Long ago, the ‘#’ symbol represented a hash mark or a simple pound sign. Communication has highly improved in the last couple of years. There have been various social media sites that have enhanced communication around the world. Twitter is an example of such a social media platform. Twitter is the social media website that brought new meaning to the “#’ symbol. Twitter which is a social media website brought some online sensation to the ‘#’ symbol. The ‘#’ sign in twitter represents the #hashtag. Most of the big social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram and many others also begun to use the ‘#’ sign. In simple terms, a hashtag is a keyword that is always preceded by the “#” symbol which can either be written in a person’s post or a comment. This hashtag highlights the written post or comment facilitating a search for it.
Social Media networks are designed to index any word that you hashtag in your post. This enables other people who don’t even follow you to discover your post by clicking on the highlighted hashtag. For example, if you are a footballer and you want to post about a small team that you have in your neighborhood, you can add the #Football. This hashtag snags those people who have a passion for football to be able to see your post.
Why Use Hashtags in your Posts?
All thanks to hashtags, the posts you post online will not just be limited to the people who follow you only. Including hashtags in your post, people who have an interest in similar topics will be in a position to view your posts online. Hashtags have a way of connecting people who have similar passions and purposes online. Also, if you are interested in gaining more followers, online use of hashtags is the key ingredient that will give you more followers. This is because the use of hashtags broadens the reach of your posts and contents online to thousands of fans online and potential followers. Also use of hashtags can help you as a searcher to find more knowledge on some topics you have been searching for online.
Using Hashtags Wisely
To use a hashtag all you need to do is just to include the “#” symbol on a phrase or a relevant keyword in one of your posts. Effective use of hashtags can produce more fruit when online that is why it is important to know how to use them wisely.
- Keep it Short
A research conducted on the behavior of people online indicated that many people prefer reading posts that are short and to the point as compared to long posts. Likewise, when using hashtags make sure you keep your hashtags short and not too lengthy. Lengthy hashtags are known to turn people off.
- Don’t Overuse
Another important tip on using hashtags is to avoid writing your entire post or caption with a hashtag per every word. #You #Don’t #Want #To #Post #Something #Like #This. A rule of thumb when using hashtags is to make sure you use the hashtag on words that bear some significance.
