Hashtags - What They Are And How To Use Them

Not sure what Hashtags are or why you would use them?

Most people who frequent social media networks these days should be familiar with the #hashtag.

But even if you have seen them around, have you used them and do you really know how to leverage them to your advantage?

We can explain what hashtags are and how to use them on your social media pages and profiles.

We’ve also found a handy infographic with some interesting information, and some pro tips for the power users and online marketers out there

What are hashtags?

Hashtags used on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are a way to sort or label your posts using certain keywords preceded by the hash symbol. Basically you are using the keyword phrase used in the hashtag to categorise your post.

Twitter was the first social media website to use and popularise the hashtag.

When you use hashtags in your post it then allows other people who aren’t your friends or directly connected to you to see your posts. Clearly this is a bonus for businesses and brands who want to leverage extra exposure by clever use of hashtags within their posts.

Special events across many different industries will create a unique hashtag for that event, so anyone wanting to join the conversation can simply use that hashtag on their post and get to the right audience who is actively searching for that tag.

See the explanation of Hashtags on Wikipedia

Check out the infographic from Quicksprout below for a few pointers about how to use hashtags to create an online presence for yourself, or for your brand.

How to Use Hashtags to Increase Your Online Presence

Courtesy of: Quick Sprout

How you can benefit by using Hashtags

Easily and effectively brand your posts
Gain more exposure to your content
Create a buzz around a special event
Increase your engagement rate
Gain more followers
Improve your brands reputation
Run competitions using a hashtag
Educate people on a particular topic
Track your online presence
Find related or trending topics

Conclusion

Hopefully you can now understand what a great tool hashtags are, and why you should be using them for your social media campaigns.

Do you have any success stories from your own clever use of hashtags? If so we would love to hear about it, leave a comment on this post with the details.

Or if you need a hand with your social media campaigns feel free to enquire below, we’d be more than happy to help. Ask About Social Media Management