Different Ways a Home Business Can Use Hashtags to Their Advantage
Hashtags have become a prominent part of the online atmosphere and as of late, more and more social media sites have allowed for the categorizing program known as Hashtags. Hashtags are used to allow users to tag posts, pictures, or even video with a hash symbol (#) followed by a word or phrase, such as #Newtek.
Doing this allows the program to categorize anything posted with that hashtag; this makes it similar to search for related posts. The implications of this program have not yet been fully realized by the business community. The ability to tag and search using hashtags can be utilized in many aspects of the business community. Here are four different ways businesses can use hashtags to their advantage.
#Promotion
A survey done by Radium one found that 51% of those who responded to the survey said that they would be more willing to share company hashtags if they were awarded discounts or chances at prizes if they were to do so. This allows leveling of the playing field when it comes to simple effective promotion for small businesses. Not only can you give discounts, and therefore bring in more customers, but this allows you to track promotions activity online.
#Conversation
Hashtags open up the social media world to better converse about your company. A website or a URL post only brings you to the company’s website, while a Hashtag allows people to use it in everyday conversations they have on social media. This also allows you to track the conversation and get a better idea of what is being said and how you can utilize that information.
#Targeting
New marketing tools allow companies to target certain areas or people based on hashtags. For example, if you want to market to people with new homes, you can use the hashtag #newhome to target those who are using that specific hashtag. Using this method is also beneficial, because it allows you to pick out the individuals who are most likely to be using social networks and therefore more likely to give your company positive posting which you can then track using hashtags.
#Innovations
Because hashtags are so new, they are still capable of great innovations. While hashtags and their use in business have begun to be utilized, there are still endless possibilities to what can be done with them. This is the most exciting realm of this new online world. With large companies like American Express announcing plans to allow customers to make purchases using hashtags, the possibly are vast.
Source: CEO of Newtek Business Services Inc., Barry Sloane. For more information, visit NewtekOne.com.
