The Importance of Hashtags

If you want your business to get noticed when using social media, it is vitally important that you start to incorporate hashtags when sharing your content online. At fatBuzz we use them to help get your content to the right audience, and in this post we will share with you some hints and tips for using hashtags.

Now some would say that hashtags are just part of the “online lingo”. Which is of course true, we have all seen #NoFilter or #Selfie being used online. But the hashtag is much more than a modern colloquialism, it is an incredibly useful tool for connecting your business with the people you want to engage with.

With most major social networks now supporting the use of hashtags, including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram, there has never been a better time to start using them!

Hashtags will serve as a hyperlink to other users on social media sites that search for the term.

If you start to think of hashtags as a conversation topic, they will allow people who are interested in the discussion to be able to quickly identify and engage with you.

For example, if you were wanting to engage about the Oscars this year, using the hashtag #Oscars2015 has a better chance of being seen by those interested in the awards as they can simply search for the hashtag and see your post.

In using hashtags you will be able to expose your content to a wider audience as you are channeling information to the right people. However, using them correctly is what can truly boost your business’s chance of engagement.

One key factor in using hashtags is to keep it brief. Overlong and overdetailed hashtags simply won’t catch on. You want yours to be a clear and concise summary of the topic/event you are talking about.

You also shouldn’t be using more than two hashtags at a time. Studies have shown that when you use more than two hashtags, engagement drops by 17% on average. A quality summary will always be better than a high quantity when it comes to hashtagging.

If we look at the Oscars example again, picture yourself searching for a term to see who has won best actor. Are you more likely to look for #WhoHasWonTheOscarForBestActor or #OscarWinners?

It is that simple, and getting yourself into this habit will make sure that your hashtags are relevant and easy to find. If you stick to using keywords in yours it will make for a much more engaging hashtag.

Remember as well to use existing hashtags to connect with your audience. If your business is attending an event, look out for official tags and if you think they are relevant - use them! They are a great method of marketing yourself within an existing group.

We have covered the basics to help you in using hashtags on social media. The next time you post an update, a blog or tweet, we hope you try some of our tips and see for yourself how helpful using a simple hashtag can be. #GoodLuck!

For more helpful hints on how to market your business follow fatBuzz on our social media channels below, check out our QuickBuzz videos on YouTube and of course stay posted right here on our blog.

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Quick Buzz - Tap into the Diary

We know that it can be hard at times to keep talking about your brand or product online; there is, after all, only so many times you can talk about your company's history, events and achievements.

Now, we're not saying that it's wrong to post about these things, but you need to mix it up a little. You need to think about what your community will be talking about and what will make them engage with your brand.

Yes, they may have liked your page or followed you on Twitter because they have shown interest in your brand, but you have to remember that it's not all about you.

All too often, people focus their content on the brand, product or service and forget about the customer. You should create content that interests your customers and be aware this is not always about you.

One thing we're always telling our clients is to 'tap into the diary'. Take a look at the calendar and see what events are coming up. whether it be the World Cup, Grand Prix, or more recently, Wimbledon.

While Wimbledon was on, the social media activity went through the roof almost as quick as the first ball was served. So, what we decided to do was write a blog post on Wimbledon's activity entitled: 'Wimbledon Making a Racket in the Social Media World'.

Cheesy? Perhaps. But it catches your eye when scrolling down your news feed. A well thought out pun or imaginative headline could be what makes a client or customer read your blog post over your competitor's. 

For more videos please visit fatBuzz.tv

Another example of this is when Canadian artist, Robin Thicke, released his single 'Blurred Lines', with his extremely controversial music video, but also with the hashtag #THICKE and #BLURREDLINES appearing on the screen a grand total of 30 times.

Graeme, one of our Social Media Account Managers at fatBuzz, being a DJ and music enthusiast, jumped at the chance to write a blog post on it, which you can read HERE

What we're trying to say here is don't be afraid to talk about events that aren't to do with your brand, or even within your industry.

Create content around what is happening around the world, and which everyone will be talking about. 

If you'd like to know more on this subject, please feel to contact Derek, or any other member of the fatBuzz team and they'll be happy to help. 

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Quick Buzz - Instagram vs. Vine

One thing we try to do here at fatBuzz, is keep our fingers on the pulse of all things social. This could come in the shape of a new app, Facebook updates, new features on Twitter, or tips from one of the team.

We’re sure most of you are familiar with photo sharing platform, Instagram; and we’re sure most if you also know about it’s update last month which allows users to capture and share video, as well as photos.

And those of you who are interested in capturing and sharing video through social media, we’re sure, will also have heard of Vine.

But, if there are some of you who aren’t aware of what we’re on about, let us quickly explain...

Instagram, the first to be released of the two, is owned by Facebook and was primarily a photo sharing platform. It’s a hugely popular platform which comes in the shape of an app, with 130 million active users.

At the beginning of 2013, Twitter launched an app called Vine. Unlike Instagram, Vine is a video sharing platform.

Vine allows it’s users to capture videos of up to six seconds in length, and can use stop motion technology to squeeze any amount of time into those six seconds.

When launched, Vine was a breath of fresh air, it was easy to use and great for sharing video content.

Then, along come Instagram with it’s big new feature, video. This put the two social media giants, Facebook and Twitter, head to head, but who would win?

There are some significant differences to the two platforms though; while Vine offers six seconds of recording time, Instagram’s video allows 15 seconds.

Also, like it’s photo function, Instagram allows it’s users to add filters over their videos and also pick thumbnails for the videos from any frame within the video; Vine offers neither of these functions.

So, we’ve had Graeme in the office trying both out to see which he thinks is better. To find out his decision, watch our Quick Buzz on this very topic, and once you’ve watched it, why not let him know what you think is better by emailing him at graeme@fatbuzz.com.

For more videos please visit fatBuzz.tv

Don’t forget, if you’re an Instagram user, you can follow us on @fatBuzzltd, and see what we all get up to.

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Quick Buzz - Blog titles, Brand Control & How to keep your biscuits safe...

Here we have brought you latest addition to the Quick Buzz Series. "Quick Buzz" is a series of 30-60 second videos clips by fatBuzz bringing you news, events and updates from the world of Design, Marketing and Social Media. You can find these videos on our YouTube Channel, Facebook Page and of course our Blog. 

Kirsty tells us how important the title of your blog can be in comparison to the main content...

Here Malcolm tells us how important it is to always keep your social media administrators up to date with current staff members.

This is a tip for anyone who's is lucky enough to have Kirsty as their account manager...

That's all for now but keep and eye out for more Quick Buzzes from the fatBuzz Team.

If you have any questions about the topics mentioned above, or you have suggestions for a topic you would to hear in a future Quick Buzz, please let us know on our Facebook Page, and member of the team will get back to you. 

If you have found this post interesting please share it with your online community using either the Twitter, Facebook and Share buttons below. Thank You.