Popularised for their current purpose by Twitter in 2009, hashtags have been around in some form or another since the late 1980s. But what are they exactly, and how can they help your business? Let’s find out.
What exactly is a hashtag?
The ‘hashtag’ symbol is stylised as ‘#’. This symbol can be placed in front of one or multiple words as a way to ‘tag’ your updates on social media. As a result, your post will come up as a search result on the social media platform when users search for this keyword or phrase, or when they click on the hashtag in a post that uses it.
When a hashtag is clicked on, users can see every post that has been categorised with the same phrase. This is because hashtags become hyperlinked once the post has been published. Thus, if there is a more recent, updated post about the same subject, users will be able to find it quickly and easily.
How can hashtags benefit your business?
- More traffic to your socials
Tagging your posts with highly searched keywords can help bring more traffic to your social media pages. People who then use your company’s products or services can also post their experience to social media, using #YourCompanyName, promoting your brand to all their followers.
- Consistency across all social media platforms
Using the same hashtags for similar posts across your social media platforms can be part of ensuring your branding and marketing techniques are consistent and reliable.
- Improved customer experience
As hashtags associate a post with a given term or phrase, this in effect will categorise your posts into searchable groups. Thus, if a customer wishes to see everything you have to say about a certain product, service, or subject, they can simply click on the hashtag to view every post on the topic.
These are merely a few examples of how hashtags can benefit your business – the possibilities are practically endless. To begin utilising hashtags across your social media channels, please get in touch with Jumping Spider Media today for comprehensive social media marketing support.