Hashtags are more than just trendy symbols. They are powerful tools for social selling that can help you find, join, and lead relevant conversations with your prospects and customers. In this article, you will learn how to use hashtags effectively to boost your social selling engagement and results.
Hashtags are words or phrases preceded by the # sign that categorize and link social media posts by topic, theme, or keyword. For example, #socialselling is a hashtag that connects posts related to social selling. Hashtags make it easier for users to search, follow, and participate in conversations that interest them.
Hashtags can help you reach a larger and more targeted audience, demonstrate your expertise, insights, and value proposition, spark meaningful interactions with prospects and customers, and stay updated about your market and opportunities. In other words, hashtags can help you increase visibility, build credibility and authority, engage with your audience, and monitor your competitors and industry.
Hashtags are a way to give your content discoverability, visibility, & and expandability. They help to give your content exponential attention & and exposure.
Hashtags can definitely help increase visibility to a much larger, targeted audience, but it can also allow sellers to grow in a better of understanding of the customers they serve. If you have built your ideal customer profile, you can begin gaining a better understanding of their interest by the hashtags they use and follow. I believe this is key in relationship building and earning trust.
To use hashtags effectively, it's important to find the ones that match your audience, message, and goal. You should research your buyer personas to identify the topics, challenges, and interests of your ideal customers, as well as the hashtags they use or follow. Additionally, analyze your competitors and influencers to see which hashtags they are using and how they resonate with their audience. There are online tools like Hashtagify, RiteTag, or All Hashtag that can help you discover, analyze, and generate hashtags based on keywords, popularity, or relevance. Lastly, test and measure different hashtags to see how they perform in terms of engagement, reach, and conversions.
Finding relevant hashtags is not enough; you also need to use them strategically and appropriately. Research and testing should be done to determine the optimal number and type of hashtags for each social media platform. For example, Twitter may require 1-2 specific and concise hashtags, while Instagram may need up to 30 descriptive and diverse hashtags. Additionally, it's important to use a mix of branded and unbranded hashtags, as branded hashtags are unique to your business, product, or campaign, while unbranded hashtags are common to your industry, niche, or topic. To maximize recognition and engagement for your hashtags, use them consistently across posts and platforms and encourage your audience to do the same. Additionally, you can use them creatively to create campaigns, contests, or challenges for more buzz and participation.
Using hashtags is not only about broadcasting your message, but also about listening and joining relevant conversations. You can follow the hashtags that interest you and your audience, comment on posts that are valuable, relevant, or interesting, and share posts that you find useful, informative, or inspiring. Additionally, start your own conversations using hashtags and invite your audience to join and share. This can help you build rapport and trust with the poster, establish your authority and leadership, and generate leads and conversions. Hashtags are a vital part of social selling that can help you reach, engage, and influence your prospects and customers - use them effectively to join relevant conversations and boost your social selling results.