DeliveryMaxx Presents How to Use Hashtags

The world of social media is constantly changing and evolving and for the average person it is difficult to keep track of the sites and methods that are most effective.  One question we at DeliveryMaxx hear often is “How do I use hashtags?”

First what is a hashtag?  A hashtag is essentially a tag and allows you to “tag” or “label” a short message similarly to how you tag and label a blog.  Twitter is the social media template where hashtags originally gained wide popularity, but the use of hashtags first began on Internet Relay Chat.  Today hashtags are relevant on a wide array of social media sites including Instagram and Facebook.

Within a post you can add a “#” in front of a word or phrase to hashtag it.  For example in the sentence: “I don’t know how to use #hashtags.”  In that post you have effectively hashtagged your post to let the world know exactly what you’re talking about, you’re talking about hashtags.  You can also add a hashtag to the end of the sentence to be more effective.  “I don’t know how to use #hashtags.  #SocialMedia.”  Remember when hashtagging a phrase you don’t want any spaces in between the words.

So now you know what hashtags are and how to use them, before you hop onto Twitter and go crazy remember this.  DO NOT OVERUSE HASHTAGS.  #WaitWhat?  

“Don’t I want to use as many tags as possible within my posts so more people see it?”  The short answer to this question is, NO.  The number one thing about internet marketing businesses often forget when using hashtags on Twitter and Facebook is you’re trying to narrow down your reach.  

While this may be a difficult concept to grasp, consider this.  When you’re posting about the World Series should you tag your post with “#Sports”?  Sports encompass a lot of things, not just baseball and your chances of someone clicking on #Sports to connect with others talking about the World Series are slim to none.  #MLB is a lot better and #WorldSeries is ideal.  Now you know you are connecting with the correct people.

Similarly if you’re managing a Chevrolet dealership in Dallas it doesn’t matter if someone looking for a Honda in New York City knows you exist.  Even using “#Dallas” is an overuse, there’s a lot of people in Dallas, some talking about bars and clubs, some about the Maverick’s opening night tonight, etc.  “#DallasChevrolet” or “#ChevyDallas” stand the best chance reaching your target audience.

Making your hashtags specific and limiting them to one or two in a post is the best way to achieve Social Media Engagement and connect with the people who are relevant to your business and community.  And doing that will make you #OneHappyPerson

DeliveryMaxx is the fastest growing Social Media Engagement and Online Reputation Management for more information about the experts at DeliveryMaxx visit http://www.deliverymaxx.com