Who would’ve thought that the little tic-tac-toe symbol taking up space on your phone would end up becoming one of the most powerful tools you can use on the Web. Fascinating!
What makes it so powerful?
It allows you to create a conversation topic across the Web that anyone can join. Plus it can be searched, tracked, and analyzed.
Why is this important?
Say your business or organization wants to get the word out about an upcoming event, new products, big sale or fundraiser. Naturally, you turn to social media to share the news. But adding a keyword or phrase (maybe even the event topic or theme) preceded by, you guessed it “#” and now you’ve earned yourself a place in Web search history! And guess what? You can use it across many of the major social networks.
How to make it work
Be consistent in your message by using the same #hashtag (keywords) for each campaign and encourage others sharing your message or writing a comment of their own to use the same one as well. Do a search for these hashtags and discover EVERY conversation made using it.
It lets you see how many references were made with it, you get to see who’s talking about it, and learn what type of responses you’re getting on your messaging. It also helps you to see just how effective your marketing is. Are people talking about your topic and sharing it? Or did it land on deaf ears? Great way to get participants if you want to run a sweepstake. But we’ll talk about that another time.
So the next time you set out to promote your latest venture, tag it with a hashtag and see what kind of traction you get!
#TillNextTime
