The idea of labeling conversations with hashtags became popular on the Twitter platform and has since moved to most of the major social media websites. A hashtag is a short marketing message done in one word and identified with a hashtag or pound sign. If Bob's Bakery wanted to create a hashtag to promote his new wedding cakes, then that hashtag might be #bobsweddingcakes.
When you put a hashtag in a conversation, people can click on the hashtag and follow the conversation about the topic you have created. For businesses trying to build a buzz about their new product or trying to enhance their branding, a hashtag can create an ongoing conversation that will hopefully get others engaged.
To use a hashtag, you simply create one as we outlined earlier and then strategically place it in your posts. When someone clicks on the hashtag, it will take them to a listing of all of the posts that make up the conversation.
It is always best to place hashtags in parts of the post where they can seem like part of the dialogue. The structure of a hashtag makes it difficult for it to look like it belongs in a sentence, but when used properly a hashtag can be very effective. For SEO purposes, it does not matter where in your post you put your hashtag.
If you want to create an ongoing conversation about your company's new line of widgets, then you can create a hashtag such as #bobswidgets. Every post you put that hashtag in will appear in the ongoing conversation. The best use for hashtags is to be very specific about the topic it refers to and always make sure it references your company in some way.
Your company will never be penalized for creating hashtags, so create as many as you want. The point to hashtags is to create an engaging conversation that starts to draw in a lot of people and goes viral. If your hashtag conversation is trending on Twitter or some other social media platform, then your business name is getting seen by a lot of people.
When your hashtag goes viral, you can start throwing in your company's website and even a specific link to the product in question. You can interact directly with people who show interest in your company and you can build brand strength by acknowledging your customers as well.
You should experiment with hashtags on as many social media platforms as you can to see if you can start getting people engaged in your conversations. While using hashtags is a powerful marketing tactic, it can also be a lot of fun if you can get a conversation to catch on with a large group of people.
