In social media, brands have been using the hashtag to launch competitions, weigh in on important subjects, increase brand visibility, build audiences, engage audiences, and demonstrate expertise. Many business owners have often wondered, “What can a hashtag do for my brand?” Here are some examples of how the hashtag can be used to promote and build a brand..
Building expertise and joining a conversation.
A hashtag can lay the foundation for a brand to be viewed as an expert in a certain area. The hashtag can be used when content is posted that serves an educational purpose. For example, a business that desires to have a brand image of being an expert in accounting would create content using certain types of hashtags related to finance and similar topics..
The hashtag in customer service.
In customer service, a brand can use a particular hashtag to keep its clients abreast of any technical difficulties a brand may be trying to resolve. Telecommunications brands often use the hashtag as a reputation management tool and may post updates on a widespread problem by adopting a tag. This allows them to field complaints, answer concerns, and update customers on the status of the problem.
Connect your brand to a broader conversation.
The hashtag can be used to join broader conversations. Many of the subjects discussed on Twitter and other social media platforms fall into a specific category. It is often important for a company to become active in popular ongoing discussions that are already occurring on the social media site. Associating a brand with a popular tag makes the brand relevant to in a particular industry..
Increase visibility.
Visibility is another way a brand can benefit from using a certain type of hashtag. This tool really increases visibility for a brand. If a brand is using a hashtag and supplying information of value, it is more likely to have the content retweeted or republished. This can also serve as a means to attract followers interested in that particular subject..
Trust, through recommendations.
A brand that uses a hashtag when publishing content improves a brand’s ability to build trust among followers. The more relevant and useful the content published by a brand is, the more likely it is to attract followers. Growing an audience is linked to how useful the posts for the profile are. The brands with the most useful content chime in on important topics using the hashtag and get recommended by evangelists who have found their updates useful. The hashtag can also be attached to content published by industry peers to increase the potential to be recommended by others.
Thread for use across multiple social media platforms.
A brand that will be active on multiple social media platforms can use the hashtag as a common thread. The hashtag can be a branding mechanism or be used to join in other discussions. The consistent use of the hashtag across multiple platforms solidifies the brand’s reputation as an authority on a subject and sets expectations for the type of content to be expected from the company by the follower..
The hashtag can expand the brand’s reach and influence. The hashtag can build a brand in multiple ways when used consistently across all social media channels. Establishing trust, building expertise, and increasing engagement are all keys to implementing the use of the hashtag in running a social media content. .
This article was submitted by Kelli Smith. She is a online marketing expert for social media and trends.