I used to think that hashtags were merely used for decoration. I thought that they were just there to make a post look pretty or act as a hook for users. To me, using them didn’t seem as important as the actual post, but then I realized how wrong I was. Throughout my internship at Front Porch Marketing, I have learned three important facts about hashtags and their proper uses in marketing:

Hashtags are more about discovery than decoration

While hashtags may add character to a post, they are meant for more than just decoration. They are there so that users like you and me can search for posts through specific categories and tags. It is important to make use of this when tagging posts so that you can market your content to the right audience.

Make a Cheat Sheet

There is no need to make things harder for yourself. Therefore, keep a list of the ones that have the most reach in relation to your company or brand. This will certainly help you keep track of the hashtags that work best in spreading out your content to the people you want to see it. When you write down your favorite ones, make sure to put the follower count or number of posts. Doing this helps you see what kind of reach each hashtag has before you add it to your post.

Be Smart About Which Hashtags You Use

Hashtags have a tendency to include a multitude of subcategories. So it is important to be mindful of which tags you include in your posts and how they relate to your company. It is also important to check the amount of posts a hashtag has, or the number of people that follow it. This way, you can make sure that your posts are reaching a widespread audience that is interested in what you are offering.

Final Thoughts About Hashtags

I used to not think hashtags were very important. But by working with Front Porch Marketing I realized their importance and how to properly use them to reach the right audience. This internship completely changed the way I look at hashtags. Overall it has taught me important lessons when it comes to using them for social media content.