“What can you tell me about this hashtag stuff?” a fellow colleague asked me at a technology conference last week. I tried to explain that hashtags are a form of metadata, a way to mark a specific topic and make it searchable, but she looked even more confused. She shook her head and muttered something about social media and Millenials.

We’ve been seeing hashtags gain more traction since Facebook introduced clickable hashtags in June. But what does this mean for brands, businesses and digital marketers? Why should we pay attention to that little pound sign peppered throughout our online content? And perhaps the most important question is, how do we effectively use hashtags? Here are 5 hashtag basics to help you on your way…

1. Mark specific topics with hashtags

In essence, a hashtag is a keyword, preceded by the hash symbol (#). This tagged keyword makes it easier for users to find and track conversations about a certain topic. For instance, if I log on to Twitter and type in #print, every user who has included #print in their content will pop up. I can then sort through and see what people are saying about print. This works with any topic.

2. Utilize consistent hashtags across all social networks

In the beginning, only Twitter utilized hashtags, but the tracking method spread to Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and now Facebook. This is great news for businesses and social marketers because hashtags allow a business to stay consistent with their messaging across all social platforms. This means that you can mark your own content with a specific hashtag anywhere you post it, making it searchable on any platform.

3. Utilize hashtags for forum discussion

Marking your content isn’t just about helping people find you, it’s also about improving communication with the right people. Nowadays, Twitter users will have scheduled chats that revolve around a hashtags. At specific times, people gather online to share information and knowledge about specific topics. Be sure to join chats that are relevant to your business or brand. Contributing is just as important, if not more important than promoting yourself on social channels. Hashtag chats are a great way to contribute your knowledge and learn from others.

4. Create Unique but searchable hashtags

Creating a successful hashtag can be difficult. You want something that people are actually going to think about searching for, but if you tag a common topic, no one will notice your content. We saw a great example of creative hashtagging last week on “Free Slurpee Day.” 7Eleven rolled out their own #SlurpeeDance hashtag, encouraging people to post videos of themselves dancing with their free slurpees. The hashtag spread as people used it, not only to mark their own video, but to find other’s videos.

5. Be careful not to overuse or misuse hashtags

All too often social media users create long hashtags like, #ITendToUseTooManyWordsInaHashtag, or they place a hash symbol in front of every word. Unproductive hashtagging only brands you as unprofessional. People won’t pay attention to a post that is cluttered with too many hash symbols. Keep your tags short and relevant.

If you would like help with social media strategy or managing your digital communications, we’d love to help. Feel free to contact us here.