Twitter is one of the largest social media platforms today, garnering about 330 million active monthly followers as of 2017, with approximately 500 million daily active tweets. Without a doubt, this platform gives you multiple opportunities to engage and expand your audience at a much broader level.
No matter what industry you’re in, Twitter is one of the most valuable tools when it comes to reaching your goals, in engaging and interacting with existing, and potential customers.
But how do you gain more visibility to your followers? Going by Twitter’s best practices are necessary ‒ one of them is utilizing the right hashtags to make your business or brand grow in the long run.
What are hashtags?
In its most basic form, a hashtag is a relevant word or group of characters that are usually preceded by a # symbol. It helps categorizes messages, making it easier for Twitter users to search for relevant tweets.
Usually, when you click on a specific hashtag, you’ll see other relevant tweets. Only other people that are interested in the same topic thread will be using the same hashtag.
Why should you use hashtags?
Now you know what hashtags are, we’ll move on by discussing how you can use them to your advantage.
Since Twitter is designed as an open social network, everyone can see all your public tweets, unless you’ve set your account to private. Hashtags make it a lot easier for fellow Twitter users to follow you, based on your interests or on the same conversations that you like.
For instance, if you used the #DigitalMarketing hashtag, then droves of people who are following that specific hashtag could have seen your tweet. If you’ve answered a particular question or said something insightful, other can engage with your conversation based on the specific hashtag you’ve used.
Quite similarly, if you’re following a specific hashtag, you can tweet questions to other people (usually the ones who are observing the conversation stream), find other people to follow, and engage in conversation with other users.
Hashtag Basics for Your Business
Creating your own hashtags can bring in a lot of conversations to your business. If you’re holding an end of the year sale in your retail store, then it’s the perfect time to come up with a creative hashtag. Then, encourage your followers to use that hashtag. You can even give away prizes and giveaways to your followers who can come up with a funny pitch line for your store.
If you’re hosting an event, then create specific hashtags for it, too. As much as you can, try to include your business name. If it’s too long, you can opt to use initials.
Note that Twitter often highlights trending topics, mostly the ones that represent conversations on hashtags. According to a Twitter Marketing Agency in New York, to ensure that you have a broader reach and become a trending topic, tweet a lot in a short period. An excellent approach is hosting an event, with a lot of Twitter users posting on the same hashtag.
Additionally, here are some quick rules to follow:
- When using a hashtag for an intended purpose, don’t try to combine too many words into a single hashtag.
- If you use a hashtag on a public account, then anyone who searches for that specific hashtag can come across your account.
- Don’t spam. Avoid over tagging hashtags into a single post.
- Tweets with specific hashtags generate at least twice more engagement than those without.
- Use only hashtags that are relevant to your tweet. Using too much can make other people annoyed, especially if it’s a mismatch between your content.
Different types of hashtags you can put into practice
Branded hashtags
One of the essential aspects of hashtag marketing is using your very own branded hashtag. Ideally, make the hashtag short yet memorable. You can also try and integrate your brand name in there in one way or another.
If you’re having difficulties coming up with fresh ideas, why not do a little research and look what’s already being used for your brand. You never know, customers might already be using branded hashtags even without your knowledge. Also, ensure that you’ll be using those branded hashtags on an ongoing basis.
Campaign hashtags
Campaigns hashtags are quite similar to branded hashtags, only that it’s more specific and target focused. This type usually has a start and end date. It’s used to track campaigns, as well as measure marketing campaigns conversions.
Conversely, it’s vital that the campaign message or slogan is efficiently conveyed. It also helps to research ahead of time to utilize your campaigns effectively.
Also, ensure that a specific campaign hashtag isn’t already in use. Check how a particular hashtag is used in different variations. When you string together words with lowercase letters, it shouldn’t come as off-brand words. It shouldn’t have intentional double meanings, either.
Event hashtags
Event hashtags have a start and end date, quite similar to campaign hashtags. Usually, if it’s an annual event, then the same hashtags can be used. Brands and businesses often use event hashtags to join and create conversations and engagement on an event.
Brands can even do live tweets on conferences using the event hashtag. Usually, a company will use the hashtag of another brand to share additional information. Doing so helps spread brand awareness because when other conference attendees search for a particular hashtag, the company usually shows up as active participants.
Community Hashtags
Community hashtags are just another version of branded hashtags, but larger brands usually use these to engage their steady customer base. In some form or another, this type includes the brand name and add something like “Community” or “AtHome.”
Most users utilize the community hashtag on a photo or a post to feature a specific brand or a service. Then, the brand usually chooses the best content to feature on their feed.
This type of practice gives off many benefits. When using a community hashtag in their posts, users feel like they’re a part of a larger community made of like-minded people. When a brand incorporates user-generated material on their feed, it gives off a sense of authenticity.
It will subtly spread brand awareness by using that specific hashtag. It won’t be long that other people in the community will start engaging in the photos with the community hashtag.
Wrapping It Up
Knowing these Twitter hashtag essentials can be an essential strategy most marketers and businesses can utilize to boost brand awareness, and help increase conversions and sales.
Remember, effectively targeting audiences from your specific niche will turn you into a sure winner. The more you increase your targeting efforts, the more your followers will be happy. So, effectively apply the tactics we’ve mentioned above to start getting the results you want. Once you get all the information that you need, it’s time to put it into practice.
Source: Digital Marketing Insights
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