion on the social media, hashtags can be of great use. They normally connect conversations on twitter and LinkedIn and organize them into one direction. They facilitate bringing the people together.

When one decide to use a hashtag, one has to ensure it is simple, easy to recall, exclusive and focused. Everyone has a right to use hashtags on anything for any reason and even for fun. The steps to consider in the selection process of hashtags using includes;

  • Carry out a research to find out whether the hashtag is being used by someone else.

If the hashtag has been in use, it is a good thing to utilize the already established audience. However, new hashtags are encouraged. This will ensure the integrity of the message that has a hashtag is not compromised to avoid confusion in the conversations. In case one has to use a term with a hashtag, hashtag dictionary and tools can be used to give the information on its use.

  • The hashtag should attract attention which relate to the product or brand being marketed.

When applying a hashtag for the marketing purpose, one should understand both the social and marketing goals. This will enable one to use a hashtag reflecting those goals and which will grab the attention of the targeted market group. This attention is easily grabbed when one uses abbreviations and action words.

How to use hashtag

  • Ensure the hashtags to use has some people who are following and contributing to its conversation.

The target market should be considered when using the hashtags in order to use the best ones to favor that particular group. Where the market is a niche group such as the people attending an event, the hashtag should be identifiable and specific to that group in order to avoid confusing other users.

  • The spelling of hashtags should be correct and it should have at most 10 characters to avoid killing the conversation due to lack of enough space. One should use the words which can be easily spelt.
  • The use of hashtags should be integrated with various networks

Marketers should not only use the hashtags on twitter but also on other social networks such as Google+, facebook and instagram. Hashtags enables marketers to organize the content making it easier for the target market to find out what they are searching for. The integration of hashtag with various channels increases the impression to a large audience since the hashtag appears in various networks and the users of the social networks will access it often.

Danny

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