If you are already involved with social media marketing, you have probably used hashtags now and then. And if you haven’t used it already, you’re unaware of its potential.

Hashtags are not just a trend that everyone follows. It helps users to find something in social media that they are interested in. Digital marketers need to put more value and focus on hashtags because they are one of the crucial elements of social media marketing.

Here in this article, we have described all the things you need to know about hashtags. Doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a pro, you will find essential information within the article. Before we go into a deep discussion about hashtags, we need to know what they are and how they work.

Definition of Hashtags

People who are living under a rock and haven’t been to any social media for years might ask, “What is a hashtag?” Even though the number of these people is few but we took it as a responsibility to give them a basic idea about it.

Before, hashtags (#) were used for a pound sign or hash mark. Now it is used for tagging a post so that people can easily find it. A hashtag is a word or bunch of words put together without spaces followed by a hash sign. Its success is now blooming on Instagram.

Nowadays hashtags are all around the places. Everyone is using it to get more people to see their posts and many of them are misusing it. Now you may be wondering what you shouldn’t use it but don’t get disappointed already. As you figure out a way to use them correctly, you will see positive results.

How do they work?

Hashtags are not just a trend that everyone follows. It is made in social media to serve a specific purpose. Which is making it easier for people to find something of their interests.

It works like this. When someone uses #liophotography, the post will appear in the result when someone is searching “Lion photography”. You can use hashtags for the following reasons:

• To post on different categories regarding topic or marketing campaign.
• To make a hashtag for your own brand so that people can easily find you.
• To get more customers by raising awareness of your brand.

For example, the beverage company Redbull uses hashtag #givesyouwings. It is their most memorable marketing line and they’re using it for their hashtag.

Every day thousands of posts, pictures, and videos are being posted on social media. Amidst such great competitions, how can you make sure that your posts are being seen by the people?

Here’s where hashtags come for your benefit.

You can use hashtags for free so that more eyeballs are seeing your posts. You just have to learn about the trends and use them to your benefits. Below we have included some essential tips so that using hashtags brings success to your digital marketing career.

Strategies for utilizing hashtags

1.   Getting more reach

You can get more organic reach by using specific hashtags. Using them on your posts makes your business profile more discoverable. Some social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter show biographies when someone searches any hashtag.

You can even get reach when someone else uses a hashtag. Don’t believe it? You can actually get exposure to it. For example, you used a hashtag in your posts that have been used in many different posts. Hashtags work like backlinks and when you click on them, they take you to a page where similar posts are present. If someone clicks on the same hashtag you’re using that any other post has, users can click on it and discover your business page.

You should target your exact audience. Use hashtags related to your products or services, the post you have done and the trend your followers find interesting.

2.   Joining popular conversations

There are a lot of opportunities online. You can join popular conversations on Twitter or Instagram and it will benefit you greatly.

For doing this, you just have to find the trending hashtags in social media. After you have found a hashtag that you can make use of, go to that hashtag and see a post that is popular. Respond to it and reply to the post on any other replies. Make sure you’re being funny and positive so that people like your personality. It will also increase your trust.

Don’t just jump into a conversation without any prior knowledge. It will make you look like a fool. It is an opportunity to be smart and let people know that they can trust you.

3.   Social listening

People share their experiences on social media. They state their problems or state what they like. There is an opportunity for you to shine by doing research on it and make your content according to it. The social listening formula does not remain the same all the time. You need to stay updated with the trends and conversations people having. Also, try to improve your products according to social listening research.

4.   Creating unique hashtag

Just like Redbull and many famous brands, you can come up with a unique hashtag that is memorable and describes your brand. It’s like creating a domain name for your website. Branded hashtags will:

• Give you precise feedback on your marketing.
• Keep tracks of the contents that are generated by it.

5.   Using hashtags for events

Events are a great way to market your business and products. It doesn’t matter if your event is online or offline, hashtags can benefit you greatly with events. Here’s how:

• People attending the event can use the same hashtags and see the activities of each other. It allows people joining your event to have conversations that result in your benefits.
• You can create questions and polls using the event hashtags to gather people who have attended it. It will bring more people and it will be beneficial for you.

Hashtags are a great way of getting your business booming in social media. It is completely free and as a result, you should make use out of it. Most of the big companies are using it and getting higher revenue for such simple word placements. The digital world has truly made your marketing easier.