UXL Blog

Last week, I attended an interesting and educational webinar on hashtags. The webinar was put on by members of the Insights® Discovery team. Through this session, I learned some valuable bits of information that I’d like to pass along to you. Here are a few of my key take-aways.

The Basics:

• Hashtags are your friends! Use them to make your social media posts more search-able and to connect with other people in your industry
• Do your research: Know which hashtags are currently popular in your field.
• #Don’tgooverboardwiththelength Hashtags that are too long are often overlooked
• Do get creative and have fun with hashtags in your social media
• Do connect with others in your online community who are using the same hashtags (i.e. #coaching #writer #workingmom)
• Don’t hashtag every word! It seems desperate and amateur.
• Know what’s trending and take advantage (some hashtags are used frequently like #tbt for “Throwback Thursday,” in which you’re encouraged to post an old photo)

Events:

• Create a specific hashtag for any event you host and actively encourage attendees to use it. Don’t be shy! Project your chosen hashtag on your powerpoint or print the hashtag on pieces of paper that you put at each chair.
• If you’re attending an event, see if there is a specific hashtag associated with it. (i.e. #AWP15 for the 2015 Assoc. of Writers Program conference)
• Live tweet (or use whatever your preferred social media platform may be) and use the given hashtag
• Connect with other people at the event by looking up the designated hashtag and starting an online conversation

My main take-away: Don’t be afraid of hashtags! They aren’t something “the kids are doing these days.” They are a useful way to make connections and network in your field. Do a little research and then dive in!

Happy hashtag-ing and don’t forget to #havefun

Tags: a guide to using hashtags, decoding hashtags, don't be afraid of hashtags, hashtag basics, hashtag insights discovery, hashtag webinar, hashtags and social media strategy, using hashtags effectively, UXL blog