How can hashtags help your cause?

As we know, a hashtag is a hash symbol (#) that’s followed by a word or phrase. They are an important element of the social media world, as they tie people together, not only in a functional sense but in an emotional one too, because they help people feel like they’re part of a larger conversation.

Hashtags are a great tool for promoting, and building a community around, your cause. They help draw attention, let you join in with a conversation around the topic and let you discover and connect with other like-minded people and organizations who are also concerned with the issue at hand.

Tips for using hashtags to promote your cause and build your community:

• Research the key hashtags. When thinking about using hashtags for advocacy, the first thing to do is to research what hashtags people are using in relation to the cause you’re advocating for. Use the most popular hashtags (the key hashtags), as this will ensure that you draw attention to your content. Your posts are then discoverable by people when they search that hashtag and your content will also be grouped with other similar content.
• Be specific. It’s also important that the hashtags you use are as specific as possible so that you join in with the relevant conversation. For example, let’s say you live in a town called ‘Anytown’ and you want to encourage people in your town to recycle more. The sort of hashtag you should use would be ‘#AnytownRecycling’ rather than a hashtag like ‘#climatechange,’ as this is too generalized and your posts could get lost in the noise that surrounds such a large hashtag.
• Be consistent. It’s important you use the same key hashtags with all of your posts that are about your cause. This will help ensure you stay part of the conversation and will magnify your message to attract more people to your cause.
• Repost content with the same hashtags. Reposting other people’s and organizations’ content with the same hashtags is another good way to stay part of the conversation. Also, commenting on and liking their content keeps you involved and promotes your cause. But make sure you verify the sources first.