If you’re an influencer or entrepreneur, Twitter is a social media platform that simply can’t be ignored.
Boasting 68 million active monthly users in the U.S. alone, Twitter is a hub of social activity that is probably best known for…
the #hashtag.
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In case you’ve been living under a rock, a hashtag is simply a pound sign immediately followed by a keyword or phrase used to describe a topic.
One to two hashtags are usually used in a Tweet.
A hashtag’s purpose on Twitter is to help the platform’s users find the topics that they most want to see.
Just about anything can be a hashtag, from #marketing to #marketingtipsformillenials. The key to hashtag creation is to start with the pound sign and avoid any spaces or punctuation.
Tech journalist Daniel Nations says, ”A hashtag automatically becomes a clickable link when you tweet it. Anyone who sees the hashtag can click on it and be brought to a page featuring the feed of all the most recent tweets that contain that particular hashtag.”
When you’re using hashtags to increase your brand awareness, it’s important not to use tags that are too broad. You want the hashtags you use to be specific to your niche.
If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or an influencer trying to increase your brand’s awareness, hashtags can be your best friend…if you use them right.
The short answer is: YES.
Hashtags are important in business because they help attract new followers. They also create stronger engagement and brand favorability with these users.
This increased awareness and engagement allow your online presence – and your sales – to grow.
But how do you determine which hashtags are right for your business to use?
First, search Twitter for a few hashtags you think might be relevant. You want to make sure whatever the hashtag is linked to fits with your brand.
It’s critical to make sure that the users of the hashtag are actually in your target audience.
Example – Despite its popularity, it would make no sense for a pizza shop to use the #metoo hashtag which refers to a movement against sexual assault.
Secondly, don’t make your hashtag too long because it will be harder for users to read – and you’ll also want to avoid using too many hashtags.
ThriveHive advises, “Since the purpose of hashtags is to engage more users to your account, make sure the hashtags you use are relevant to your target audience. Search similar businesses and see what hashtags they may use, or search your customers for their interests. Use the keywords associated with your type of business to ensure that the engagement you receive is the engagement you want.”
In order to get the most out of your social media strategy, you’re going to need to take a look at your analytics and track your hashtags.
By looking at the hard data, you’ll be better able to tailor your content plan to what your audience is already interested in and searching for.
Here are some metrics that will help you identify if a particular hashtag will work for your brand strategy:
Usage
Hashtags that are used often are usually searched for often, so the popularity of a tag that you want to use for your business is a decent indicator that it may work for you.
Engagement
It’s not enough to have people use and see your hashtags – they also need to be interacting with them.
A great indicator of a successful hashtag is when other Twitter users retweet and share your content.
Not only does this indicate that you’re on the right track with your marketing campaign, but it also gets other users involved in spreading your social media reach.
Reach
As far as metrics go, it’s important to track how many people actually see the hashtags you are using.
Low reach means you’re using the wrong hashtags, and it’s probably time to experiment with some tags that will get your more attention.
If you search the hashtags #journorequest and #prrequest on Twitter, you will find journalists seeking interviews on various topics that could apply to you.
This type of coverage will do wonders for increasing your brand awareness and growing your social media followers.
For example, a journalist may use the #journorequest hashtag to seek a financial expert or mortgage advisor to send out a quote for a popular magazine.
If this is your area of expertise, your business will get instant coverage!
While measuring these metrics and using tactical hashtags will get you started with a good Twitter business strategy, there are plenty of other tips and tools (like tweet alerts) that can make your marketing plan easy, efficient, and more successful than ever.
To search hashtags you can use Twitter Search or Twitter Advanced Search.
Or if you want to set up a system that will alert you automatically, MyTweetAlerts will send you notifications whenever your hashtags are being tweeted, and will also help you discover hashtags that are most relevant to your business.
Twitter Hashtag FAQ
Do hashtags count as characters on Twitter?
Yes. According to Twitter, every single character in a Tweet counts as one for the purposes of the character count
Should I use hashtags on Twitter?
Yes! People who use a hashtag before a relevant keyword or phrase in their Tweet helps categorize those Tweets. Once categorized, these Tweets will show more easily in a Twitter search.
How many hashtags should I use on Twitter?
You can use as many as you want, but Twitter recommends using no more than two hashtags per Tweet. If you are a business owner it’s also best not to spam your Tweets with too many hashtags.
How do I follow a hashtag on Twitter?
While you can’t technically “follow” a hashtag, you can save and revisit the hashtags you want to see. Simply search for the hashtag, then bookmark the search page.
How do you use hashtags to promote your business?
For starters, you can use your location hashtag. If you’re a local business this will drastically increase the views in your particular area.
Another method is creating a hashtag specifically for your company or brand name and then including it in your posts. Remember to keep your brand name hashtag short and sweet.
Lastly, using the most popular holiday and seasonal hashtags is sure to get plenty of new eyes on your content.
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