According to Social Media Examiner, a hashtag is defined as “the # symbol used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet.” You can create a hashtag out of any word that you want, you simply used the symbol, #, in front of the word of your choice. I think there is a common misconception that you have to somehow find or download hashtags but there’s no need to over think it. As long as you include the “#” in front of your choice word, it becomes a hashtag. When a company hosts a convention or a business creates a contest, they create their own hashtag for people to use in order to make them a “trending topic.”
When a hashtag is “trending,” it means that there are several people using that hashtag. This list can be found according to your location on Twitter in the bottom left hand corner. When you click on one of the trending hashtags, you will be brought to a feed that shows all followers using that hashtag. Facebook has recently integrated hashtags into their program as well. Aside from the “trending” option to find hashtag topics, you are also able to type in a hashtag topic in the search option. This will too bring you to a screen with the mentions on that hashtag.
So what’s the benefit for you? There are two main ways that this option can help you. The first is utilizing the trending topics to create a post including that hashtag so that when people click on the trending hashtags, your post will be listed prompting followers to look more into your business. A second is to create your own hashtag with the hopes of it becoming a trending topic. If you create a contest that requires people to include a specific hashtag, for example, you now present the opportunity of your hashtag becoming a trending topic.
This is a basic breakdown of the hashtag, it does have the potential to become complicated but only if you let it. The secret is to keep it simple and don’t over think it. Hashtags can be used as an advantage for you company with a bit of #creativity.
