Hunting for Hashtags

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Hashtags are a great way to broaden your reach and engage followers. Unlike regular tweets and status updates that appear only in your followers’ news feeds, posts with hashtags have the potential to be seen by the masses. By adding an appropriate hashtag to a post, you are making that post discoverable. In addition, you can piggyback on other popular hashtags by using them. As a result, your tweets and updates may be seen by a much larger audience. But where do you find good hashtags to use?

Follow the Lead of Others

Assuming you fully understand your audience and its interests, start by following thought leaders and industry experts in a relevant field. For example, if your target audience includes lawyers and paralegals, you might follow the American Bar Association (ABA) as your prospects likely do. Now pay attention to the hashtags these thought leaders use. Click on hashtags that make sense for your business and look at: (1) appropriate usage and (2) what kind of engagement they get.Hashtags.org

For example, the hashtag #ABA might appeal to you at first glance. After all, it’s likely that your target audience would be interested in what the American Bar Association has to say. However, if you click on the #ABA hashtag, you’ll soon find that the #ABA hashtag is commonly used to tag tweets related to the American Basketball Association and the American Benefits Association.

While that particular hashtag might not be the best, dig deeper. Check out the relevant users who have used that hashtag and see what other hashtags they are using. For instance, you might find a hashtag such as #womeninlaw that makes perfect sense for your business just by exploring.

Use Hashtags.org

Hashtags.org is a great resource for finding and researching hashtags. Using our law example, start by entering the word “law” or a similar broad topic into the search bar. Hashtags.org will display a 24-hour trend graph, list of prolific users using that particular hashtag, related tweets, and related hashtags.

Check Out Trending HashtagsHashtags.org

Various websites will show you which hashtags are currently trending including Twitter itself, Hashtags.org,  TrendsMap, and WhatTheTrend. If you can find a relevant, trending hashtag, your tweets and updates could be seen by a huge audience. The key here is to find a relevant one.

Start Your Own Hashtag

Can’t find the perfect hashtag? Another option is to create your own. Many marketers create their own hashtags as part of a marketing campaign and then encourage others to use the hashtag. For example, if you had a marketing campaign for a product that solves a paralegals’s problems, you might create the hashtag #frustratedparalegals and encourage your prospects to share their frustrations using that hashtag.

Hunting for hashtags isn’t difficult but it does take some effort. Before using a hashtag, make sure that you understand how others are using it so that you use it in proper context. Once you find solid, reliable hashtags, consider creating a spreadsheet so that you have a list of go-to hashtags at your disposal.

Daryl Lang / Shutterstock.com

Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer | Viral Solutions LLC
thomas von ahn

Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.

 


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Filed Under: Social Media

About Thomas von Ahn

With more than 30 years of experience in B2B sales across various industries, Thomas has unique insight into both the offline and online sales sphere. It was during his time in the trenches that Thomas noticed a recurring theme: Though business owners are knowledgeable about their craft or trade, they often struggle to market and sell to their prospects. This realization is what prompted Thomas and his now business partner, Christine, to bring Viral Solutions to life. Since starting the company, Thomas has been able to assist countless business owners in developing a solid marketing plan based upon sound marketing strategy, then assigning the marketing tactics to a team of talented employees, and, finally, watching those actions unfold—his true passion.

Though Viral Solutions is on Thomas’ mind 24/7, he does occasionally take a break to cheer on the Green Bay Packers and enjoy his adopted home of Wisconsin. Much of his family also works at Viral Solutions, and this closeness with family and employees is the cornerstone of the Viral Solutions culture.