Making the most of #hashtags

Hash sign, number sign, pound sign, call it what you like, these little lines can be found all over Twitter.

Have you noticed them? From #justinbieber or #timtebow to #thevoice and #thegrammys, if you are tweeting you can’t have escaped them. I remember when I first started using Twitter, 4 or 5 years ago and I think the first one I saw was #SXSW for the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival held in Austin, TX. To be honest, I felt left out, had no idea what it meant and perhaps I was missing out on something big. I do like to know what’s going on!

Hashtags allow comments to be linked together. By adding the hashtag sign and a word or phrase to your tweets, they can then be reviewed in a stream with all other tweets containing the tag. Used in the right way, these can be powerful and informative. This year, I didn’t need to sit through the various award shows to find out who the winners where and who was best and worst dressed. I just reviewed #Oscars on Tweetdeck and saw the steady stream of photos and comments to get the experience without being tied to my T.V.

Just recently I sat in on a webinar presented by Linked In. It was ‘Best Practices for Getting More Company Page Followers and Growing Engagement’. At the beginning of the event, they mentioned the hashtag of #LICast to use if you wanted to tweet during the broadcast. This gives them, and anyone attending, a quick and effective way to see all of the comments made in one place. It’s a smart way to extend the reach of your event and get others to promote you at the same time. Other hashtags aren’t necessarily decided upon or organized for an event. Pop culture and daily events can help spawn new phrases to use. #Winning anyone??? (Charlie Sheen, if you live under a rock).

I know someone, near and dear to me, who loves to use air quotes but maybe not in the right way and at the right time. It amuses me and he is good enough to let me make fun of him (you know who you are). Using hashtags at the wrong time and in the wrong way is kind of the same thing! Things like #runningallofthewordstogethermakesnosense.

Consider using hashtags related to your industry. For many of our readers, tags like #staffing or #recruiting might be good ideas. Or #jobs, #hiring or #employment. Savvy job seekers using Twitter for their searching might jump right to one of those hashtag feeds. For example, the screenshot to the right shows tweets using #staffing in their tweets.

Another time for using hashtags is during conferences or work shops. The Staffing Industry Analyst Executive Form coming up next week has their own unique hashtag for the event. #ef12 will be used by event coordinators, vendors and attendees alike. Can’t make an event? Just find out their event tag and follow along!

So, in closing, if you are planning a job fair, an open house or any kind of event, consider using a hashtag to help others follow along. If you are attending an event, or can’t be there but want to stay informed, find out the hashtag so you can read and keep up to date. If haven’t ever used a tag, but want to get started, feel free to copy and paste the tweet below and do it now! 🙂 I will be sure to follow along.