Hashtags, or as some of the older generation knows them as the pound sign. Not sure how or why the name was changed, but it was. It is also recognized in Scrabble and the Oxford Dictionary kinda change! All things change right? But what’s the point of the hashtag?
The # is used all over the social media world of today. The hashtag helps your content be found on all of these platforms. I mean that’s why we use social media right? Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram and Twitter all rely on the hashtag to help spread the content around. On Instagram for instance, you can use the # and start typing, and topics come up, and you can see how many posts have used that same tag. I have gained followers based on the tag I used.
The purpose of the hashtag is to attract like minded people, who are interested in what you are writing about. Having like minded people following you will result in more interaction, more interaction can lead to more business. Keep the hashtag relevant to what you are posting about though. If you are writing about websites for example, you would not want to tag puppies or roses. On Instagram for example, you can search words you think are relevant to what you are posting about, then hit the tags tab, and the most popular # words will come up.
Each of the different social media platforms have their “unspoken” rules about hashtags as well. Some of them you want to limit the words to two or three, while others you can list away! It’s always a good idea if you are just starting out, to look through the thread and see what the trend is. If you see only two or three listed, I would suggest not using more than that. Twitter is pretty specific on their unspoken rules. Most people who use Twitter do not like if you post on Facebook lets say, and have it automatically post on to Twitter. Google also does not like duplicate content as well.
All in all, hashtags are here to stay at this point in the ball game. Learning how to use them properly will make you well rounded on all of the social media platforms. We say use them, for sure, but do your research and learn how to use them right. As with a website, something not built right will hurt you more than help you, and hashtags can be the same way!
Remember that society today is in a hurry. Things are short and sweet. So even though something long may be the most relevant, it may not catch on or be searched or found because it requires too much typing.
We hope you gained some insight with what we have mentioned, and are always here to answer any questions for you!.
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