Hashtags for the Dazed and Confused

Alright, alright, alright let’s talk hashtags.

A few days ago my parents came to me with a question they thought only a young marketer was befit to answer: What is a hashtag? (Or as my father called it, that pound sign thing.) So I explained it to them, and after a long question and answer session we were finally all on the same page.

After our chat, it dawned on me that “hashtagging,” while an every day part of life for a millennial, doesn’t always bridge the generation gap. So to make sure that we are all on the same page, or at least in the same book, here is a beginner’s guide to hashtags and how to use them in social media marketing.

Hashtagging for Dummies…er…People Who Don’t Know

On social media sites that support hashtags such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, the pound sign followed by a word, or multiple words with no spaces, turns into an automatic searchable link known as a hashtag. The really cool thing about tagging certain words or phrases is that it then allows you to do a search and see all the posts that mention the same thing. Simply put, it is an organizational tool for social media content.

Why is this useful, you ask? Well, let’s say you run the social media for a digital marketing agency and you want to share relevant content that will set you ahead in the field as a thought leader. You can easily search for posts on any topic with the click of a button. All you have to do is search the hashtag for a virtually limitless supply of content.

Benefits for Marketers

Beyond finding information, hashtags also allow others to connect with you and your business. It’s as simple as adding a few industry keywords to a post and tagging them. This automatically enters your content into the cue of topics people can search, and drives them directly to you or your client.

Take, for instance, an advertising executive who is trying to increase sales for a client that manufactures and sells diamonds. He could come up with a great sales pitch, like a campaign marketing diamonds as delicate accessories for women to wear, similar to the frosting on a cupcake. However, a great marketing idea is worthless if you can’t sell it to an audience.

This is where hashtagging comes in. By simply creating a post and tagging the product and the campaign slogan, he could easily increase his advertising reach. With a simple post like “A woman in love want’s #diamonds. #FrostYourself” our marketer could drive his intended audience directly to his client in search of the latest jewelry. Social media makes it easy, and all he had to do was type a few words and post them on Twitter. Once you make yourself part of a discussion, anyone, including current followers and potential clients, can easily search and find your information.

Hashtags Are Important for Optimization…

Hashtags aren’t all organization and lists though. A term that is relatively new to the marketing scene is Hashtag Engine Optimization, or HEO. Your company is probably familiar with Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, which is essentially maximizing the number of visits your website gets by using key terms to help it appear in search engines. HEO has similar qualities, but with one major exception: it’s focused on finding trending hashtags and using them to create relevant content. By using HEO to add your content to the latest trends, you can not only reach a larger audience, but also drive followers across all your social media channels to your landing page.

… And Establishing Your Brand’s Voice

Moving beyond their use in marketing, hashtags can also be used to personify your message and, depending on your brand, showcase your company’s personality. For example if you posted about the Fourth of July and wrote a serious post ending with with “#ThanksToOurTroops,” you would be communicating a thoughtful and patriotic message to your audience. If your company is more laid back, you could just as easily post a fun picture of everyone in the kitchen eating popsicles and say something more fun like “#PopsiclesInTheOffice.” These tags don’t necessarily act to help people find your content, but allow you to give your brand a human touch.

If you’re still wondering what the point of hashtags are, another great way to use them is for live-tweeting an event. Most events have their own hashtags that you can post on or use to follow the event exclusively. Two great examples of event hashtags already this year have been the 2014 Oscars and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Their hashtags made it easy to join in the conversation about their events. If you wanted to know more about the winner for Best Actor (it was Matthew McConaughey) or join a team and poke fun at the Germany vs. Brazil game, all you had to do was add “#Oscars” or “#WorldCup” to your comments to instantly engage.

Taking that idea and applying it to a business is an easy way to create buzz around an event your business is attending or hosting. If there is enough attention surrounding the tag, it could even become trending and gain even more media coverage, similar to using HEO to create content.

Overall, hashtags are a great tool for marketers who know how to use them. The most important thing to remember is to have fun, take risks, and get creative! It doesn’t matter what you do or are trying to sell. Whether you’re a Wall Street stockbroker or a boat salesman living at home with your parents, you don’t have to be a media company to know the importance of learning successful digital marketing tricks. Social media is crucial for marketing success today, and the more you know about it, the more success you’ll have.

Hashtags for the Dazed and Confused