Some heroes were capes. Others wear masks. But, there is one little hero stands out above the crowd and saves the say by raising engagement rates. Meet the hashtag.
Hashtags started out in 2007 when Twitter began using hashtags as a way to index keywords and help with search results. Since then, many other social media platforms have caught on to the hashtag trend. Hashtags wear a disguise, which is the pound symbol on a keyboard, but they also have more powers than you may realize.
A hashtag has the power to do 5 major things:
- Track campaigns and events. Tracking things is easy to do with a simple hashtag. For example, a current trend is to create a wedding hashtag so wedding attendees can share their photos on social media, and the bride/groom can find the memories of their day afterward online.
- Increase engagement. Using hashtags in posts can help increase your brand awareness and overall engagement. According to AdWeek, “Instagram posts with at least one hashtag have 12.6 percent more engagement than those without.” It increases engagements because not only do hashtags reach the people seeing your posts, but also the people who search for those specific hashtags.
- Find your audience. Tracking certain hashtags that are relevant to your business can help you find your audience. All social media platforms allow you to click on hashtags to see who else is talking about that hashed topic. For example, if someone is talking about #fitness, you can click on the hashtag and it will take you to that social media site’s feed for #fitness.
- Help you find influencers. If you are looking for a social media influencer to represent your brand, use hashtags to find them. Conduct a hashtag search, similar to what we explained above, and find the people who love your company as much as you do.
- Spot the new trends. If a new hashtag is trending that is relevant to your business, it can help you do market research on your audience. Hashtags are a great way to help your business see what is being talked about and how it can help your brand strategy.
Have questions about hashtags or how to develop your social media strategy? Contact Fly Pages for more information!