If you’ve been online at all within the last 5 years, then you’ve probably heard of the very popular #hashtag. A hashtag is the numerical pound sign # followed by a word or series of words, which groups together an idea based on the subject of a social media post.

For example, if someone were to post a picture of their pet dog, the hashtags associated could be #dog or #ILoveMyDog. These hashtags are saved and tracked by social media platforms, so later a person can click on the hashtag and see all of the posts related to the topic.

So, how can your company get in on the action? By using hashtags to market your brand, of course! Check out these useful tips on how your business can use hashtags to its advantage.

Brand Hashtags
First and foremost, think of a brand hashtag for your small business to incorporate in its social media posts.Think of a brand hashtag as a signature for your company. It should be short and concise, but still reflect your image. Many businesses use their name or slogan if it’s simple and easy enough.

One thing to recognize is hashtags don’t work when combined with symbols like the -hyphen- or apostrophe’, so if these are part of your brand, think of a way to work around them in the hashtag. With brand hashtags, your users will see a clear image presented by your business, and show solidarity later on by using it in their own posts.

Campaign Hashtags
Campaign hashtags can be used alongside brand hashtags for your business’s sales and promotional campaigns. Think of something clever and easy for people to remember, so customers can post about your business by using your campaign hashtag.

Then, promote your campaign hashtag on your own social networking sites or encourage people to use it in your store to increase brand awareness and market your product or service.

Trending Hashtags
Trending hashtags are popular tags used by a lot of people within a short period of time. For example, #TheOscars would be a trending hashtag because it’s a popular topic trending among a massive populous. Your business can use its social media to look up what hashtags are currently trending, and then get in on the action by posting to these trends.

For example, “Are you excited about #TheOscars? So are we! Stop in today to see how we can help you prepare for the event!” Using trending hashtags makes your post more likely to get views, likes, favorites and retweets, which increases its visibility and promotes your business.

Content Hashtags
Finally, the classic: content hashtags. These are hashtags your business can use which simply pertain to the physical content included in your social media posts. For example, a clothing company many post about a new line of jewelry they just received in store: “We’re excited about all the beautiful jewelry we have in stock! Come check us out today! #jewelry #necklaces #bracelets #beautiful”.

Your business can even do research to see what content hashtags receive the most views, and then incorporate these in your posts to increase visibility. While too many hashtags on a post can seem overwhelming to some viewers, don’t be afraid to have at least a couple to give your post more variety and versatility.

When it comes to marketing for your small business, let social media do the work for you by taking advantage of hashtags to promote your product or service. Before you know it, your business will be growing and your hashtags will be #trending.