The Importance of Hashtags in Social Campaigns

By Megan Anderson, Social Media Specialist

Hashtags can make a world of difference in your social media presence. They turn your word(s) or phrase(s) into a clickable, searchable link across numerous platforms and have a global reach. They can connect your conversation, thought or tip with people interested in that particular topic, allowing you to reach a broader audience, create greater value and allow for better user engagement. Below is an overview on the importance of hashtags in social media campaigns and why you should use them.

Why Hashtags Are Useful

Hashtags are not just a trend that needs to be adopted but rather, are an essential component of a content strategy. As a resource for monitoring your brands visibility on social media platforms, the use of hashtags can help substantially increase your reach and, it’s free! With thousands of images posted every minute on social media, the hashtag makes it easy to search and follow specific topics. Implementing a specific hashtag for your campaign can also help maximize your advertising efforts by letting audiences easily follow your content. From here, you can track your social media metrics to gauge the reach of your hashtag. 

Creating Value and Obtaining Reach

The use of hashtags has become a tool to search for products and services on social media. Similarly, hashtags can help lead a user to you. Tagging your posts with well-chosen hashtags offers users the ability to find you more easily. If a user is searching for a public relations agency in Houston, they may search #HoustonPR, and if your content is tagged with that, your business becomes immediately more discoverable. This helps strengthen and expand your brand. Creative use of hashtags increases effectiveness and makes your posts more prominent, making your content exponentially more valuable. 

Choosing the Right Hashtags

Growing your presence overnight isn’t guaranteed, but doing your research can sure help. Using a website that rates the popularity of certain hashtags, such as RiteTag, can also be beneficial. Choosing certain hashtags to maximize your impact should be strategic. There are three categories of hashtags to focus on for your social media content:

• Brand specific hashtags are great because they can be unique and memorable. These are ideal for promotions, focused campaigns or events. You can also increase engagement by offering incentives such as prizes or shout-outs.

• Trending Hashtags are used by millions of users across a variety of platforms. When deciding to add one of these hashtags, ask yourself if it will add any value to the trending topic. If so, then use it, but know there’s a chance it may get lost in a sea of posts.

• Campaign Hashtags areperfect for a specific ad, launch or campaign. Creating a unique hashtag can help incite user engagement, generate the momentum of organic reach and spread general awareness about your campaign.

Hashtags have been underrated in the past but are quickly proving to be necessary tools for growth and success of your business.

* As seen in the Houston Business Journal on September 13, 2019.