What’s the Deal with a Hashtag?

Some of you may know what it is or heard about while others of you still may not be sure by what a hashtag is – after all, it looks like a number, or pound, sign and it is indeed the same symbol. 

Yet, it means something a little bit different. And, it is important to know about if you plan on using Twitter and social media as an effective communication platform for engaging with your target audience and existing customer base.

The hashtag is commonly used on social media site, Twitter. It is a simple and effective symbol that is used so that people can search for specific tweets that have a common topic that they are interested in. This is also a way to create a community of like-minded individuals that share an interest in those same topics. Having the hashtag helps to find each other easier and share it quickly by retweeting it.

While you would assume since it is used on tweets that Twitter was the one that came up with using the hashtags, but it is actually not a function of Twitter. How it got started, no one really knows but it has certainly taken off since then, becoming viral in its use.

Typically, the hashtag is used in a few common ways, including breaking news, as a way to promote something, for a brand or event, and any topic where people want to discuss it in general. Other ways are for a little extra feeling or commentary on a particular subject they just tweeted about but ran out of characters to use. 

Hashtags are used for specific online conventions, including certain abbreviations or short terms used for particular concepts. Lastly, a hashtag can even be used for group activities, such as online events, clubs, or classes, to share information amongst the group.

Now, Twitter is not the only place where you will now see hashtags. Other social media sites now feature them as the trend catches on, including Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest.

As a business, you may also want to consider creating your own hashtags to share with your followers and fans so they can connect with you through this new communication tool and further feel engaged in your business. It is also a way to extend the search capability for your business to be found and discovered by new customers.

Learn more when you partner with us on an Internet Marketing program that sets you apart from the competition and helps you get connected to your target audience faster!