Twitter Hashtags #101

Hashtags are the foundation of Twitter activity. They allow categorization of keywords and topics and allow users to easily follow topics that interest  them. They also allow tweets to  easily appear in a Twitter search. 

 In recent years, we’ve seen  the power of hashtags for activism around the world. The humble hashtag has also become one of the most valuable assets in any modern marketing campaign. Brands that haven’t invested  time and thought carefully about their hashtags — and how they’ll use them — will see campaign results far less impressive  than those that do. 

 Brands often create a hashtag for their brand name or create a catchy hashtag for their campaign. The best hashtags are those that connect both the brand and the campaign, because they are truly memorable and connect the brand to the action.

What sets Twitter apart from other social platforms is its fast, real-time nature. Users can use it on the go, making it the perfect way to track events and develop stories.

Why do marketers use hashtags?

Marketers use hashtags for many reasons.  

 Hashtags can help achieve marketing goals in the following ways: 

•  They can increase visibility. 
•  They give a tweet a longer life. 
•  They highlight your promotions and offers. 
•  They allow you to join the conversation 
•  Stand out from your competitors 

 Positioning yourself on hashtags that your competitors are not currently using will help you differentiate your brand and gain more attention from  users  using that hashtag and less attention from your competitors. 

 Follow Events 

You can use hashtags to follow Events. Use existing hashtags to follow and join  conversations about events  you support or feature your brand. 

Create your own hashtag for your branded event to start a conversation about what’s happening at your event and encourage real-time comments and impressions. 

 Connect with trending topics 

 Hashtags  also help you connect with trending topics. Engaging with trending hashtags allows your brand to gain exposure and  engagement beyond brand-centric tweets and participate in a larger conversation that matters to the majority. 

 Promoting Thought Leadership 

 You can use hashtags to add value and thought leadership to an existing conversation. Only join the conversation if the hashtag is relevant to your brand and  you know  you can add valuable information. If you ask just to tweet, users will notice and react negatively to the activity. 

 Increase discoverability and visibility 

 Hashtags make a brand easier  to find. If they follow a hashtag, they will see all tweets that contain that hashtag. This will increase your reach and visibility. 

 How can you optimize your hashtags? 

 Hashtags should be chosen carefully when creating Tweets. A well-chosen hashtag will help you  stay  on top of the most important conversations and avoid competitive friction.

Here are the top seven  tips for optimizing your hashtags.

1. Do your research

Look for trends. Choose what resonates with your audience. But don’t forget to add something to the trend. You don’t want to be seen as just a jumper. 

 If people are already using the hashtag and talking, some of your work is already done. At this point, all you need to do is make sure you’re adding value by joining conversations with this hashtag. 

 Do not use hashtags inappropriately, such as those related to tragic news. Before using a new hashtag, monitor hashtags in your community. This helps ensure relevance and avoid disputes

 2. Use them for a reason

Ask yourself why you are using a hashtag. Remember, good hashtags must be memorable so that your customers can easily remember them. SEO keywords are great hashtags because they are often short, catchy and  increase findability. 

 Make sure you give people a reason to use your hashtag, like a contest or a trend. 

 How do you want followers to interact with hashtags? Be sure to tell people how to use the hashtag.

3. Keep them simple

Keep  hashtags short and simple. Avoid complicated or overly clever hashtags. Make sure the hashtags are easy to remember and write.

4. Integrate them with other content

One way to make sure a hashtag sticks is to integrate media. The best hashtags are tightly integrated with other marketing efforts, from TV advertising to press advertising and direct mail. Use a social media style guide to ensure consistency across all your digital channels.

5. Use branded hashtags

Create  branded hashtags for your business and monitor hashtags in your community before implementing them to ensure relevance and avoid controversy. Remember to  hashtag in the right places to improve brand recognition and readability, and keep them short – brevity improves recall and leaves more room for other comments and links. 

6. Form them correctly

It is important to avoid  spaces and punctuation in the hashtag, because this isolates the keyword and makes it unsearchable. 

 Improve brand recognition and readability by including the hashtag in the right places. For example, #WarmMonday is easier to read than #warmmonday.

7. Use sparingly

The fewer hashtags in a message, the better. Multiple hashtags can seem too commercial or interrupt the flow of your normal text. Also, multiple hashtags take up space and can make your post look spammy and less authentic. 

 In general, a tweet cannot contain more than two hashtags.

Conclusion

When used correctly, hashtags can at least make it easier for users to find and share your content. At most they can support your brand and expand your influence and followers.