Hash Tagging

We briefly touched on hash-tagging in my previous blog and I think we can dig a bit deeper into the implications of creating a hashtag. The #hashtag is something that has been embraced by all corners of social media. They’re all using it, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… people are even using it in text messages. It’s somewhat of a trend these days.

But, lets take it back to basics. What does this hashtag mean for PR practitioners? Who would of thought that the little symbol above the number ‘3′ on the keyboard could create so much havoc for some organisations.

Hashtags enable businesses to join in conversations with their audiences, leverage brand popularity, build brand awareness and promote new product and services. Hashtags also allow organisations to follow the conversations customers are having which can help organisations discover new opportunities or rather, where they’re going wrong. Hashtags are designed to create content categories that people can monitor and follow.

Hash-tags: Photo Credit to Maria Elena via FlickrHash-tags: Photo Credit to Maria Elena via Flickr

A recent study by RadiumOne found that

- 58% of consumers say they use hashtags regularly

- 43% said they’re useful

- 34% use hashtags to search

- 41% use them to communicate ideas/feelings

For future PR practitioners, something so simple as a few words after the “#” sign, could make or break an organisation’s credibility. However, the simplicity of a hashtag can assist in boosting a campaign’s online visibility on a multi-platform social media channel. Bye bye to the list of URLs listed on advertisements and hello to hashtags.

So to all the PR people out there, it