BBC uses a hashtag to interact with viewers. Photo by dan taylor.
“Hashtags” are the content “tags” used in social media,
denoted by a hash mark (#) at the front end of a word, or series of words. Much
like the content tags you see in the right column, or at the bottom of this
post, they can be used on social media services like Twitter and Instagram to
filter content by subject or to make your own content more searchable.
How do I select a
hashtag?
There’s no process for registering a hashtag, but there are
two things to keep in mind when selecting a one: brevity and uniqueness. No one
wants to type out 25 extraneous characters. Keep it short and sweet. And always
check to make sure the tag you want isn’t already being used, or your audience
will have a harder time reaching your content exclusively. There’s nothing to
prevent someone else from using the same tag, so use yours early and often.
#Events
One of the best ways companies and associations can utilize
hashtags is in conjunction with conferences or other events. The first time I saw
one used widely was at the Society for Environmental Journalists annual
conference in late 2008. I attended a panel on using Twitter to engage with
journalists, and I noticed when checking my Twitter feed from my laptop (in the
days before my phone could connect to the Internet), that journalists were
using #SEJ08 to denote tweets about the sessions they were attending. I could
search for #SEJ08 and see a bevy of content being generated about panels and
speakers all over the conference, and it led me to discover new sessions to
attend that week.
Now, virtually every event has a hashtag, even if it’s just
to corral guests’ candid wedding photos on Instagram. If you want your industry
event to be successful, whether it’s a multi-day conference or an awards
dinner, carefully selecting a branded tag that allows attendees to quickly find
content related to the event is a critical component of your event’s marketing
strategy. They are even useful for aggregating content you want to review
later: a few years ago, PCG staff used a special tag when tweeting thoughts
about sessions during an offsite business meeting, and tagged tweets were
broadcast on a screen in the room. This allowed staff to see - in real time -
ideas and reactions about presentations without interrupting presenters, and
helped extend the dialogue about lessons learned beyond the conference room.
#Content and
#Branding
Hashtags are primarily used for denoting the subject matter
of social media content. There are two strategies:
- Filtering content: making your content easier to find for potential clients/customers/audience members. For example: a tweet about this post by PCG might include: #advice, #pr, #branding, etc. This makes your content more searchable by people looking for branding advice.
- Grouping content: branding your content by grouping it together with a unique hashtag. In this case, you may have a team of employees with personal Twitter accounts who want to tweet thoughts about their work. They would all use a single hashtag like #PCGstrategy to aggregate their thoughts quickly and easily.
#Filtering
In the first instance, you want to use hashtags that are
specific, but common. Say you are posting about a service that your company
provides. In PCG’s case, that might include media training. If we Tweeted about
the work we do with the U.S. Coast Guard, we might include: #media, #training,
#mediatraining, #coastguard, and #USCG. That way, anyone searching for
information on media training could find us more easily, and someone searching
for tweets about the US Coast Guard would see that PCG works with them.
#Branding
For branding your content, you want to use fewer hashtags,
specifically one or two that are unique to your company or project. Nike has an
extensive social media presence, with separate accounts for its different sports
divisions, and sponsored athletes who post engaging, inspirational content
daily. Besides tagging things with the obvious #Nike, the company often uses its
tagline #noexcuses when talking about a legendary player, or even a buzz-worthy
play. Short, memorable taglines like “No Excuses” make for great hashtags,
letting anyone know right away that your content is your own.
Other #ProTips
There are few other things to keep in mind when creating or
selecting a hashtag:
- Keep it short: It should be noted that while Twitter now allows for “expanded tweets” over 140 characters, brevity is still best. For an event, the acronym for your event plus numbers for the year, or a succinct motto are an excellent starting point.
- Make it memorable: For those of you who enjoy a good pun or a bit of alliteration now is your time to shine! Even simple portmanteaus are a popular and effective method for creating a hashtag.
- Pay attention: What tags are your clients or members using? What about potential clients, or audiences you want to reach? Use TweetDeck or other free, simple social media management tools to keep tabs on what tags are popular with the people you want to connect with: then use them.
- Make them public: Keep in mind that your social media content is only as searchable as it is public. Using a hashtag on your personal Facebook page won’t make a post automatically public – your content is still only as available as your security settings allow. But if you want to reach people you haven’t met yet, go public: and let the world find you.
Posts
