Essentially hashtags are a tool of communication that can be utilized within the constructs of social media networks. Plenty of companies use hashtags in regard to their products and/or services to help increase their branding efforts and image. Furthermore, hashtags exist not only on company websites, but on other peoples’ websites, marketing campaigns, videos, etc. Hashtags are also very popular on the social media network Twitter. It’s a given that anyone can use hashtags. However, how to use them effectively is a whole other matter. If you’re effectively utilizing the hashtag you allow more and more people to come into contact with your business; and take note of what it is you’re offering, which eventually leads to higher traffic. In order to optimize the use of hashtags first consider whether they serve your business in to begin with.
In order to utilize the most effective hashtags you must select the most appropriate keywords. Every company should thoroughly consider what their keywords are before trying out hashtags in order to produce the most desirable results. Granted while it does require a good dose of time and effort; starting with broad strokes then zeroing in on a few keywords can make all the difference with how far your business can succeed. Do not rush this part of the process. Take as long as you need to to come up with the most salient keywords that aptly encompass your business. Then use those keywords as hashtags to effectively promote your brand.
Furthermore, once you have utilized specific hashtags, relevant tags will be generated as a result. Granted some tags will work better than others. But you can decide to test them all out on a social media network such as Twitter (which can’t get enough of hashtags) and see which tags yield the best results. But always be aware of what you put out. It is quite detrimental to publish any sort of content that has errors in it; including grammatical errors. Typos are an inevitable part of the digital language. However, typos reflect poorly on a business’ professional image. Therefore, make it a rule of thumb to proofread every bit of your content before deciding to send it off into the realm of the Internet where it is sure to experience heavy scrutiny. A mistake you want to avoid is riding another brand’s coat tails. Therefore, use hashtags that are exclusive and unique to your business. The issue with attaching yourself to another brand’s marketing campaign is that it puts your business in a less flattering light.
Once you’ve determined which hashtags would be the best to use go ahead and test them out. It is more than likely you’ll know which ones are more effective due to the response (or lack thereof) they receive. You can always track your progress using the free tool of Google Analytics.
Hashtags play an important role in your marketing strategy. Hashtags are a neat, concise way of promoting your brand and furthering your marketing campaign. But do so wisely, you don’t want to come-off as desperate or pompous when using hashtags.