Since 2007, the pound symbol has become a whole new meaning. The hashtag (#) first appeared on Twitter over a decade ago and today it has taken over social media marketing.
The hashtag has become so popular, it was officially added to the dictionary. It is now widely used on social media outlets, mainly Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
What is the definition of hashtag? It is a word or phrase that is spelled out without spaces and has the pound symbol infron of it to classify the accompanying text. For example, #leandigitalsystems. You will mostly see hashtags on social media.
A hashtag is used to tie conversations together from different users and put it all on a single stream. The idea of similar posts in a channel caught on quickly because it helps build conversations and increases engagement. Plus, using hashtags in social media is very simple and super accessible. It is a consistent way to become more visible on social media sites.
Hashtags are used for many reasons, like to promote a brand, a social movement, an event, a person and even a place. You can create a hashtag for basically anything! But be sure that you are smart when using hashtags on social media. You want your hashtag to have meaning and send a powerful statement.
You can search for hashtags on social media sites or click on them to see the stream and conversations associated with that hastag. A topic that is trendy and popular at that moment will show up at the top.
Twitter is usually very public, so using hashtags on it is an easy way to get involved in conversations that will lead to you appearing more noticeable in searches. Twitter does have a character limit, so you can’t post too many hashtags.
The hashtag is also used on Facebook, but Facebook is often more private so it is not as effective. Users can still search for popular hashtags, but brands and influencers usually publish them.
Instagram is another popular spot for hashtags. The social media outlet is a mix between private and public posts, so hashtags are relevant like they are on Twitter. There is no character limit, so you can pretty much posts as many hashtags as you want in your post.
Hashtags are changing the digital marketing game. You can brand your company or product effectively by consistently using a personalized hashtag. Just keep in mind that your hashtag has to have meaning and serve a purpose to become trendy.