Hashtags are ubiquitous when it comes to social media, but do you really know how using a hashtag can help your brand?

Today we look at some recent stats that show adding a humble hashtag can make your message stand out from the social pack.

#History

That hashtag as we know it was created in 2007 by Twitter employee Chris Messina, as a way to tag related topic. He sent the following tweet on August 23, 2007.

“ how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]? ”.

The rest is history. In 2009 Twitter officially started linking terms preceded by the hashtag symbol together, and the hashtag became an integral part of the Arab Spring.

Instagram and Google+ soon introduced the symbols, while Facebook was late to the party, only embracing the hashtag in late 2013.

#Reach

Tweets that have hashtags are 55 per cent more likely to be retweeted than those without, while more than 55 per cent of users would use hashtags more often if they knew advertisers awarded discounts for using them.

Yet still on 24 per cent of tweets contain hashtags.

However don't go overboard with hashtagging: while tweets with up to two hashtags see a 21 per cent higher engagement rate, tweets with over two hashtags see an engagement decrease of 17 per cent.

#Mobile

Hashtags are all the rage with mobile users. 70 per cent of mobile users employ hashtags, compared to 30 per cent of desktop users.

#TVtalks

Hashtags and TV go together like a horse and carriage.

Twitter has several advertising options that tie-in TV ads with real-time hashtags. Recent studies reveal TV ads featuring hashtags generate 42 per cent more tweets than those without.

To view the power of hashtags yourself, check out this comedy sketch with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake speaking exclusively in hashtags. 

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