One of the most popular social media networks, Twitter rolled out a new feature called “hashtag” in 2009. Hastags, which begin with # and contain a word or a group of words, offer a unique method for users to discover related content.
This feature has been recently adopted by Facebook as well. The term does not have an equivalent in Turkish. It would be safe to say, though, that hashtags serve as a “tag”, given their function. Also used on many social media networks such as Instagram, Google+, Pinterest and Tumblr, hashtags rank first among the methods that are used most often to discover similar posts or content.
Hastags have also become a very efficient tool for marketing. Here are some tips about how and why hashtags can be used in the accommodation industry…
Draw new followers
Using hashtags that might draw the attention of your target group will increase your social network visibility. Thanks to hashtags, your target group can have a look at the areas of their interest, and discover your posts with the same hashtag. This will automatically increase your followers. An increase in the number of your followers, of course, means more effective social network marketing.
Communicate with your potential customers
You can also find potential customers who plan to travel to your region and search accommodation options on social network sites featuring hashtags. To achieve this, you can find those using related hashtags with search options and get into touch with them.
Watch out the number of hashtags
An important detail is the number of different hashtags in a single post. Twitter’s limit of 140 characters will already prevent you from using too many hashtags. However, using too many hashtags on other social network sites with no limitation of characters could decrease the number of views and result in wandering off from your message. When and if appropriate, pinpointing by using one hashtag in a post is also an effective method. If your message is more comprehensive, you might consider using 2 or 3 hastags.
Ensure hashtag consistency across different networks
Your marketing activities across different mediums need to have certain consistency, which is a not-to-miss detail for hashtags across different networks. Try to use the same hasthags for your posts with similar content on various platforms.
Do market research and measure brand image with hashtags
Hashtags are helpful for users to discover new content. You can also obtain valuable information about the market by following hashtags about the accommodation industry to see users’ comments, expectations, and the hotels for which they share opinions. You can find the posts about your own complex with the same method, and monitor on a real time basis the image of your brand perceived by your guests.
Hashtags are taking on a major role in terms of marketing. Before it is too late, start using this effective tool. To find out how to use hashtags, have a look at what people are talking about under #tatil (vacation) hashtag on Twitter and what kind of posts are shared under #hotel hashtag on Facebook.
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