Social Media – Hashtags

Hashtags started on Twitter in 2007, used to tag tweets into categories.  Since then, #hashtags have been built into other social media platforms.  They are still used to categorize similar posts, pictures, blogs, and media into easy clickable, searchable, find-able topics.

You cannot escape the presence of the #hashtag in today’s social media; whether it is on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace (yes it is still alive!) or any other social media channel.  If you were too afraid to ask what a #hashtag is, or how it can affect your social media posting, and in the long-run how it can affect your business, I’ve tried to come up with a explanation that you can understand!!

Once you understand the “what is a #hashtag” you can understand the “how” and “why” you should be using them in your day-to-day posting and blogging!  At first #hashtags might seem confusing and daunting,  but after you understand them, you will see that they are a great marketing tool to engage your audience and grow your social media presence…..all for free less the time to read and understand!!!!

What is a #Hashtag?

According to Merriam-Webster, a hashtag is defined as “a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text.”

With the number of articles, media, videos, and images being posted every second in the the social media world, it can be hard for your posts to stand out and be noticed.  The chances of your posting to be seen and noticed isn’t encouraging unless they are one of your followers. 

That’s where #hashtags make their entrance, and can raise your posts towards the top.  As stated earlier, a #hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#) that is included in a post or within the comments to highlight it and simplify searches.  Basically, a #hashtag forces the social media system to index your post so that it can be discovered to everyone, even if they are not currently a follower or fan. 

As an example, Sandra Lett Artist (https://www.sandralett.com) includes the #hashtag “‪#‎acrylicpaintings” in her Facebook post on a piece of her art so people with a passion for acrylic paintings can discover her art.  Now, when anyone searches or clicks on that #hashtag, her post will be included in the search results.

Why should you use #Hashtag?

Because of #hashtags, your posts won’t be limited to just followers.  Your post can be accessible to all users interested in similar topics, by searching your #hashtag.  Using the right #hashtag can increase the overall arching reach of your posts to an unlimited number of potential followers.  But you must be careful in how you use #hashtags; being too broad will cause your post to be included in a large group and the objective of using #hashtags will be diminished. 

In our example above, Sandra Lett uses “#acrylicpaintings” as her #hashtag.  If she were to just use “#acrylic” or “#painting”, she would have her post included with millions of other posts.  But since she used a more specific tag, the odds of her post being recognized is greatly increased. 

This is more relevant in today’s social media systems, as users are now allowed to follow specific #hashtags, just like following users.  The key is to use #hashtags sparingly and only when they add value.

How should you use #Hashtag?

You add #hashtags to your posts, pins, tweets, or images by using the pound symbol (#) followed by a word or phrase that defines the topic.   Don’t use any spaces in your #hashtag; if you need to use more than one word, simply run them together.  If it’s hard to read the meaning of the phrase without spaces, you can capitalize each word (CamelCapitalization); for example, “#axrylicpouring” and “#AcrylicPouring” are examples of multi-word #hashtags.

The hard part is determining which #hashtags to use.  You can come up with a word or phrase that is appropriate for the post, or you can use some that you have seen in other posts.  #Hashtags don’t have to be just about the topic of your post; they can also be used to show the mood in your post. For example, if you post a picture of a beach scene, you could put “#relaxed”, or “#LoveVacations”.

You can include more than one #hashtag in your social media posts, if appropriate.  But beware of using too many hashtags. Once you get above three hashtags, or when your post has more #hashtags than text in it, your post begins to look like spam and may turn off your readers.

There are no specifics on where a #hashtag should be in your posting.  You can insert a hashtag at the beginning, middle, or end of your post.  Just remember that the flow of your post should be natural, so if a #hashtag is going to throw that off the flow, then start or finish with them.

Conclusion

#Hashtags are a quick and easy way for like-minded people to find your posts, attract more people to the posts you make, and to find like-minded people for you to follow while injecting more personality into your posts. You can’t really go wrong with them, so play around with them when you post on social media and see what kind of effects they bring!