Hashtag Basics

Newcomers to the social media world often find hashtags confusing or intimidating. Hashtags are something unique to social media that new users should learn to use to their advantage.

Simply put, hashtags are an easy way to group social media content according to a particular topic. So, when people use the same hashtag on a piece of social media content, everyone can easily see all the content on a particular topic by searching for that topic's hashtag.

Keep It Simple

The first thing to remember when starting to use hashtags is to keep it simple. Some new users tend to over complicate a hashtag making it useless to the user. Hashtags need to be used in a way that allows your base of followers to connect better with the brand and other people who enjoy the brand.

Be Consistent

The second thing to keep in mind when using hashtags is to be consistent. Not only is consistency important in telling a story about your brand on social media, hashtags themselves need to commiunicate a consistent message. If a social media manger is changing hashtags consistently the message can become muddy.

For example, UTSA Athletics frequently uses the hashtags #BirdsUp and #UTSA (in addition to event-specific hashtags) to reinforce brand awareness and provide a reliable hashtag for our fans to search.

People new to social media can harness the power of a good hashtag. By doing this you can improve your brand messaging and build a stronger connection to your fans.

Submitted by —
Luke Walker
Marketing Associate,
Athletics