Hashtag

What is hashtag?

Hashtags, which first became popular on Twitter, are a word or a group of words that follow the # sign. Essentially, they serve as searchable keywords and keyword phrases on social media by grouping content by theme, category, topic, etc.

They look like this: #Ecwid, #BuyLocal, #InstagramTips

Most of the time, businesses and marketers use hashtags in three main ways:

• Brand: Using the company name or slogan as a signature tag to help build brand recognition (Ex: Nike uses their brand slogan #JustDoIt)
• Campaign: Using a specific hashtag for campaign-based efforts like a special offer, annual sale, or unique marketing campaign (Ex: Sephora uses #BeautyTogether for feel-good beauty posts with influencers)
• Content: Using hashtags that relate to the type of post you’re sharing (Ex: Forever21 uses #TuesdayShoesday for posts featuring footwear)

There are a few main benefits of using hashtags in this way. Not only do they make posts searchable for the audience and improve opportunities for organic discovery on the platform, but they can also make it easier for brands to keep track of user-generated content, too.

Take the hashtag #SheaKardel for example. This hashtag is the store name, so not only can Instagram users browse through posts that the brand has made using this hashtag, but they can also see what other users have shared using it, too.