The social media has undergone a massive change since its inception. Every day some or other upgrade takes place which wipes out old-fashioned trends enabling the work to be done more easily. Social groups/communities are the most commonly used forms of social networking, these groups provide a common platform for like-minded people where they can share their views, discuss various topics, or provide any guidance. The introduction of “Hashtag” gave a major boost as it supported the fashion of “trending” on these groups. Now one may ask what is “Hashtag”? Is it as simple as tagging # (Hash) sign?

That’s right! Hashtag is the use of # sign as prefix to your word or phrase on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flicker, and Google+ etc. As a follower, it is an easy way of tracking topics of interest; whereas as a writer on these social media sites, it widens your reach to a larger group. Use of Hashtag in your post will increase engagement by labeling your content and makes it visible to your audience who is possibly interested. Moreover Hashtag will give access to the people who are not even aware about your topic/posts. Many people fail to capitalize on the tremendous benefits that Hashtags offer. When you use Hashtag, it should be unique, short and appropriate. Let’s consider some of commonly employed practices of using Hashtag:

• Appropriate Application:

Application of appropriate Hashtag will make your post reachable to your focused audience. Hashtag will make your post visible at the top in your recent activities and also in associated feeds. At the same time you should not overuse it; as the extra usage will not add much value, using Hashtag judicially will fetch maximum benefits for your post.

• Delve/Dig for Hashtag:

Creating new and unique Hashtag is very important as thousands of Hashtags are created every day. Before adding Hashtag to your post you need to explore various sites to find out Hashtags already in-use. Always try to come up with your own unique Hashtag; because pre-existing Hashtags will support someone else’s post and won’t contribute to your post.

• Find useful links:

Model your Hashtags on the similar lines as the existing popular Hashtags. The search for useful links plays a vital role in increasing your followers when you join conversations in popular posts.

• Keep it Relevant:

Maintaining relevance to your subject matter is one of the most important factors. In social media marketing industry, everyone is aware of the importance of keywords. The presence of relevant and appealing keywords in your post really builds its strength; thus making a strong case in front of your existing and prospective followers.

• Short and Sweet:

You generally have limitations on the word count in any post. Despite having limited scope of words, keeping your Hashtags short & sweet will accrue better results.

Try these simple techniques, use #Hashtags in an innovative fashion and set a benchmark for your posts in the circle of your followers.