Hashtags... Are You Using Them Wrong?

Hashtags…

What are they used for? How are they used? Where are people finding the hashtags they are using? Am I using it properly? These are questions that I am sure everyone has had at one time or another when the use of hashtags started taking over social media. I know that I had all these questions when I seen them everywhere I looked and wondered how long this trend would last. LOL As this "trend" did not pass I wanted to know what they were used for and how to use them properly.

What is a hashtag?

A hashtag is a label or metadata tag used on social networks and micro blogging services. Hashtags make it easier for users to find messages with a specific theme or content.

A study was done on the proper ways to use hashtags on Facebook and how the misuse of hashtags can cause negative results. This study showed that using too many hashtags can lower your engagement with others.

1-2 Hashtags per post.... Average of 593 interactions

3-5 Hashtags per post... Average of 416 interactions

6-10 Hashtags per post... Average of 307 interactions

More than 10 Hashtags per post... Average of 188 interactions

As you can see from this study the more hashtags used per post can really cause your interaction to suffer. Over using hashtags is not the only thing that can cause a negative effect on your post; the improper use and writing of hashtags can also effect your post. If your hashtags are not written correctly than your post may not reach your target market the way that you are expecting. Below are some of the proper ways to write your hashtags to ensure that they are reach your audience as well as maximizing your interaction.

Proper way to write a hashtag....

*Don't string too many words together with a single hashtag.

*Don't over tag a single tweet

*Hashtag symbol only appears before the keyword

*Don't use punctuation such as an apostrophe or a question mark in a phrase

*Don't put anything in front of a hashtag and always use a space before the hashtag

*Hashtag phrases can't contain numbers only

*Don't put a space in the phrase being used

*Hashtags can be in a sentence or at the end

Are you writing your hashtags correctly?

Check out this list of trending #'s (Hashtags) for your business------>Click Here