The Importance of #hashtag in Digital Marketing
The #Hashtag. Once used as a humble pound sign, without being of much relevance to anyone in the world, is now one of the strongest assets a brand can use in the realm of digital marketing. According to recent studies, more than 75% of social media users now use hashtags. To completely master the use of the hashtag is extremely difficult; there is a very fine tipping point between total failure and absolute success. However, if used wisely, it can provide content marketing for your brand in a way that no other platform can provide.
Introduced in 2007 by Twitter, the hashtag was first used to create groups within Twitter. As user interest grew, Twitter launched hyperlinked hashtags. Now years later, every major social media website, with the exclusion of LinkedIn, uses hyperlinked hashtags in abundance.
Hyperlinking a hashtag does a very simple but incredibly beneficial job. When someone clicks on a hashtag these days, they are shown all the other public posts on that media platform that used the same hashtag; bringing people from all corners of the world onto one small, friendly stage.
#Hashtag in the world of content marketing can be thought of like SEOs. Smart usage can get you customers from places in the world that would have been inaccessible to your advertising campaigns. It essentially works as an extremely low-cost, high efficiency marketing strategy for your product. Content marketing can be done with two types of #hashtags: Trending and Unique.
Using a #trending hashtag will put your content in an existing conversation between the users of the media website. This is a quick and effectual method to create some buzz about your product and brand without much effort or risk. The best way to find success in the #trending sector is to ask questions and get the people talking about the brand. For instance, if the hashtag #WorkingLate is trending on Twitter, a company that sells energy drinks could market their product using the same tag.
On the other hand, using a #unique hashtag has a certain amount of risk and may backfire. But with the right amount of tags and marketing, it could be the only arrow you would ever need in your quiver. There are certain guidelines to follow before creating a unique tag; firstly, refrain from using more than two hashtags or #AnEntireSentenceAsAHashtag in a post. People will lose interest in your content if they find it cumbersome to read. Secondly, use a phrase that is easy to remember and share. For example, Coke used the hashtag #Shareacoke in their 2014 campaign that was extremely successful and highly talked about. Last of all, always make sure your hashtag will not point a gun at your head. A sample case study of this is when McDonald’s started the hashtag #McDStories in 2013 so customers could share their experiences online. This backfired on them when customers started posting complaints under this hashtag.
The power of the hashtag is still underestimated in today’s world, and that is why using it to your advantage can turn into the biggest triumph for your brand and product. Think of it as diabetes and the intake of sugar; a little in regulated amounts can keep you alive and well, but too much could kill you. In the end, as dangerous as a #hashtag may be, businesses of all sizes can benefit from it and achieve the ultimate goal; #Success.
