#hashtagpower: Embrace the Power of the Pound Symbol

Experience Hashtag Power

Twitter adopted the use of hashtags in 2007, and it’s no longer just for nerds.  The # (pound symbol) with words following becomes a searchable link within the Twitter community – the vital link between digital marketing and communication.  Because of this, hashtags have exploded into a powerful social media tool.

How do you tap into this power?  Sandeep Sharma shared his decade of marketing expertise at JeffBullas.com.  Sharma is convinced a little creativity and a dash of hashtags will equal instant social media success.

Be a Hashtag beneficiary!

Hashtags will:

-Classify your content, so you can be found easily.

-Expand your brand to have a wider reach online.

-Link you to other previously unreached audiences through association.

-Minimize content generation.  Use the hashtag sparingly, only 1-2 in a post.  Remember, Twitter only has a 140-character limit per Tweet.

-Make you unforgettable.  Hashtags are easy to remember because the power is in the simplicity.

Power Play: Create your own Customer Winning Hashtag

How do you create this social media game changer?  Rebecca Hiscott at mashable.com coaches beginner hashtag creators.

Follow this checklist to create your game changing hashtag:

-No spaces between words, just super squeeze all the words together.

-No punctuation needed.

-Capital letters are irrelevant, but always an option.  The same goes for numbers.

And POOF, #hashtagpower.  Hashtags.org offers a search engine to find available hashtag keywords, but it’s that easy.  No excuses anymore for boring, long winded social media ploys.  You don’t have to be a pro at writing either.  Hashtags break all the rules of conventional grammar!  Enjoy the freedom!  Create.

Hiscott also recommends using hashtags to generate a buzz for your promotion or contest you are hosting. With the holiday chaos in full swing, become the visual voice readers will be drawn to.  Create your own catchy hashtag. Be specific and simple. #powershopperswanted

Lastly, don’t forget to set your tweets to public setting, so everyone can see your fab work!

Harness the Hashtag Power: Measure your Success

Don’t forget to measure your hashtag effectiveness.  Of course, there is a simple way to analyze the effectiveness of your hashtag usage and yes, you can even put the hashtag to work for you while you do less.

Ian Cleary, CEO of Razor Social, reminds his readers that tweeting is a waste of time if you don’t have a purpose.  If it has a purpose that matters it needs to be measured.  Cleary recommends using Google analytics or LinkedIn to track your effectiveness.  Twtrland and SocialBro are helpful social media tools to generate churn rates. Cleary explains the number of people who follow you and then unfollow you is a churn rate.  A high churn rate indicates poor content; therefore, you will know immediately if your hashtag creations are working.

Building your Hashtag Followers: Follow the Leader

If they follow you then you follow them.  Though, Cleary clarifies that an audience does not mean it is the right audience. Twtrland also offers an analysis of followers.  Even more, Twtrland captures if your content is being shared.  Shared content builds and strengthens your social network.

Community Manager and Content Specialist, Sofie DeBeule at Social Media Examiner says the key to building the right audience is maintaining helpful, authentic interactions through your content.  Don’t bog your readers down with clutter.  Be helpful.  Too many hashtags and too many links with lengthy text is not helpful.

Relevant, helpful content matched with the right audience equals hashtag success.