The hashtag isn’t just a cringy social media term the internet used in 2012 - it’s a vital asset to your social media that can seriously influence the growth of your  business in 2021.

What is a hashtag?

A hashtag is the “#” symbol followed by a word or a phrase. A social media user can write anything after the “#” and it will be placed onto a page with all the other posts which contain the same hashtagged word or sequence of words.

Why are they important?

The page which the hashtagged posts appear in is significant.  These pages can help consumers find your page and product. It’s also a great way to see what your competitors are up to. 

This means hashtags can increase visibility and help with insights. 

How do we do that?

In order to best increase visibility, as well as providing the best insights for your page and your competitors pages it’s important how you use hashtags.

Try using niche hashtags as well as broad hashtags. 

For example, if you were to make a post promoting your t-shirt printing shop located in Kinston, NC some broad hashtags would look like this: #screenprinting #clothingshop #customapparel #nc 

Some niche hashtags would look like this: #tshirtprinting #comfortcolorsnc #kinston #kinstonnc #printingkinstonnc #boutiquekinston #encsprinting #custommade

It’s important to keep them simple and no more than 3 words in one hashtag. Using both broad and niche hashtags is vital to increasing visibility and providing those insights.

How can this affect my audience?

Using hashtags creates a place for your target audience to find the product they're looking for and interacts with posts they might be interested in. 

You can build an audience this way by interacting with potential customers who are interested in products similar to what you provide. 

For example, a good way for a small print shop to grow its consumer base, is to interact with people commenting and posting on the page of an international printing service.

Conclusion

In conclusion, hashtags are as important as ever to the success of your business’s social media page. Do your research, keep it concise, and they will become tools you can use everyday.