Get your hashtag on

 This series is for the newbies to hashtags in social media, so is really for those of us who take longer to learn this stuff (because we didnt grow up with it) or maybe you need to learn it out of necessity... for business, like I have!
Some of us are forced to get familiar with the hashtag strategy for marketing purposes. When I studied marketing the hashtag hadn't been invented in marketing yet.... yep...I'm THAT old!  I must say though, I am enjoying this ongoing online learning curve. I test the waters for my business and experiment 'my way' using this phenomenon called hashtag. I see what works for me and for my business and I don't mind sharing what I learn. Hence this post.

​HASHTAG BOOTCAMP

At the rate social media and online marketing is evolving and with changes seemingly being the only constant at times...any 'hashtag qualification' would be quickly outdated when it comes to 'the latest' in this area. Back when I studied Marketing the hashtag was merely a pound or number sign, nothing more.   I find myself now as a small business owner in an online world of hashtags,  learning (on the go) how it can benefit my business so I can help others use this free and powerful platform.  I study this topic regularly and I research social media marketing strategies and techniques  .. I investigate... Oh and I pick the brains of the Gen Y's in my life, after all, they use hashtags without even thinking about it! And don't worry, this is not a history lesson in hashtags!

​In this series I will share what I have learnt,  so this Bootcamp is for anyone that needs hashtag help, or for anyone interested in learning more, starting with the basics. Come along with me on the hashtag discovery trek.

If you know all there is to know about hashtag world or you have a degree in communications (or you're a Gen Y hashtag level expert) ...you can stop reading here.

I love social media, not 100% of the time mind you, it certainly has its 'poor form' moments. I do love the creativity, the connectedness it can bring, the story telling, the visual and photographic aspect, the educational avenue it can open up and the engagement and information sharing. It can be used for fun social stuff, for business or to support a person,  group, a community or generate awareness for a cause or charity the list goes on. This post is about the basics...with the focus being for small business' marketing strategy.

Hashtag heaven or hell

I was going to call this series something like 'hashtag for dummies' but we are not dumb if we simply have never used it before. It just means we have to learn (or pay someone to do it for you). Any small business owner will tell you that you never stop learning and particularly at start up stage, it seems like 'learning curves' are thrown at you at every turn!

the rules change all the time...as social media evolves, keeping up to date with new tricks and tips for business is vital

Guess what that means! You will always be learning about social media and how to best use it for your business. It will be an ongoing necessity. I can hear groans of dread and sighs of disbelief for some. For those who would like to avoid it at all cost but still want to implement online PR in their marketing strategy and business plan...you have come to the right place. Offload your social media mayhem to me so you can 'Bee free' to NOT have to learn about getting your hashtag on! That means you can stop reading here after you contact me for an obligation free initial consultation. Everyone else...soldier on at hashtag bootcamp...... see Part II coming soon!

What to expect in the next posts....

We will warm up with a bit more of the basics like; the @ symbol explained, No-No's then we will smash it out with high impact use of hashtags to drive branding, sprint through some event hash tagging then hey, let's Star jump it to find out WHEN it matters to use what's 'trending', we might even do some burpees with campaigns and competitions and cool down with how to make the most of multiple platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Don't forget to leave some fuel in the tank for the next Bootcamp Part II.

Don’t have the 'KNOW HOW' to manage that social media page or are you so busy you 
simply haven’t had time to even set one up?
​I can develop and manage your online profile and work with you to build your digital brand - Get noticed, stay noticed! Save TIME and stress less!

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