Hashtags are embedded in our culture as a social media staple – after all, what’s a good selfie without a #hashtag or two? – and whether you know a little about hashtags, or a lot, to most of us they’re just inoffensive little symbols.

But don’t be fooled: the humble hashtag represents one of your most powerful marketing tools.

Hashtags in marketing

In marketing, hashtags have the two-fold benefit of:

1. opening your business up to more people
2. allowing you to hone in on a more targeted audience

People use hashtags to search for items or topics. By placing the right mix of hashtags on your posts, you increase the chance of your business being included in search results.

An illustrative example: A Newcastle-based artist tags her latest Instagram post with #Newcastle #NSW #AustralianNatives #Art #Original #Watercolour.

• Her post will turn up in general, broader searches like ‘Art’, exposing her to a wide audience
• Her post will also be found by people searching for specific terms, who are likely to be interested in her work, ie, ‘AustralianNatives’ and ‘Watercolour’

Tip: Consumers love to search locally, so including a local hashtag is a great way to get yourself noticed.

Remember to be specific. If your clothing company specialises in fair trade clothing, use hashtags like #fairtradefashion, #ethicalfashion and #ecofashion, rather than just #fashion.

Hashtags and branding

Hashtags can help improve your branding and foster a community-based online presence.

Your brand hashtag can be your company name or a phrase associated with your brand – think #Nike and #justdoit or #KitKat and #havebreak. It’s important to make your brand hashtag simple and unique.

Branded hashtags allow consumers to easily search for your posts and tag your products in their own posts. Branding can also be enriched through non-branded hashtags.

Take Visit NSW, the government-based site for tourism and events in New South Wales. Instead of using #visitnsw on Instagram, the account asks users to tag pictures with #NewSouthWales to tag gorgeous photos of NSW destinations that they can repost.

The #NewSouthWales hashtag encourages participation and creates a community in which social media users can share local tips about the best places to visit in the state, making the account come across as knowledgeable and authentic.

 Tip: Avoid abbreviations and acronyms (unless in common use) as they can be misinterpreted. Users typically search for full words and phrases, e.g., #cupcakeespresso not #ce

When done well, hashtag branding creates an interactive, user-generated community and a genuine connection to your brand.

Campaign hashtags

Hashtags are perfect for campaigns and promotions. Events such as sales, conferences and competitions can gain great exposure through the creation of unique hashtags.

A recent hashtag campaign in Boston saw the food industry come together through its #digoutdineout hashtag. The campaign encouraged people to brave the heavy snow and support the city’s struggling local restaurants who advertised various deals with the hashtag #digoutdineout.

Conferences, festivals and seminars can all benefit from a branded hashtag too. For example, Newcastle’s DiG Conference encourages attendees to use ‘DiG’ with the year (eg #DiG2018). This way they spread the word of the event, get people involved and help those who couldn’t attend to see what’s happening.

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I’ve taken a few notes…#DiG2016 pic.twitter.com/XKIRIcEYaB

— Laura (@ArtgirlLaura) October 14, 2016

As with other branded hashtags, it’s important to keep tags simple and memorable. If you’re running a Halloween-themed competition, something like #HalloweenGiveaway is appropriate.

Tip: To give your business extra exposure, ask people to participate in your campaign or competition by including your #hashtag in their posts.

Track hashtag performance

There are plenty of free tools for tracking hashtag performance which give you valuable feedback on how your posts are doing. Hashtag analysis allows you to redirect your posts and focus on which hashtags are most effective.

Make sure your marketing strategy includes the not-so-humble hashtag. Hashtags are the perfect tool to market and grow your business and engage with your community.

Image: “Hashtag Ciabatta” by jan zuppinger is licensed under CC BY 2.0