Hashtags. Small Symbols, Useful Business tools

Hashtags have been around for so long that it is easy either to overthink them or ignore them altogether.

For a small business, neither is particularly helpful.

A hashtag is simply a way of labelling your content so that it can become part of a wider conversation, topic or community. Used thoughtfully, hashtags can help people discover your posts, understand what your content is about and connect your business with the subjects your potential customers are already interested in.

They are not a magic route to thousands of new followers — but they can still be useful.

## Using Other People's Hashtags

One of the easiest ways to use hashtags is to join conversations that already exist.

If you are a florist, that might include hashtags connected with weddings, seasonal flowers or independent businesses. A builder might use hashtags relating to home renovation, extensions or local property. A business consultant might use hashtags around startups, small business advice or entrepreneurship.

The key word is **relevant**.

Using a hugely popular hashtag simply because lots of people search for it does not necessarily help. Your post may disappear among thousands of unrelated posts — and the people who do see it may have no interest in your business.

A smaller, more specific hashtag can sometimes be much more useful because it puts you in front of a more relevant audience.

Before using one, have a look at the content already appearing under that hashtag.

Ask yourself:

**Would I be happy for my business to appear alongside these posts?**

If the answer is yes, it may be a useful conversation to join.

Platforms such as TikTok continue to provide tools for researching trending hashtags by industry, region and audience interest, which is a useful reminder that hashtags work best when they reflect what your audience is genuinely engaging with.

## Creating Your Own Hashtag

You can also create a hashtag specifically for your business.

That might simply be your business name:

**#TheCollaborationConsultancy**

Or it might relate to a campaign, event, product range or recurring piece of content.

For example:

**#CollaborationBusinessTips**

Having your own hashtag gives your content a simple label that is uniquely associated with you.

Over time, it can help group your posts together and make it easier for customers to find content connected with your business.

If customers or clients begin using the hashtag themselves, it can become even more valuable.

A café might encourage customers to use its hashtag when sharing photographs. A designer might use one to collect finished projects. An event organiser could create a hashtag for attendees to use throughout an event.

Suddenly the hashtag is doing more than categorising content — it is helping create a little community around the business.

## Keep Your Own Hashtag Simple

If you create one, make it easy to remember and easy to type.

Avoid anything unnecessarily long or complicated.

Also check it before you start using it.

Search the hashtag on the platforms you intend to use and make sure it is not already associated with another company, campaign or something completely unrelated.

Capital letters do not affect how a hashtag works, but they can make it much easier to read.

Compare:

**#thecollaborationconsultancy**

with:

**#TheCollaborationConsultancy**

Much clearer.

## Don't Stuff Every Post With Hashtags

More is not necessarily better.

A long block of loosely related hashtags can make a post look cluttered and unfocused.

Instead, think about quality.

You might use a mixture of:

- a broad hashtag relating to your industry

- a more specific niche hashtag

- a local hashtag if geography matters to your business

- your own branded hashtag.

The exact number will vary depending on the platform and the post. What matters most is that each one has a reason for being there.

## Think Beyond the Hashtag

It is also worth remembering that social platforms increasingly understand content through far more than hashtags alone.

Captions, keywords, spoken words in videos and on-screen text can all help platforms understand what a piece of content is about. TikTok, for example, currently identifies relevant content using a combination of captions, hashtags, voiceovers and text within videos.

So rather than concentrating on hashtags alone, make the subject of your post clear throughout your content.

If your video is about marketing a small business, say so.

Write it in the caption.

Put it on screen.

And then use a few relevant hashtags to reinforce it.

## A Simple Hashtag Routine

Before posting, try asking yourself three questions:

**What is this post about?**

**Who would find it useful?**

**What might that person search for or follow?**

Those answers will usually give you a much better starting point than simply copying the most popular hashtags you can find.

## One Final Thought

Hashtags should help people understand and discover your content.

They should not take over the content itself.

Use other people's hashtags to join relevant conversations.

Create your own to help build recognition around your business.

And above all, keep them relevant.

As with most small-business marketing, a little thought tends to be far more useful than simply doing more.