The Hashtag- Why is it Important?

5 Reasons the Hashtag is
Vital to Online Marketing

In one of my last semesters in college, I was taking Digital Rhetorics. We studied habits and theory of various forms of rhetoric in the digital sphere and how communication ‘behaves’ in various forms on online and visual media (i.e videos, infographics, social media Newsfeed, even search engine results). At the end of the semester we needed to compose a visual essay of a research subject of our choosing. I chose to attempt to define writing within the digital sphere and other major components including the hashtag, the emoji and social media status posts. My question: are they elements of writing/rhetoric and do they have any “value” in the digital sphere? That is, do they carry any significance or weight in the world of communication? This post may sound meaty/lofty/nerdy, but I swear there is valuable information from my research! 

When I first started this research project in college, I honestly dismissed the hashtag and thought it held no real value in the Digital Space. However, I concluded in my research that it does indeed have rhetorical value and can be used to benefit you or your business/nonprofit/e-commerce store. Read on to find out the significance of #thehashtag and how it influences the success of your online marketing and real life examples about how it influences the public on a global scale!

**Disclosure: this post contains affiliated links- this means that I may earn a commission from these products if you buy them using these links at no additional cost to you. Read full disclosure here.  

Hashtag & Marketing

Once upon a time, this figure (#) was used to mark numbers, or confirm a decision on the phone. Then it transformed into the hashtag and became something with rhetorical value, it became a digital tool and something with significance in the Online World.  The hashtag is something that can make yourself part of a community, keep things organized online, start trends, bring political awareness and be used on a global scale.  It can also categorize conversations, and be used to make quick jokes when you’re creating social media posts. 

Be Part of an Online Community

Let’s say you accomplished a difficult hike in a state park, hunted or went fishing, and took a picture of one of those moments to show “the whole world”. You post the photo with the caption Finally made the climb. Totally worth it. But if you want “everyone” to know about it, you need to include a series of hashtags to add yourself to the community. You conclude your caption with #hiking #mountain #mountainlife #finally #worthit #strong #MT #montana #montanalife (I live in Montana).  Right away, you’re adding yourself to the community that is of fellow Montanans, and the people who like outdoor activities. 

Make an Online Community

As a business/organization, you can name a hashtag after yourself, your services, or events. Tell your guests at fundraisers to use the hashtag, if you’re running a marketing campaign, create a hashtag that is used to bring everyone together and ultimately, bring awareness to your business/organization.  

Some time ago, I came upon the phrase Boss Babe on Pinterest, and when I became part of the real world post-college, I had a few triumphant moments that made me feel like I was a #bosslady and #bossbabe and started using it here and there during my personal posts. For 2020, The Montana Woman Foundation decided to focus on a Boss Babe themed awareness campaign. To make our boss babe focus specific to us, we named it Montana Boss Babe. The campaign included who are Boss Babes, what they do, and what they can do to keep being a Montana Boss Babe. I used each component of what is a Montana Boss Babe to reconnect to The MWF and what we offer to Montana women. To create a community, we started using #montanabossbabe and #montanawomanbossbabe. The goal was to create a pool of posts from our account and all over the state and a community where all Montana women who are feeling like total rockstars, can shout that out and then conclude their posts with either of those hashtags. It was going to be an ever-evolving campaign that continued to grow throughout 2020. 

Use the Hashtag to Make Online “Albums”

I use it to make online “albums” for myself. I have a hashtag for my dog named #msVioletJohnson where I have about 100 (maybe more) photos of Violet from the time we got her until today. Later, instead of scrolling through all my Instagram photos, I can click on the hashtag and see all the photos in one place. It is also a clever trend for wedding photos. Every guest is included in the process of photographing the special day by using a hashtag designed by the bride/groom. Later they can see everything was taken that day. 

Hashtag & the Public

 The hashtag- or a hashtag series- can also be used to spread political awareness. In the chapter Ambient Awareness in Smarter Than You Think, Clive Thompson describes a moment in which a hashtag held powerful rhetorical value: 

American journalist Mona Eltahawy was arrested by Egyptian security forces during a protest,” she later sends a Tweet, notifying her followers of her arrest (214). Not long after, two of her friends “set up a hashtag- #FreeMona- to coordinate how to help Eltahawy…twenty minutes later…supporters were discussing how to help that #FreeMona” (215). The hashtag had been used “in a moment of crisis” and sure enough Mona Eltahawy had been released. (!!!!) 

This example illustrates the rhetorical value that a hashtag can operate on. #FreeMona was used to create a community of support and awareness, its worth more powerful than a pound sign.

Applicable Examples for Hashtag & Marketing

Example 1 

You’re a business that sells hiking gear (let’s use a simple business name like Finn’s Hiking Gear). When you post something of one of your products, add a catchy caption and use #hiking #hikinggear #finnshikinggear #hikingislife #shopfinns  That way, you are marketing yourself and adding yourself to the community that is going to finding you via the hashtags like #hikingshoes or #hikinggear

Example 2

One of my previous client sells vintage jewelry as reimagined magnets. When I designed her website, I came up with some hashtags that her customers can later use when they take pictures of her work #hazylubridal #hazyluheritage #hazylucustompiece #hazylufun Now, when someone sees a post with her work in them, they can become aware of her company. 

Example 3

If you’re hosting a banquet, have people include #yourbanquet (example: #mwfbanqet2020) in their photos so that everyone can become part of that. If you are an organization that helps specific people (like The MWF), include hashtags specific to who you help and how. Example: #scholarships #successforwomen #scholarshipsforwomen

Example 4

As a blogger, who has only recently started to market myself more seriously, I have found that a wide variety of hashtags bring me to the surface of a search. One of my most beneficial hashtags has been recipe and cooking related, sometimes it’s #adulting, other times it really is #writer #blogger #lifestyleblog #lifestyleblogger #contentwriter

Final Thoughts on the Hashtag & Its Importance

The reason the hashtag has rhetorical value and can benefit you is because you can market your business/organization through building a community that is centered on who you are and what you do and use hashtags as a way for people to find you. Spend some time brainstorming keywords that are specific to who you are and how you help others and then blend them with relevant hashtags for your posts. 

PS- If you use Tailwind, their Smart Assistant tells you how awesome a hashtag is- even telling you how many people are using the hashtag. You can also create lists on your account so that you can add dozens of hashtags to a post with just a couple clicks! Try their Free Trial or Start by learning from my experience with Tailwind.