If you’re reading this and start rolling your eyes, then this post may not be for you as this can seem basic to some.  But if you’re staring at the computer screen asking yourself, “Are hashtags really worth writing,” then definitely read on.  In fact, if you’re asking yourself, “What in the world are hashtags?” then this post is for you too.  Read on, baby.

What are Hashtags?  A Quick Introduction

Hashtags are words, phrases, and/or keywords used by Twitters to 1) describe the content of the tweet and 2) generate attention, buzz, and/or a following in their own respective conversations/tweets.  Hashtag words don’t have to be part of the actual URL description or tweet conversation, but are usually found right after the conversation/posted link ends.  These hashtags usually start off with the pound sign (#) followed by the user’s choice words, phrases, and/or keywords.  Great examples of hashtags are the latest buzz happening right now founded by our friend, Mr. Charlie Sheen: #Winning and #TigerBlood.

Hashtags are also great for searching for conversations, topics, and discussions on Twitter search and other search engines like Google and Bing.

Why are Hashtags Used?  What are the Benefits of Hashtags?

Social Search

Twitter, if you don’t know already, is one of the strongest and possibly the founding father of Social Search, IMHO.  With social search on the rise, particularly through Facebook, Twitter, and Google, conversations online can now be found through search methods and various engines, hence the term Social Search.  Hashtags are one of those methods used to search those conversations online.

Take, for example, the hashtag “socialmedia”. When searching the hashtag through Google, you’ll find “realtime results” on your search results, indicating that these are displayed results that are mostly specific for tweets, but may apply to most other social platforms.

The realtime results posted on Google are automatically displaying various people’s tweets social media WITH that specific hashtag.

Why is this important? This is important for 3 Reasons:

• Hashtags are now able to be searched on other platforms besides Twitter.  By doing that…
• It makes social connections and conversations more universally searchable… Thus,
• Making contents easier to be generated and aggregated on the fly.

How’s that for realtime results?

Brand Development

With hashtags now searchable, you can target specific hashtag keywords to associate them in your content.  Using SEO techniques as part of that strategy, primarily keyword research, use strong keyword-rich hashtags with your branded contents WHILE utilizing hashtags to create realtime results for searches.  I’ll show you what I mean.

Pretend you’re a small business owner in the fitness industry and your Twitter handle is @FitnessGuru.  The object/goal is to generate interest for the business’ Zumba classes, and is giving away coupon/discount offerings to start.  To create marketing and social hype about your upcoming Zumba classes, you can tailor your tweets in several ways:

1.  FitnessGuru: #Zumba classes are now starting in May! Join the fun, get 50% off 1st mo from @FitnessGuru http://www.fitnessguru.com

2.  FitnessGuru: Take advice from @Showstopper, join a #Zumba class & #getfit. 50% off 1st mo. Coupon: http://bit.ly/blahblah

3.  FitnessGuru: #LoseWeight with us and get 50% off 1st mo of #Zumba classes. Reference? Ask @Showstopper (lost 10 lbs)

The first example uses the type of hashtag you’re trying to generate interest for, which gives your content a strong social-search heading from the start, followed by the actual message behind the searchable hashtag.  Since “Zumba” class registrations are what the business needs, this tweet positions and places that specific keyword on the front of the content.  In SEO, this is called “quality keyword positioning“.

The second example uses social connections to generate a viable reference to the classes, create a more “personal” and “human” connection to the marketing while still maintaining the hashtag at a reasonable position in the content.  Using your followers or your social connections is very critical to gaining brand exposure, especially if your followers are legit and can strongly vouch for your business.  In addition, this uses a URL shortener at the end, in which the long-tail URL can be customized for SEO and be used for content targeting and analytics perspectives.  More on this subject very soon.

The third example shows the “effect” of what the physical state of Zumba will do to a person, creating a more visual and visceral sense of engagement than the previous. Oh, and it’s also catering to using your followers as reference AND a searchable hashtag to boot.

Of course, these are just general examples of a fictitious business, but you get the point.  Different variables can play out on your tweet, but there is a strong indication that your positioning of hashtags and/or keywords can deliver you more effective results.  What I suggest you NOT do (or at least not do OFTEN) is to use your business name or entity as your hashtag.  You’re already tweeting about your business, and your twitter handle is already showing off your tweet.  You should focus on using hashtags that powerfully describe your company instead, as this is another SEO technique that can be used within the social world.

Social Authority and Authenticity

Hashtags have multiple uses for your business, and one awesome result that can happen is that your business becomes a bigger authority of a specific subject based on your tweets.  I will say that the word “authority” can be taken loosely, depending on the types of tweets you send, the relevancy of those tweets to the subject and/or hashtag, and the relevancy of those tweets to your company business and industry.  With all that said, the quality of tweets with the right hashtag for the right audience does boost your social authority.  Ask people like @JasonFalls, @webdesignerdepot, @GuyKawaski, @jowyang, @PSDTuts and the like: they have the authenticity in their businesses and industry to be relevant, and their social mediums are an extension of their authenticity, making them even more relevant with the authority to boot.

Conclusion

Hashtags are definitely a great thing to include in your tweets, but it shouldn’t be the only thing that makes a user click on your tweet or become a follower.  The idea of hashtags are based on the relevancy of your content and how that describes your business, company, and/or individual personality.  The quality of hashtags, the frequency of use within a relevant content will definitely set you apart from the rest.

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