Hello everyone.
This is blog post 328. This blog post is an answer I gave on Quora to the question asked in the title, How Important are Hashtags on Twitter in 2015? It is an interesting question. There is a general feeling among non users and light users of Twitter that hashtags are no longer relevant. As a Social Media platform Twitter is constantly evolving and the general consensus seems to be that hashtags are somehow passé. This point of view that hashtags are ‘so 2012’ is conveyed brilliantly in this sketch from Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake.
Image Credit: The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon – NBC
🙂 There was a time when hashtags were being overused and by that I mean too many being included into one particular tweet. In some cases tweets were being composed entirely of hashtags but poor usage on the part of some Twitter users did not mean that hashtags had become irrelevant.
In actual fact hashtags are still important in 2015 because they enable Twitter users to join conversations other Twitter users may be having around the same topic that you are tweeting about. This still works today.
Consider one of the most famous hashtags of recent years #BringBackOurGirls. This was a hashtag created after around 300 Nigerian schoolgirls from Chibok were kidnapped in mid April 2014. There was a slow response from the Nigerian government to the kidnapping by Boko Haram and a series of international protests were held around the world. At the same time #BringBackOurGirls began trending on Twitter and by 11th May it attracted 2.3 million tweets. Clearly, the hashtag helped to spread the news of the kidnapped girls.
Image courtesy of Mashable.com
Two online resources will help you track the popularity of any particular hashtag. The first is called hashtags.org . This resource will confirm tell you how many tweets per hour have been sent using a particular hashtag. Simply type your hashtag into the search box at the top of the home page. The second great resource is Hashtagify.me – Search And Find The Best Twitter Hashtags – This site helps you find the best hashtags related to a particular topic. Both resources can be used for free. We use them to identify the most effective hashtags for our clients’ tweets.
Best practice use of hashtags is not to include too many in a single tweet. One or two is better than three. Use the tools above to research the hashtags that are likely to give you most traction and extend your reach on Twitter.
B2B Content Marketing Agency London
Marketing Fundamentals Ltd is a B2B Content Marketing Agency in London that creates Content and manages Social Media for Professional Services firms.
If you would like our help creating and executing a Content Marketing Plan for your business or organisation give us a call on +44 (0) 845 2264 247. You can also email us via mail@marketingfundamentals.com
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I hope you find this information useful.
Best wishes,
Mike Pitt
Founder & CEO
Marketing Fundamentals Ltd
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This is blog post number 328.
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