One of the first things people want to know when I talk about Twitter is this… “What is a hashtag?” It’s strange that people keep hearing about it, but they still do not understand what it is. So here’s some information on what a hashtag is and what it can do for you.
For some, understanding hashtags is like trying to answer the question “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Everyone seems to have an idea about hashtags. But how do hashtags benefit us and our business?
Here is a social media tip that I shared on Twitter:
Use hashtags to show up so new people might see you & connect #socialmediatips
— Jeff Brown (@4JeffBrown) March 16, 2013
One of the things that a hashtag can do for you and your business is that it can help you “show up” in a place where no one is currently following you yet. It can allow you to show up to more people than you currently have in your social network. Simply put, it increases your visibility.
Let’s say you are starting off on Twitter and you only have 20 followers. In most classes, your visibility will stay around 20 people. When you use a hashtag of the city, or place, in your area, you can actually show up to a lot more people quickly.
For example, if I use the hashtag #Halifax, I know I can potentially show up to a pool of over 5000 people. Yes, there are people that currently are searching for results on #Halifax. People are always searching hashtags. You can show up in their search; even when they are not following you.
Another benefit of using a local hashtag is this: if your area has a local Twitter account that retweets area hashtag, then you will be retweeted automatically when you use that local area hashtag.
A hashtag can help you get discovered by others in your local area. But there is a note of caution here when using a hashtag. Don’t try to place your business SPAM into a hashtag first. As a business, you need to bring value to a hashtag before you ever try to pull business out of it. Give into the hashtag with value before you ever ask for anything out of it. You need to be a valuable member of the community before you ask for anything.
And when you do show up in front of others, be seen as a player who engages as well. Get to know people in and around the hashtag you are using.
I know there are a lot more things to learn about using a hashtag, but I hope this helps to give you an idea of the usefulness of using hastags in the first place. And when it comes to Why the chicken crossed the road, you know that everyone has an answer for that too.
If you need to learn more, maybe you can take a social media training program from me. I would love to have you.
Let me leave you with this one tweet from a previous social media training program in Halifax:
@4JeffBrown You too Jeff! Thank you for a kickass social media class this week.
— BOP (@boponlinemedia) October 31, 2014
