We are excited to have Sharita Lee as a guest blogger this week! Known as “the Social Media Catalyst”, Sharita gives us the scoop on hashtags and what they’re really good for in business. 

Hashtag This, Hashtag That by Sharita J. Lee, MBA

Thanks to Tamar Braxton, if you did not know what a hashtag is, you do now. If you have been living under a rock and still do not know, a hashtag is a keyword phrase or a simple way to identify a subject or follow a conversation. When someone clicks on a hashtag, they will be redirected to other posts that have used the same hashtag. Once a Twitter exclusive, using a hashtag has become common to most social networks.

Businesses that use hashtags can easily identify the conversations from those discussing them; whether it be customers and those complaining. When establishing hashtags for your business, there are only a few things to consider:

1.) Verify its availability. The easiest way to check is to search Google, Twitter, and Facebook for the hashtag. If there is little to no conversation associated, consider it yours.

2.) Make it short. The network with the shortest character count in a post is Twitter. With only 140 characters to work with, a general rule is your hashtag should be ten characters or less.

3.) Be creative and simple. The options are endless in creating your hashtag. Try using the initials of your business, product, or slogan. You can also use numbers and letters to separate your hashtag from the masses.

Use hashtags to host and monitor real-time conversations during conventions, promotions, contests, and more. There are plenty of sites to enhance your hashtag experience. Facebook and Twitter searches will find any related posts using the hashtag. Log in to TweetChat when hosting real-time conversations without the clutter. Hashtag.org has a free and paid option for monitoring and measuring hashtags. If you need a more detailed report, try using Hashtracking.com, which is best for campaigns and events.

Since every network is not the same, the rules of character count may not always apply; however using the same hashtag across all networks will keep the conversation cohesive and easy to follow. As long as you remain consistent, your customers will know how to find you.

Happy Tagging!