Power of the Hashtag 

The power of the hashtag (#) has taken the social media world by storm.

Once known as the “pound sign” or being synonymous with a game of tic tac toe, the hashtag has been morphed into a global symbol that links unique communities together through the use of a single word or phrase.

History of the Hashtag

Traditionally, marketing and the related content was the domain of external marketing and advertising agencies. However, with the advent of social media, it has become possible for business owners to engage their customers in an interactive discussion. Often referred to as consumer generated media, Social Media Marketing utilizes online social channels to bridge the gap between organizations and their intended target markets.

If you play your cards right, Social Media Marketing can get your organization recognized globally: never underestimate the reach of a viral campaign. Once you go viral, every single one of the viewers become your potential prospects and your products and services become merely a click away. The hashtag has made it that much easier for brands to be individually and uniquely recognized. The hashtag also makes it easier for users to find messages with a specific theme or content.

The hashtag was first introduced to the social media world by Chris Messina, co-founder of Citizen Agency, a company that describes its self as an “internet consultancy that specializes in developing community-centric strategies around product research, design, development and marketing.” While hashtags were created specifically for Twitter they have been adopted by top line social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google+.

How to Use a Hashtag

Hashtags are easily searchable and can be used in various ways to promote your brand. In order to maximize the potential for brand exposure utilize the following tips:

• Create a unique hashtag to identify your brand and add it to your bio. Creating a unique hashtag allows your fans and followers to use your hashtag when discussing your brand
• Stay consistent by using the same hashtag to identify your brand across all platforms
• Don’t over use hashtags. There is no need to include a hashtag after every word
• Join trending conversations that pertain to your brand. This will allow you to connect with other users and circulate your brand information
• Be strategic and use SEO keyword friendly hashtags
• Be accurate and do your research when using hashtags to join in on trending conversations

Bottom Line

If there was ever a time to hop on the band wagon and start using hashtags the time would be now! Hashtags aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and we really don’t want them to. Hashtags have the power to not only connect different audiences but to drive engagement and brand awareness to a whole new level. Hashtags simply make life so much easier for not only brands but for consumers as well.