Many entrepreneurs and small businesses feel the pressure to join social media, craft the perfect copy, add a few hashtags and expect their likes and engagement to sky rocket, but they do not use hashtags effectively. 

Hashtags serve a purpose, and they can work for B2B if they are used effectively.

Social media can be overwhelming, especially for entrepreneurs and startups. You might feel this need to reserve a handle on every platform, and start posting, but as with all things B2B, it is important to have a plan and strategy in place, and this is true for using hashtags. 

How can Hashtags Help Your Business?

Hashtags can really boost your business, but in order for that to happen you need to track relevant hashtags that speak to your business, its brand and value prop. Hashtags should not be treated as a separate strategy, they should be woven into your overall marketing and SEO marketing strategy in order to deliver results as these efforts can support lead generation. 

How do Hashtags Work?

Remember, hashtags are like SEO for your business, so using relevant hashtags help people outside of your direct network to find you and your business organically, creating a plethora of opportunities.  Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter, who pride themselves on being B2B friendly, allow users to follow a hashtag, and this is an opportunity for your business to enter the conversation, and to be discovered.

How do I Use Hashtags Effectively? 

Here are the tactics you should consider when adding hashtags to your marketing strategy, and how to use them effectively. 

1. Generate a list of hashtags that are relevant to your brand. These are hashtags that you want to be associated with, like #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness. This is a list that should be updated regularly. Try revisiting this list every quarter for example. 
2. Use conference and trade show hashtags. These types of events are very popular in the B2B space, so look ahead and research the hashtags that are being used by the organizers, and enter the conversation. Whether you can attend or not, it is a great way for your business to be discovered within that audience. 
3. Use industry relevant hashtags. This might seem obvious, but a lot of B2B businesses miss this point. Using industry specific hashtags can help you get discovered, and pull in future leads. This is especially true when there is a shift in your relevant industry, this is an opportunity to be a part of the conversation and provide a solution to a problem that has sprung up. 
4. Look at each social platform separately when doing your hashtag research. Each social platform is its own ecosystem, so it is important to view them that way and understand the ways in which that platform can serve your business. You may see some cross over with a similar hashtag, so it is important to make sure that that is a hashtag that you want to be using to drive leads for your business. 
5. Look at your competitors. Your competitors can tell you a lot, just by looking at their social media platforms and the hashtags that they are using. This again, ensures that you are a part of the industry conversation, and being considered by potential leads. By using the right hashtag, it could be the one thing that gets you the lead over your competition. 

As you can see, there is a lot more to hashtags than just dropping a # in front of a couple words. You must be intentional with your hashtags, so that you can reach a desired audience outside of your immediate network, while also boosting your engagement, growing your brand and of course, what every small business wants, to increase lead generation. 

If you are looking for more ways to improve your marketing strategy, or to find out more about our part time marketing solutions, connect with us.