Online social media influencers have been a great marketing tool since shortly after their conception. These influencers are people who have a massive audience following them on their social media handles and pages. They then use that to their advantage by marketing products for businesses that ask them to.
Usually, they promote campaigns that are trending, be it social or humanitarian campaigns. However, nowadays, influencers have started promoting individual businesses for products that are worth their while or that bring positive socio-economic development.
One of the most effective tools they use is hashtags. So, how did they change the careers of influencers nowadays? Let’s find out.
How hashtags have made it easy to be an influencer
Being an influencer a decade ago was something reserved for the most popular celebrities. That changed as years went by and social media started being adapted by most people of all cultures all around the world.
Social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that allows hashtag links, have made it possible for anyone and everyone to be a social media influencer.
The reason behind that is because all users of that social media channel can search for the most trending hashtags. Once they have searched them all posts that used the hashtag will be visible to the audience that searched for it.
So, by using the right hashtag, any person can reach the audience he is targeting and begin his career as a social media influencer. If the post with the hashtag reaches a keen audience, the aspiring influencer will start gaining more followers and grow his career.
Opportunity for micro-influencers
Influencers are categorized as per their social media following ranging from nano influencers to actual celebrities. Hashtags have changed the game regarding the exposure of these micro-influencers. This is because they can now be considered as influencers by using niche hashtags that are quite narrowed down.
Their following does not have to be that high because of that but even a social media user with as much as 1 000 followers can be considered as an influencer. The feature of hashtags being searchable is the one that brought this advantage to all types and sizes of influencers.
Narrowing down your target audience
Back when print media was the main marketing tool, a lot of money went into paying for those services only for the marketing material to reach the wrong audience. This was a waste of time, efforts and resources and as social media started phasing in a lot of businesses marketed themselves on those social media channels.
Just as print media, it also did not reach the targeted audience properly but hashtags solved that problem. Social media hashtags are written to a particular niche targeting a specific group of people, making it a better option for influencers to market businesses.
By doing research on which hashtag is trending to which group of people, influencers will be able to know which hashtag to use. This will ensure that the post reaches the target audience and does not fall to deaf ears.
For example, on print media, you can advertise camping gear and that newspaper or magazine may not be read by even one person who likes camping. On the contrary, if you use hashtags on social media, you can reach those people who like camping.
For example, if the hashtag #CampingLife was trending amongst campers, you would ride that wave by using that hashtag to reach the desired audience.
Researching the internet and working on hashtags is time-consuming and you have to be prepared for it. As a student entrepreneur, if it looks undoable because of lack of time, use a paper writing service that provides custom writing. MyAssignment is one of the best in thesis, dissertation and college essays writing. Extra time on your hands means an opportunity for you to devote more time to understanding how Twitter works and how to use it effectively.
Twitter Hashtags
Twitter is the largest social media channel that uses hashtags on a daily basis. Those hashtags have assisted unemployed people in finding employment and startup businesses gain exposure and even capital influx. More specific hashtags are used but also more ambiguous hashtags are being used.
For example, businesses may use specific hashtags to reach a specific audience about their brand. On the other hand, others may just be posting for the hell of it and hashtags like #FridayFeeling, #TBT, #WCW may be used by the latter. This is a great tool for your post to get exposure though and this is why influencers use them to get more followers.
Some influencers use some hashtags of insightful conversations by joining in the conversation by posting relevant content with that hashtag. You should not join the conversation by using a generic message that adds no value to your audience. The idea is to use content that’s most relevant.
Your content should not only be relevant to the hashtag but it should also be relevant to your followers. A good example of how a business has done this is DHSPortsTavern in a post that highlighted their Tuesday specials and then used the hashtag #TacoTuesday.
This hashtag was relevant to their business because they have Tuesday specials and they linked it to celebrating #TacoTuesday which is an appealing hashtag.
Real Life Examples of how Twitter hashtags were used effectively
A real-life example of how you can opportunistically use hashtags was when Audi used the hashtag #WantAnR8. This hashtag was initially made by one Twitter user, Joanne McCoy. Audi seized the opportunity by letting her drive an R8 for one day and started a marketing campaign around it.
#ShareACoke was also one of the greatest Twitter hashtag marketing campaigns the internet has seen. This hashtag made a lot of people with unique names known by the world and these individuals had the opportunity to use their names to become Twitter influencers.
Hashtags can be made about the one being promoted
Social media influencers can gain more followers and help the brand being promoted by customizing hashtags to be about the one being promoted. This can be accomplished by coming up with relative content that can be linked with the currently trending hashtags.
For example, an influencer can use the hashtag, #ThrowBackThursday by sharing the history of that brand or person being promoted.
By mentioning the business or person being promoted in the post, influencers can increase the following of that person or company and increase their own exposure. Because of that versatility, hashtags can be used by influencers effectively to promote brands and individuals.
Blow your horn with hashtags
Twitter hashtags can be used for most marketing applications and the ability of influencers using them effectively is quite important. In digital marketing, it is all about reaching the most people that are keen on your product. This is possible through hashtags because they are an effective yet organic way to reach your targeted audience.
You do not have to look for your potential followers because they find you. All you have to do is pick the right hashtag, sit back and watch how it plays out.
This task has become easier because of the development of hashtag pickers. They help influencers and social media users find the trending hashtags that they can use.
This makes the lives of Twitter influencers easier because they can take on more clients without being concerned about not being able to deliver on time. This is caused by that they can manage their time better instead of spending countless hours looking for the perfect hashtags.
Gaining followers by activism
Influencers can also gain followers by using activist hashtags that combat some humanitarian issues or discrimination. For example, influencers can use hashtags about #AllLivesMatter and gain following by people who love that topic.
The #MeToo campaign also helped influencers emotionally connect with their audience on a deeper level. This campaign allowed influencers to share their personal stories and also for their followers to do the same. They also had the chance to switch roles with their followers by showing support and love to their followers.
The bottom line
There is no doubt that hashtags have changed the way social media influencers work. They have made their jobs easier and made it easier for newer players to tap into this industry. Also, it has made it easier for influencers to find and connect with a particular audience while being able to be diverse. On the other hand, micro-influencers have managed to tap into this industry by sticking to their niche but still earn their title with a smaller number of followers.
Author bio:
Michael Gorman is among the top expert writers in the academic arena. He’s a writer, proofreader, and an editor based out of the UK. His current assignment is with uk-dissertation.com and recently done top paper writing service review and academized reviews on his blog. His other interest areas are finance, tech and business. He can be contacted via Facebook or check his Twitter.
