Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Using Hashtags to Increase Sales & Choices


This explanation of hashtags [#] was shared on Internet Writing Workshop last December by Rasmenia Massoud. She submitted this guest blog o share it with you.

 
"First ~ Hashtags are the number sign [#] followed by words.

Hashtags function to help one start to perhaps find or build an audience. It's a start even if your article ranks 300th in the pile.

The #anywordinsertedhere allows readers to search subjects- at least on Twitter and Facebook. Ie: putting #faith or #fiction or whatever in your post will lump your written piece into that category, allowing it to appear if someone does that kind of search.

Example: Say I put #faith into my FB post. "I am writing a #faith based book entitled XYZ." If someone put #faith into the SEARCH feature, my post would come up as a 'hit'.

I'm not sure how it would rank among the millions of other #faith hashtags, but that's how you get included.

Hashtags are handy to connect specific topics together on social media outlets. They can be used on FB, Twitter, and Instagram to great effect.

For my own part, I primarily use them on Instagram. When I post a photo and add the hashtag #comicbooks, it connects me with other comic book fans outside of my own circle of friends and followers.

If you post on Facebook something like: Working on my new anthology. #amwriting #christian #fiction.

Then anyone searching for #christian will bring up a whole list of posts with that  tag, including yours.

Also, if you click on your own tags, you can find others who are interested in the same thing. It's a great way to connect people and expand on a larger conversation. Play around with it a little - if you see a hashtag on someone's post, click on it and have a look see."

Rasmenia Massoud