If you’re on social media, you’ve more than likely noticed the use of hashtags on a variety of posts, whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Linkedin. You might have even used them yourself. 

If you’re currently using hashtags, are you using them correctly as you market your business on social media? 

If you have never used a hashtag, but are interested in doing so, then stick around, because we’ll tell you how. 

Before we explain how you can use the power of the hashtag to help promote your business, let’s talk about what they are intended for when it comes to marketing. 

Hashtags explained

The # symbol has been around for more than ten years on social media. Though it was initially used to describe a feeling (like #blessed or #jealous) or a situation (#toooldforthis or #sassypants) it’s since become a powerful marketing tool used by large and small companies alike to denote marketing campaigns, conferences, sales events and more. It’s a way of creating awareness for a topic, brand, or product. 

Hashtags are a way social media sites organize and curate topics. Users add the hashtag symbol—which is also known as the symbol for number—to whatever word or phrase they want to convey in their posts so they can be found in the collection of other posts using the same hashtagged word or phrase. 

Why would they want to do that? 

If you’re an individual, it’s about being part of a group of other like-minded individuals on social media. It’s about being part of a larger conversation around that particular hashtagged word or phrase.  

If you’re a small business or direct sales consultant, it’s a way to create brand awareness for potential customers.

For instance, if you’re a network marketer that wants to promote an upcoming sale, you’d use a hashtag as part of your social media campaign, so your posts about the sale are more searchable and easier to find in the vast world of social media. 

If you’ve ever been to a conference, you’ve most likely heard the conference host or sponsor ask attendees to include a specific hashtag to help promote the event on social media. This was most likely a hashtag that was created specifically for that event to create awareness for the conference online and to unite attendees by sharing photos, thoughts, presentations, and memories. It’s also an excellent way for organizers to curate all of these posts so they can get an idea of how successful the event was. 

Do hashtags work? 

Yes, if used the right way. 

Here are a few statistics to prove that if used correctly, hashtags can bring more engagement to your social media efforts: 

• If you don’t use a hashtag on Twitter, your tweet only stays relevant around 15 minutes. A hashtag extends the life of your tweet and keeps it relevant longer.
• If you include one or two hashtags in your post on Facebook, you could receive, on average, up to 177 more interactions than posts without hashtags. 
• Posts on Instagram receive around 12% more engagement than posts without hashtags.