Hashtag your way to success

Jennifer Birch gives some advice on how to use hashtags to promote your business.

From being a fad in Twitter, hashtags (#) are slowly gaining credence in becoming an aspect of your online media strategy. The feature is now widely used on other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, bringing a more effective way of communicating information such as brand awareness, ads promotion and auditing customer satisfaction.

Of all the aspects in business, creating buzz and launching a new product benefit most from hashtags. “The more a customer hears about a new product, the more likely they are to go out and purchase that product when it finally comes to the market,” said career guru Richard McMunn of how2become.

To get you started on your road to online success, here are some ideas in making the most of hashtags.

Twitter: Get updates about the current trend and news

Learning the latest trends and news in the business sector becomes easier with hashtags. Although tags such as “#newsbiz” and “#biztalk” may seem a little broad and generic, scrolling down through the feeds gives you inspiration in building your next Twitter campaign, blog posts, and marketing tactics.

What we like about this tool is that you can use it on almost every business-related aspect. Here are some tips for specific hashtags:

– #sales

Utilising this hashtag will lead you to ample of sales resource you can find on Twitter. In fact, it can make you closer to some experts and mompreneurs like you.

– #networking

Typing “#networking” can expose you to big companies in need of investors, allowing you to take your business on a larger market or in the international trade.

Facebook hashtags: A “marketing boon”

Forbes Contributor Cheryl Conner said Facebook’s hashtag function is considered a “marketing boon”. From the perspective of consumers, it was noted that 43% of them find it a useful tool in following categories and brands from various interests. Here are a few ideas in using Facebook has:

– Conducting a contest

When you are hosting an online contest as part of your advertising campaign, hashtags allow you to increase your traffic and views. For instance, you can attach tags such as “#raffle” or #WinAniPad” at the end of your post so that people who are actually browsing the same tags can engage with your contest.

– Conquer the entire Facebook community

Although the Facebook Graph Searches yield results about your business, putting hashtags such as “#cupcakes”, “#clothes,” or “#AffordableGadgets” can generate interest from the people who never knew you existed.

However, Facebook hashtags must be used with care, says Mark Mitchell of Social Media Today. You must cleverly choose your hashtag and only put them at the end of your post as a call to action or to invoke humour.

Instagram: The Underrated Hashtaging Network

Instagram has become a huge part of pop culture, wherein people use hashtags excessively with no real value and purpose. However, data from Dan Zarrella quickly debunks this idea, saying that photo uploads on Instagram with official tags has a “higher like-to-follower ratio than those who did not”. The study confirmed that they spark quality interactions between you and your consumers. To see what Zarrella is talking about, here are some Instagram tips:

– Use only one official hashtag for every post

Using an official hashtag is a good strategy to expand the network of your brand. Every video or photo you’ll post must have a corresponding caption and your official hashtag.

– Comment on photos of potential customers

If you’re always searching for customers showing interest on your line of products, you can comment on their photos with your official hashtag to advertise. These comments should always be relevant and non-spammy.

Overall, the rule of thumb when using the hashtag is to keep it simple. Don’t use make it too long or use words rarely used by your demographic. How will you hashtag your way to success?

*Jennifer Birch is a tech blogger and can always be reached on Twitter at @WrittenByJenni. 

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