Whether it’s for a new topic on your blog, a blogging tribe project or sponsored campaign, hashtags are a basic requirement to track and measure reach. Hashtags allow your audience to track your conversation, interact and spread your message. Hashtags are everywhere including television shows and printed marketing material. Even Facebook has jumped on the hashtag bandwagon and shows trending topics. Before you create a hashtag, consider these things to make sure you stand out. Avoid a #Failure by using this short checklist:
1. Is anyone using the hashtag already? If you’re striving for a unique campaign or voice, you want a hashtag that’s never been used. Start by searching on Twitter for the hashtag you have in mind.
2. Is it too long? Especially for Twitter you want a short, meaningful hashtag that will still be visible if someone retweets your post.
3. Is it too short? A hashtag with just a few characters may not properly express the meaning you’re striving for.
4. Is it subject to misinterpretation? You don’t want to confuse people with a weird hashtag. Be careful when you use words that may have a double meaning or when used without capital letter to space it out, may appear like an offensive word.
5. Is it spelled properly? Your hashtag makes an impression too. Consider that if you deliberately misspell it just to be creatuve, users may get confused.
6. Avoid over using hashtags. Think quality and not quantity when it comes to your hashtag strategy, especially if you are measuring your hashtag. Using too many hashtags can be confusing and water down your message and statistics.
7. Use your unique hashtag across multiple social media platforms, not just Twitter. Google+, Pinterest, Vine and Instagram let users track and search for hashtags. #ThrowbackThursday is among the most popular hashtags.
8. Spark engagement and conversations around your hashtag. Twitter parties or chats are a great way to engage a large group of “Tweeps” in one massive conversation. You can get hundreds of people participating all at once. It’s great for networking and helping to spread your hashtag’s message.
Comment below: What do you consider before you create or use a hashtag? What are some of the best hashtags you’ve seen?
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