THE IMPORTANCE OF THE #hashtag
Social Media and hashtags go together like milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, or really any cliche example of perfect duos you can think of. Like other resources provided via Social Media, hashtags are one we definitely need to be familiar with, inside and out. Hashtags can be a very reliable and traceable tool, but you must know how to use them effectively.
I like to think of hashtags as a type of tool similar to the "Bat Signal." Yes, the same one Lt. Gordon would shine so brightly over the streets of Gotham City as a call to Batman. Such a simple image cast into the sky for a specific purpose. It can be seen from far and wide, and when you do see it, you know something is about to take place, good or bad.
Unlike Gotham City, the world has no Batman (that we know of), but we do have millions and millions of Social Media users shining "Bat Signals" all across the globe. With this number growing daily, so has the importance of hashtags in Social Media, more importantly, Social Media used for business. With a simple "#," the word of your choice, a specific event, business industry, feeling or emotion, can instantly be connected to the people shining your same "Bat Signal" into the sky across the world. No more searching for similar and relevant content for hours on end. Not only do hashtags increase your exposure, but your exposure was just went from Gotham City to the entire world.
A big problem Batman never really had to experience was the negative effect of the Bat Signal. The number of positives that can result from hashtags, can very easily be matched by the negatives drawn from using a hashtag. What could start out as a marketing campaign to highlight a certain product, can quickly turn into an absolute roast of your product or even your brand as a whole. But don't freak out. Just be smart. Do your research. Usually the "less is more" approach in the world of hashtags is the most effective. I shouldn't feel I have to get out a pad of paper and a pen to break down all the words in your hashtag. Testing out the hashtag usually works great too. See what has already been said and is currently being said using that hashtag.
I like to think of hashtags as a type of tool similar to the "Bat Signal." Yes, the same one Lt. Gordon would shine so brightly over the streets of Gotham City as a call to Batman. Such a simple image cast into the sky for a specific purpose. It can be seen from far and wide, and when you do see it, you know something is about to take place, good or bad.
Unlike Gotham City, the world has no Batman (that we know of), but we do have millions and millions of Social Media users shining "Bat Signals" all across the globe. With this number growing daily, so has the importance of hashtags in Social Media, more importantly, Social Media used for business. With a simple "#," the word of your choice, a specific event, business industry, feeling or emotion, can instantly be connected to the people shining your same "Bat Signal" into the sky across the world. No more searching for similar and relevant content for hours on end. Not only do hashtags increase your exposure, but your exposure was just went from Gotham City to the entire world.
A big problem Batman never really had to experience was the negative effect of the Bat Signal. The number of positives that can result from hashtags, can very easily be matched by the negatives drawn from using a hashtag. What could start out as a marketing campaign to highlight a certain product, can quickly turn into an absolute roast of your product or even your brand as a whole. But don't freak out. Just be smart. Do your research. Usually the "less is more" approach in the world of hashtags is the most effective. I shouldn't feel I have to get out a pad of paper and a pen to break down all the words in your hashtag. Testing out the hashtag usually works great too. See what has already been said and is currently being said using that hashtag.
With several ways to research certain hashtags and see what are some of the most popular current hashtags, here are a few of my favorite sites to help you out!
1.) hashtags.org
2.) hashtagify.me
3.) tweetreach.com
5.) tagboard.com
Hashtags have given some sort of organization to the Social Media playground. Instead of just thoughts, meaningless posts, or pictures and videos clouding the Social Media sky, hashtags have created a self-filter for Social Media. Not to mention they are universal and can be used worldwide. Hashtags create order in Social Media, and not only allow you to decide what discussions to be apart of, but track and analyze those discussions. It's easy to start talking to someone, but wouldn't you prefer talking to the person most prone to listening?
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