Gone are the days when an entrepreneur would have to go the extra mile just to get their brand name across or distribute flyers if their brand was hosting an event. In this day and age, social media is the norm, and the entire world is on it – there’s no better way to reach out to such a large number of people than using social media. But that doesn’t mean anything you post on social media will get the same attention.
In fact, just one search-run on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter will tell you the truth about how many brands, companies, and entrepreneurs have tested their luck with hashtags and social media but to no avail. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case. We’ll refer to it as ‘hashtag etiquette.’
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Hashtag Etiquette
If you’re going to use hashtags to grab the attention of potential customers and get your brand name across, then it’s important that you at least have a basic understanding of how hashtags are supposed to work. A few tips:
- Do not make the rookie mistake of using ‘@’ instead of ‘#’ when you’re putting up hashtags.
If the name of your project is more than one word long, avoid adding a space between the words. - Capitalize each word for the sake of readability. For example: #BostonPromo17
- Try to limit the character count of your hashtags. For example: Instead of using #BostonPromotionOfTheYear2017, limit the characters, keep it short and simple: #BostonPromo17.
- If you’re facing problems when it comes to finding a legitimate hashtag for your brand or your project, take a look at ‘trending hashtags’ on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to get an idea of what works and what does not.
- When using hashtags, always ensure you’re in touch with your audience. If you’re just going to ramble on without keeping the audience in mind, you’re not going to see an increase in your followers, viewers or overall customer database.
Using Hashtags for Your Project
Once you get the hang of what you should and should not do on the globe of hashtags, you’re probably ready to start promoting your project. However, this isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do because there’s never a legitimate guarantee that your hashtags are going to get you where you want them to get you.
Tips for Promoting Your Project
One of the most prevalent mistakes people make when promoting their brand or their project is going overboard with it. If you’re going to use twenty different hashtags, your initial motive is sure to lose its purpose. Stay on message. In addition to the hashtags, make your content unique as well. Instagram’s ‘boomerang’ feature is certainly great for this purpose. The goal is to create eye-catching content.
If your main motive is to see an increase in your customer database, giving shout-outs, free gifts, or introducing healthy competitions amongst your existing followers through exciting contests will definitely help a lot.
When using hashtags, don’t limit yourself. Get creative!