What's the point of a #hashtag on social media?

When your mamma starts using hashtags on Facebook, you know you've reached peak saturation. And when it comes to the hashtag, you couldn't argue otherwise. Everyone - and their mamma - is using the little number symbol to highlight their social media posts. It's gotten so popular that in 2014, the word 'hashtag' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. That's saying something.

But ironically, most hashtags aren't saying anything at all. 

A surprising number of people on social media are throwing around #'s with little or no understanding of the point. While this is forgivable amongst personal users, who drop a hashtag on every second word, it's not okay for businesses. 

"While social media users have readily embraced hashtags as an important way to discover new content and connect with others, many companies are still wondering whether hashtags are just a fad or are a feature that can drive revenue," says Kevin Bobowski, writing for Entrepreneur.com.

The hashtag made its debut in 2007. Since then it's become the most popular way to categorise content on social media. It creates a virtual database of content linked to a specific topic that is accessible anytime, anywhere via a simple search on a social media platform.

What does that mean? It means that when social media users interested in wine are looking for good content about wine, all they have to do is head to their favourite social media platform and search for it: #wine.

Every single post that has been tagged #wine will appear in the results. And if you're in the wine business, your content should be coming up there too. 

"Companies can enlist hashtags to launch complete campaigns that engage, showcase, aggregate and re-purpose social content to drive business value," says Bobowski.

But if you don't use hashtags in your posts you're being left behind. Your content, no matter how great it is, isn't getting read by dozens of social media users who could be your next customer. 

While rectifying this situation may sound as easy as inserting a hashtag into your next post, think again. Serious strategy should go into your use of a hashtag ensuring that you're highlighting the right words and standing out from the many others who are hash-tagging along with you. Here are our three top tips to getting hashtags right:

Pick a keyword - and stick to it
This can be trickier than it sounds. If you're in the wine business, as mentioned earlier, it may seem legit to simply use #wine. But if you consider how many other people are using #wine in their posts, you'll quickly realise it's an over-saturated category. Instead, try finding a way to link your wine business to something more unique that relates specifically to your brand but is also relevant. For example, if you're a South African wine producer, you might choose to go with #SAwine to set yourself apart from the crowd. Whatever you choose, make sure you stick to it. Your unique hashtag should be used often and should easily fit in with the content you're posting.

Don't go overboard
Johnny Twitter-user loves a hashtag. Every #post he writes on #Twitter has a #hashtag and he #dontcare how #annoying it looks. But Johnny Twitter-user is wrong. You should absolutely be using hashtags on your social media posts - but you should absolutely not go overboard. Having too many hashtags makes content look disorganised. It can also take the focus away from your industry or business, and that can mean the people seeing your content are not the right audience. Limit your # to the most relevant one or two words in your posting. If you've got your own unique hashtag, that is usually the only one you need to use. 

Make it viral
Once you've nailed down a unique hashtag, and content that works really well with it, it's time to grow. Open the hashtag up to your followers. You can do this by simply inviting your your followers to also use your hashtag too, or you can create a campaign out of it and launch a contest, give-away or experience. By encouraging users to engage with your hashtag, you're increasing the number of people who see it - and the number of people who see your brand. You're also growing the pool of content connected to your hashtag, and that gives it more integrity and credibility to those who see it on social media.

Instagram SA's fastest growing #socialmedia platform

Not on Instagram? It may be time to change that. The photo-sharing platform has more than doubled its user base in the past year, according to the South African Social Media Landscape 2016 study.

Growing from 1.1 million users in 2014 to over 2.6 million in 2015, Instagram's a veritable hive of potential new customers that need to hear your brand story.

"As brands become more comfortable with specific social networks, they become far more effective at using them as marketing and positioning platforms," says Fuseware's Mike Wronski. "Instagram is already the big winner among users. Brands want to tap into that enthusiasm."

Instagram may not rank as SA's number one social platform, but it is the most engaging. According to data from Social Media Today, “Instagram has 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook.”

That means Instagram users are more likely to interact with your content. And the more people like, follow and comment - the more attention they're paying paying to your brand and your story.

Still not convinced? Some companies think their info is way too boring to be on Instagram, or that it simply wouldn't benefit business bottom lines. They would be wrong. 

Cool photos are possible to capture in every industry. All you have to do is point, click and let the pictures do the talking for you. Before you know it, you'll increase your brand reach and your potential client base.

According to World Wide Worx, 24% of companies not using Instagram say they plan to in the coming year. Here are our top three reasons why you should join them:

Create a customer bond
Imagery can be intimate. Sharing pictures of your company's progress gives clients an inside glimpse of your business and the people who are behind it. Whether it's a new project, new client or even a new offering on the cantine menu, this is one of the best ways to show the online sphere what a day in your office looks like.

Highlight your portfolio
Showcasing your company's work opens up doors for growing a customer base and for increasing productivity. A snap of a completed work or a big-time campaign in action shows off the standard and quality of what your company produces. That's guaranteed to impress customers, and may even entice other brands to reach out with collaboration opportunities. 

Showcase your employees
A happy business needs happy employees. Instagram offers a number of opportunities to put the people behind your business in the spotlight. Think of it as an online version of the 'employee of the month' campaign. Posting a pic of a job well done leaves staff feeling motivated and satisfied. Pubic recognition also shows clients that your employees matter to you.