How to Use Hashtags on Twitter: Three Simple Steps.


The Social Media Creator Group. We setup and create social media accounts.
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In speaking with people about Twitter, I’m often asked about hashtags. People ask: What is a hashtag? What do Hashtags do? How do you create a hashtag?





1. What is a Hashtag?

A Twitter hashtag is a phrase with a pound sign (#) in front of it. Pretty simple huh? Here are some hastag examples: #socialmedia #tech and #quotes.

2. What do Hashtags do?


A  hashtag organizes the conversations of Twitter users into one stream.  These streams can be searched using a third-party apps or on Twitter itself. When Twitter users tweet about the same topic using a hashtag, all the tweets carrying specific hashtags will appear in the same stream.  Hashtags can be used to carryon conversations between Twitter users who are not even connected.  So in this way, popular hashtags become trending topics.  Trending topics can include tweets using a specific hashtag that many people are using at the same time.  Hashtags can be used for personal reasons such as a cause, in-person events,  conferences,  webinars, or marketing campaigns.

3. Hashtag creation

No tools are necessary to create hashtags. As stated above, hashtags are simply text preceded by a # sign. Hashtags can be placed in the beginning, middle, or end of a tweet.  It doesn’t matter.  Simply  pick a keyword and put a # sign in front of the key word.  Although Twitter hashtags are quick and easy to create, there are some traps you can fall into if you're new to creating them. Let’s look at these possible pitfalls and some best practices to keep in mind if you're thinking of creating one to support your marketing efforts.

***BONUS TIP***

Best Practice

1) Check how many people are using the hashtag. If you plan on using a particular hashtag for a specific event and the keyword is being used by others, pick another key word.  Visit http://www.Search.Twitter.com and enter your hashtag in the search box to find out more about the hashtag.  If there is a lot of conversation around it already, you might want to revisit your decision and pick something that isn’t as frequently used. In that way, you will reduce the chances of people who are not a part of your target audience entering/diluting the conversation you want to take place.

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