No matter where you look these days, hashtags can be found everywhere from billboards, to books, to television – you name it. And if you’re running a business, turning a blind eye to one of the most widely used symbols on the Internet could have you miss out on valuable opportunities. Hashtags are fantastic at sharing your content to relevant individuals, and if you want to maximize your hashtag’s exposure to reach your core audience, consider these four ways to get the most out of your hashtag use applicable to many of social media’s biggest platforms.

1. Be Unique
Whether you’re holding an event, running a social media campaign, selling a product, etc., using a hashtag that is unique to your business is a great way to reach your audience on any platform. Are you chocolate company XYZ and want to host a fun event with the quirky name “Choco Fest” and invite all chocolate lovers across the nation to your party? “#XYZChocoFest” is a great example of being specific and unique at the same time. Incorporating the company name along with the event not only helps give your brand ownership to stand out, but also helps to create conversation among those who may be following along. Sprinkle in a generic (but relevant) hashtag or two in your message, send and repeat – get creative with it!

2. Be Relevant
Using relevant hashtags will help you attract new followers who will take a genuine interest in your content and continue liking and commenting on it over time. If you’re selling hot dogs, using the hashtag #Burgers creates placement confusion. Make it easy for other like-minded users to find you by making sure you properly use keywords relevant to your brand.

3. Be Consistent
Branding should be done properly. The idea is to offer the right information and products to your target audience consistently through time. Whenever you come up with new promos and information, these should still relate well with your brand. Avoid confusing your clients by changing the theme or direction of your business every now and then.

4. Do the Research
Nothing is worse than to use a hashtag only to see it be paired with an unrelated topic that you knew nothing about. Occurrences like these could potentially hurt your brand’s image through negative attachments and commentary that took place beforehand. Unknowingly, these things happen. But by researching a hashtag’s history and travel log, you put your brand in a better situation by potentially saving your business from harm and aligning yourself with a hashtag that carries no baggage.