Broadening Your Twitter Audience with Hashtags

How #Hashtags Can Help Ottawa Businesses 

Are you looking to expand your audience on Twitter but aren't sure where to start? Incorporating hashtags in your tweets is a great way to get going. Originally used for the purpose of highlighting a word and making it more searchable, hashtags can also be employed to help your audience grow.

Expand Your Reach

There are Twitter accounts, like @OttawaRetweeter, who constantly search for the hash-tagged name of your community (#Ottawa). They will automatically retweet your hash-tagged post to all of their followers. This is a great way to reach a new, local audience. Consider the power of this tweet: “Hey #Ottawa – we’re selling cupcakes for charity today. All proceeds going to the Mission!” 


Another great way to expand your reach? Thank new followers and influencers each Friday with the hashtag #FF (Friday Follow) – others will do the same for you.

Connect With Communities

Food lovers, travel fans, wine fanatics – you name it, the community exists on Twitter. When you get to know these communities, you can use their favoured hashtags to connect and bring interesting posts and questions specifically to their attention. Remember to think outside the box - a wine related audience can be reached through #winewednesday, #vineyard, #winery, #grapes, #vino, #girlsnight and more.

Be a Trendsetter 

When a hashtag is said to be “trending” it means that it is one of the most popular hashtags being used on Twitter in your area – or even the world! Using trending hashtags will help you connect with others who are sharing the same experience. A food based business might tweet: “Look at the epic pizza we made for #Superbowl. Can’t wait for the game!” 


Just be careful to avoid "hashjacking". Hashjacking (sometimes called newsjacking) happens when you hijack an unrelated trending hashtag for your own gain. Chances are, your brand has little to no connection with #RoyalBaby or #OscarWinners. 


Hashtags are a fun and easy way to expand your audience and keep your tweets fresh and relevant, helping to retain followers and earn brand loyalty. It's time to get #tweeting #today! 



Need help with your hashtag hijinks? Sculpt Social is keen to help hone your skills!