I was twelve years old the first time I read the trilogy by Richmond P. Hobson Jr. — a.k.a. Rich Hobson. Book one, Grass Beyond the Mountains took place some thirty years before I opened the cover. It didn’t take me long to grasp that I knew some parts of the country the setting was established in. Some would say it was in our so-called backyard. And how cool was it that he passed through our area to get to his destination. Naming towns along the way that were part of my life.

Normally, when you see my name and the words Carrot Ranch, you link them to the 99Word flash fiction stories I write.

This week, however, I have had the pleasure of joining this literary community as a guest columnist.

It’s always a joy to receive an email from someone I follow that reaffirms my thoughts and practises. This week, I received a link to a blog providing a list of 180 hashtags for bloggers. Reading through the article, I discovered this was not just for bloggers, but for anyone wanting to be noticed on social media. 

Hashtags have come a long way in their meaning and how they can help us advertise to get the word out there Following hashtags that are trending is made easier by lists compiled on social media platforms. 

“But I don’t Tweet and I am not on a lot of social media. Why would I need to use #hashtags?”

You certainly don’t have to; however, the use of one #hashtag using your business name or product at the end of anything you post, is better than nothing. 

Consider this. If you are working you’re butt off to get the books you've written noticed, you might want to end your blog, your twitter post or your FB post with a few hashtags like #BookMarketing #AmWritingFiction and maybe your latest book title #TheQuietSpirits.

If you only post on a specific day of the week, utilize the hashtags that direct people to the day along with a few highlighting the topic you are posting about - i.e. #MondayMorningBlogger #ThoughtsOnTuesday #WellnessWednesday #ThrowbackThursday #FunkyFoodFriday #SaturdayStomp and #SelflessSunday.

Selling specific products should include a #hashtag referencing direct to your business. If you do custom work include #CustomFiberArt. If your business is a service, use #CateringByXYZ or #RanchBandB or #AllNaturalSoap.

Instagram will tell you if the hashtags you are wanting to use is popular, has been used before, or this is the first time they’ve seen it. 

Each time you type in a #hashtag on Instagram, there will be a number beside it. Try to find a happy medium with around 5000 uses (my preference). Under 100 uses is okay, if it is something you want to use and plan to use over and over again as part of your #hashtag program. If the hashtag you want to use shows up with a red line under it, that means it has never been used before. Try a variance of the words to see if you can get it to register. If you’re set on using it, just know that no one out there is doing a search for information that includes the word(s) the way you have written them. 

Twitter is a little less forgiving in my opinion as their trending list will show up on the sidebar and is a rapid state of flux changing more often in a day than I care to speak on.  Using any of the trending #hashtags will most definitely push you up the ranks. 

Play with it, have fun with it, be creative. It is after all free and one of the easiest ways to promote yourself, your product and your business.

Some #hashtag samples from our Instagram and Facebook. 

#AnnEdallRobson #TheQuietSpirits #MoonRising #FromWhereICome #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience