The Hashtag…
We had a call this week from a marketing manager at a regional senior living company. She has just been tasked with “social media stuff.” The company owner’s nephew had been doing it. (We’ve all been there right?) This nice lady was quick to admit she doesn’t even have a Facebook page of her own and all this “tweeting” seems strange to her. She was pretty sure the owner’s nephew – who claimed to be an expert – didn’t know what he was doing either. So we looked at a few of their social channels while we were talking.
#Holy #Hannah #Ive #Never #Seen #SoMany #Hashtags
(My apologies for the spam those hash tags may cause!)
It reminded me of this segment from my favorite night time comedian – Mr. Jimmy Fallon!
From Whence they Came
Hashtags got their start on Twitter. They are a method of denoting a conversation. If, for example, you would love to see what other #Gladiators are thinking as you are watching another exciting episode of #Scandal when it finally returns on January 29th, you can search Twitter for those hashtags. Then you can join the conversation with liked minded people who have a true appreciation for #OliviaPope and her gang of hooligans.
Hashtags are used on other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram now as well.
In the senior living content industry, you will also see them used for elder care chats and caregiver chats.
Helpful Hints for Using Hashtags
What do you need to know about using hashtags?
Here are a few helpful hashtag hints:
- Overhashtagging (I think I just made that word up) is spammy. Don’t. Do. It. Please. Just don’t.
- Don’t use spaces between letters. If you are starting your own hashtag that has multiple words, use uppercase letters to visually separate them not spaces. #TiredOfIceAndSnow not #Tired of Ice and Snow
- My high school English teacher may cringe in horror when he reads this (#SorryMrHoward) but don’t use punctuation. Stick with numbers and letters.
- Use hashtags to help people better understand your voice. They can provide tone and character in your writing.
Senior Living Hashtags
Here are a few popular hashtags for our industry:
#ElderCare
#Caregivers
#SeniorLiving
#AssistedLiving
#Alzheimers
#Caregiving
Don’t be afraid to think outside the list above. Use the Trending Topics to join the conversation and boost your visibility on Twitter. Or the #Discover button at the top of your Twitter page to see what is happening in the lives of those you follow on Twitter.
And if you are a senior living content marketer who just inherited social media stuff after the boss’s wife’s cousin’s daughter made a mess of it, we would love to help. While we have a waiting list for our blog services now (yeah us!), our new Social Media Coordinator (Michelle) would love to be a little bit busier! Shoot us a note and we can set up a time to chat.