Many social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest have integrated a hashtagging system within their website making it easy for others to find content and posts. While many businesses have shyed away from using these hashtags, it’s a great way to brand your company.
Before I can give you the 4 ways your business should use hashtags, let’s familiarize ourselves with what hashtags are. Hashtags are any words or phrases that begin with the (#) and are mentioned in any tweet/photo/post.
Personally, with most of my tweets……I use the hashtag #Entrepreneur. This is because I’m an entrepreneur and most of my tweets/content hold the most value to other entrepreneurs.
Now that we know what hashtags are, here are 4 ways your business should use them on social media:
1. Super Search
If you’re trying to grow your business, you need to look for ways to connect with customers, influencers, or industry affiliates. You can do this easily by searching various hashtags such as #Marketing or #SmallBiz to see other people posting similar things as you.
From there, you can reach out to these individuals or join in on their conversations. This is an easy, but effective way to connect with people who can be beneficial for your business. Social media marketing is not easy, it takes a lot of effort and persistence to do successfully.
2. Relevant
If you write blog articles or post tweets that may be appealing to others, be sure to stay as relevant as possible. If I’m writing a tweet about the SuperBowl, I’m not going to use hashtags like #Business or #Entrepreneurs. Why?
The answer is simple. It’s not relevant. I’d rather use hashtags like #SuperBowl, #FootBall, or #49ers instead. While entrepreneurs or businessman may enjoy the SuperBowl, they won’t be going on #Business or #Entrepreneurs to look for tweets about football. Always use relevant hashtags that pertain to your posts/tweets.
3. Build Your Own Hashtag
Many companies like RedBull, Nike, and others have created a social media storm by creating their own hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to generate buzz for your business through a viral marketing campaign.
If your social media accounts have a large following, it’s a great way to brand your business through social media. You can encourage people in your network to use your hashtag by offering them discounts or rewards.
An example of this was when Domino’s Pizza created a viral marketing campaign using the hashtag #letsdolunch. They asked for 85,000 tweets before offering a discount to everyone who participated. Once they reached it, people got 50% off on all orders.
4. Organize Yourself
With tons of softwares and web applications out there, organizing content and information on your social media accounts are very easy. Whether you use HootSuite or TweetDeck, you can easily sort items on your dashboard based on hashtags.
Depending on your niche, you can sort various hashtags and see activity that goes on in each one. When you see some activity that you can engage in, feel free to do so!
Conclusion
Successful social media use begins with hashtagging. Whether you’re trying to grow a larger following or find a way to engage your brand with others, hashtags give you the ability to do both. These are 4 hashtagging strategies that will immediately bring your value to your brand through social media.
