Do Hashtags Really #Matter?

Remember when this "#" was still called a "pound sign?" That was back before Twitter, before smartphones, and when you had to hit 7 four times to get to the "s." While social technology has vastly changed in the past 10 years, there is one trend that has stood the mid-2000's test of time.

The #hashtag. You can't do anything without seeing them. They're on commercials, they're on your soda cans, and they're even on your doctor's Facebook page. I know they might seem annoying, but they actually do matter.

Hashtags give social media sites the ability to sort and group everyone's posts with a simple pound sign. It makes people feel a part of something greater, and brings a wider audience to your posts than just those who follow you.

And the best part is that there are hashtags for anything you can think of. Having a crappy Monday? Go look at #MondayMotivation to get you through that beginning work week grind. Watching reality tv? You can #TheBachelor so everyone can see how upset you were by the last Rose Ceremony.

You can even hashtag your own business as a callback and to make it even easier to find you on social media. See, Google tracks these things. Every time a certain hashtag is tweeted or posted, Google takes notice of it. As more and more people hashtag the same word or phrase, it gains traction, and can be put out to more people.

What this means is if 50,000 people are all using the same hashtag, and you use it, your potential reach for your post goes out to that 50,000 people. You can even use hashtags to find other people you want to follow or other content you want to see.

Hashtags may seem silly, but they just take a little getting used to. They can actually be a powerful tool for your business and your social media accounts as a whole. Embrace them.

#TheMoreYouKnow about social media and tools of the trade, the better.

#HyperchatSocial can help you step up your hashtag game with our Social Media Automation services. Follow this link to get started.