Innovative Ways to Use Hashtags on Social Media
Although they were initially portrayed as "something for nerds," hashtags are now practically ubiquitous on the Internet. Sometimes they are even used on platforms that do not support hashtags at all. So, what makes them so popular? Does this have any impact on how business managers should think about their social media presence? On the 13th anniversary of hashtags being added to Twitter - which marked the beginning of their popularization on social media - we decided to take a closer look at hashtags and how important they are for businesses.
What Are Hashtags and What Is Their Significance?
First used in IRC chats over two decades ago, hashtags gained prominence on August 23, 2007, when Twitter enabled dynamic, user-generated hashtag tagging. This allowed users to independently and freely sort posts, discuss trending topics, and much more. In this way, hashtags quickly took over Twitter.
However, that was just the beginning. Before long, all major social media platforms embraced this use of hashtags, from Instagram to Facebook, and even the now-defunct Google+. In 2018, about 85% of the top 50 websites by user traffic were using hashtags, and that number has likely grown since then. This demonstrates just how widespread and numerous hashtags are today.
How to Innovatively Use Hashtags to Maximize Your Business's Success on Social Media?
A lot of traffic on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and recently even YouTube is driven by hashtags. And your goal, as a business, should be specifically to increase engagement and reach. Hashtags are an excellent tool for this task, so how should you use them? For the best results, it is best to create a separate hashtag strategy for each social media platform (due to differences in how hashtags are used on each of them); however, there are some common rules you can use to achieve success.
#1 Join conversations while promoting your services/products
Every day, dozens of hashtags emerge covering a wide variety of topics across social media, from music to culture and politics. Such hashtags drive a massive influx of traffic, and by leveraging them properly, you can create posts that not only contribute to the discussion but also advertise your business. A simple example would be a post where a bakery owner discusses the cake-baking process along with a photo shared under a hashtag related to sweets, cakes, or another similar topic. This is a straightforward way to get your post seen by hundreds, or even thousands, of users browsing that particular hashtag.
However, it is worth remembering that most businesses should steer clear of sensitive social and political topics. Such issues can offend potential customers, spark controversy, and trigger negative emotions.
#2 Use hashtags consistently to give potential customers easy access to everything related to your business
Using hashtags, you can easily create categories that allow you to catalog your products, services, success stories, or any other content. By tagging your products, services, or discount offers with specific hashtags, you make it easier for your audience to find information by allowing them to simply browse posts tagged with that hashtag. This enables more effective targeting and helps increase conversion rates.
#3 Encourage your customers to use your hashtag
Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your business using a dedicated hashtag. This will not only boost your visibility on social media, but it will also help you build a hashtag filled with positive buzz about your services, making your business more credible in the eyes of potential customers.
These can be photos of your customers with your products, or in the case of services, examples of successfully completed projects. Regardless of the details, this type of promotion is extremely effective and useful. Develop strategies that will help encourage your customers to share positive stories about your business on social media platforms!