Blog: The Spin
#LaundryMarketingNews
November 05, 2014
Bleep Hashtags! #TryingToRunMyLaundry
First SEO and Facebook. Now Hashtags and Pinterest? #YoMarketingPeople #TryingToRunMyLaundry
What’s up with all the #’s? 10 years ago the # symbol was the button on the phone you used when getting your voicemail messages after entering your pin – or when a company’s automated phone system initially screened calls. Everywhere you go now, whether it’s your Facebook account or Twitter page, watching your favorite TV show (The Walking Dead #TWD) , or even walking through the mall you see these “#” followed by a word or phrase – but #whatdoesitmean? A hashtag (#) is a simple way for social media users to connect with each other by their common interests. If you ask Google, a hashtag is “used to identify messages on a specific topic”. By adding a “#” in front of a keyword or phrase users from all over the world will be able to find content associated with that tag.
It’s important to choose keywords words for your hashtags to get the right attention. For example if you are tweeting about your restaurant’s new meatball marina you can #meatballmarina and #newmeatballdish. It’s important to hashtag relevant keywords and not EVERY word in your post. A post that says #you #will #love #our #new #meatball #marinara is not the right way to use hashtags. This defeats the purpose of adding the hashtag and makes your post unappealing aka #fail.
You can also create personalized hashtags for your business. Examples: #InfiniteLaundryRocks #LinenServicesLovesHashtags #LaundryApp. By creating a personalized hashtag you open the doors to existing and potential new customers by allowing them to locate your company easily in the vast social media sea.
The more people hashtag a certain word or phrase it starts becoming a trend. A trend attracts more users to continue and expand the discussion. If you see a topic is trending on social media you can join the conversation and give your opinion. When including a trending hashtag make sure it is relevant to your business – otherwise it can backfire and make your company’s credibility take a nosedive. For example if Beyonce is trending and you tweet “Our restaurant makes the best meatballs #beyonce”, this has nothing to do with your business, marketing or Italian food. It’s also annoying for the people who actually want to see content related to Beyonce. #mrscartertour #fantasticconcert
Make sure you add great content when you are writing up a post with hashtags. Posts don’t need to be lengthy and should be interesting to read. Get an audience to respond positively by liking, favoriting and sharing your post. Eventually your hashtags will become a trend. The hashtag isn’t going away – so start hashtagging!
What would happen if everyone actually spoke in hashtags? Um, yeah: #dontdothis
