4 Irritating Ways Businesses Use Hash Tags on Social Media

Social media is a great way for small businesses to engage with their customers. But sometimes, this engagement gets a little bit out of hand, and social media users notice. One example of this is with hash tags.

Hash tags are used to signify that a post or caption on Twitter, You Tube, or Pinterest is relevant to a specific category. Then, when a person searches for that keyword, the tweet, video, or pin will show up in the search results – making it easier for social media users to find topics of interest with ease. This proves beneficial to many businesses because it allows them to target a specific demographic. On Twitter, hash tags are most prominently used, and in some cases, are even put into Tweets to drive a conversation.

While the use of hash tags may seem straight forward, there are many small businesses and companies of all sizes that still get it wrong. Here are some of the most irritating ways hash tags are used on social media that you should avoid in your marketing so that you can keep your followers happy and get found with ease.

Overuse of the Hash Tag
Have you ever seen a tweet that is filled with hash tags? This makes it nearly impossible to glance at and read quickly as tweets are intended, causing it to be less interesting for the person following your account. Overuse of hash tags makes a business look like they are trying too hard to be found under certain keywords and less like they are actually tweeting something of interest to their followers. This can turn a lot of people away and cause your small business to lose followers fast.

Irrelevant Hash Tags
Hash tags are meant to point out relevant posts on a specific topic. If you tweet something about the meal your company just had catered then use the hash tag “#construction” for your construction company, you will turn a lot of people away on your social media profiles. While it is fine to tweet personal topics or put captions on videos or images that may not directly correlate with your business, it should not be done with a hash tag. Instead, save hash tags for use only when it makes sense.

Overly Promotional Hash Tags
You want your customers to love you and you are passionate about what it is you offer, but being overly promotional can turn others that may not be quite as enthusiastic as you away. Show your enthusiasm in non-promotional ways and focus on using hash tags that offer more value to your end user than self-promotion. This will help you get found easier by people searching for your product or service offering and turn fewer people away thinking that all you will do is sell to them in a setting that is meant to be conversational.

High Jacking of a Hash Tag
Hash tags are often times used to promote a conversation about a specific conference or topic. Each day, Twitter also uses hash tags to show off what is trending online. In some cases, businesses see this as an opportunity and hijack the conversation by using hash tags in irrelevant posts just to promote their product. This can have hugely negative consequences and is considered very poor social media etiquette.

The way you use hash tags says a lot about your business. If you want more insight into how to best put hash tags into action and promote your business, contact us today for more help to build a social media strategy that will be effective instead of irritating.