Ever wondered what this symbol means #? Why is everybody using it? Is it a new trend? Is it useful? How can you actually use it? And at the end of the day what does it stand for?
We created a small guide to make your life easier. Either for business or pleasure, we will outline all the necessary information that you need to know to conquer the hashtag frenzy.
How it all began
Hashtags were developed as means to create "groupings" on Twitter, without having to change the basic service. The hash symbol is a convention borrowed primarily from IRC channels.
Definition: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.
People use the hashtag symbol # before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in their Tweet to categorize those Tweets and help them show more easily in Twitter Search.
Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with that keyword.
A hashtag is one of the most powerful tools of Social Media age.
Small Businesses
A hashtag represents an important social media strategy a fitting tag can drive brand recognition and positively impact customer (loyalty).
Use the hashtag before a relevant keyword or phrase to categorize/emphasize/boost your post/tweet and make it easier to appear in post/tweet search.
Best Practices
Don’t spam with hashtags. Like everything in life –too much is overkill. Using too many hashtags, drops the numbers of your followers and cheapens your brand’s reputation.
Try to develop your brand under one main hashtag. Choose one hashtag to speak for your brand and build /strengthen consumer awareness.
- Twitter Chats
Even though hashtags were born online they are still a massive trend that has overflowed offline. They can generate a giant amount of buzz outside of the internet. Public locations can drive hashtag use.
Camel Case
When creating a hashtag for something that may consist of two or more words it's a good idea to use the "CamelCase" format to maintain legibility. The idea is to join words with each word’s initial letter capitalized. For example if I wanted to create a hashtag for South Africa, I would type out: #SouthAfrica instead of #southafrica.
Ps: Don't forget to leave a comment or send us an email with any questions you might have about #TheHashtagStory.
Ps2: #OpiumWorks #WeLoveHashtags | 
