Why #Hashtag: Social Media's Most Influential Symbol

​You may know a millennial’s favorite symbol as a “pound sign.” You may have played a nice little game of tic-tac toe on what is now referred to as a hashtag. Tell someone under the age of 30 to press the pound key and you will likely get a blank stare. 

A hashtag is a powerful tool in the world of social media. Forgetting to use a hashtag can result in your posts not being viewed. 

Here are the reasons and ways to #hashtag all of your social media posts:

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Hashtags boost the reach of any campaign. 
Find a trending hashtag to boost views. Start by looking for one that others are using. Reach local customers by tagging your city (Example: New Orleans businesses can use #nola to reach local New Orleans customers).
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Create a hashtag to increase customer loyalty! 
This will not only make it easy for customers to see what you’ve posted but for them to contribute! (Example: A bakery could use the tag #onthemenu #bakeryname to let customers know what they can purchase, and a customer can post about the deliciousness of what is #onthemenu @bakeryname)

Build your brand by using a single hashtag. 
Consistently repeating a brand-specific hashtag helps to build the foundation of your brand and builds consumer awareness. (Example: The Denver Flea uses the hashtag #fleakout. This fun play-on-words creates a brand identity.)
Now that they whys of hashtagging have been established, here are some DOs and some DON’Ts...
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·       DO use hashtags, always.

·       DO make hashtags easy to remember (#xfactor vs. #XFUSA).

·       DO use trending hashtags. Location, events, etc.

·       DON’T be too wordy. (#dontbetoowordyistoowordy)

·       DON’T use more hashtags than words.

·       DO use hashtags specific to your brand.

·       DO focus on consistent hashtags.

Hashtags are key in the social media game. Use services such as Hootsuite to help track hashtags so your posts can join conversations and increase your reach!