Yep you heard me right?  Hashtags used in a social media setting (for the most part) annoy me.  And that’s saying something!

I am rarely tempted to click on a hashtag to see related posts on that subject as more often than not, the hashtag used is seemingly random and typed without thought.

Take the word #winner – are you showing that you could be a winner, want to be a winner, are a winner – the collection of posts grouped in this category are random to say the least.  What’s the point?

I am just not interested (nor do I have the time) to click on irrelevant links.  It might be different if I did.  I might just enjoy searching terms like #hashtag (I mean really!).

When you use hashtags, I urge you to analyse your usage behind it.  By all means group your tweets or posts under a common name such as your company name but what benefit does it give you by hashtagging for hashtag’s sake?  Are people really going to search random words to see your posts all bundled together in amongst a pile of unrelated gibberish?  Following the crowd just to stay up with trends is meaningless and pointless

On the other hand well-used and thoughtful hashtags get my vote.  As a copywriter and social media marketer, they are a perfect way to identify relevant conversations but in reality, this rarely happens.

So what can you do?

Always check to see if the hashtag is relevant to your business and identify whether the hashtag content is fit for your customer base?  Will it benefit your business or your customers?  Over-use of a hashtag can also work against you so tread cautiously.

I do love the fact that a hashtag has the ability to create a specific mood whether it is irony, humor or both simultaneously.  However be careful when it comes to your hashtag usage as you don’t want to end up being the butt of the #hashtagjoke.