This is the next in a series of tips and information related to school social media accounts. This week, Communications Assistant Kim Doherty shares about hashtag etiquette.

What Are Hashtags? According to Sprout Social, a Hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash mark (#), used within a message to identify a keyword or topic of interest and facilitate a search for it. So whenever a user adds a hashtag to their post, it is immediately indexed by the social network and searchable by other users.

You can significantly improve the reach of your posts by including relevant #hashtags and by tagging (@) relevant people and organizations in your posts.

Remember to keep tags relevant to your topic. You can search Google (or any other search engine) for popular hashtags on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Here are a few tips on using #hashtags and @tagging on social media pages that you manage professionally in the Olympia School District.

When to # and when to @:

• The #Hashtag
  • A hashtag links to all other instances where anyone (whether you “follow” them or not) mentioned that specific hashtag.
  • Use #Hashtags on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

• The @ symbol
  • The @ symbol should be used to tag specific friends or organizations in your posts and photos. Use the @ symbol to notify them about posts they may be interested in.
  • Adding the @ symbol followed by a popular page/organization is a great way to reach them with your comments or suggestions. If they are active on social media, they may read/see your post/tweet, and you might even get a response, share or retweet – ultimately increasing engagement on your page!

More on Hashtags

• Consider creating unique hashtags for your school/class/page/organization.
• Popular Hashtag examples: #FlashbackFriday, #MotivationMonday #MusicMonday.
• Keep hashtags simple and general #LearningIsFun #LibraryTime #Read30Minutes….you get the idea.
• DO keep hashtags simple. Don’t make them too long. Don’t use more hashtags than words.
• Once you determine a few hashtags you will use regularly, market them. Let your audience know those are your hashtags. And use them frequently.
• Our customized district hashtag is #OSDFriends. This unique hashtag for the Olympia School District helps us tell the story of our schools and it crosses over to all our social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook).
• Use 1-3 hashtags per post for the highest engagement.

School-Specific Hashtags in the Olympia School District

Elementary:                          Middle Schools:                   ORLA:

#BostonHarborES                 #JeffersonMS                         #ORLAOrcas

#CentennialES                       #MarshallMS

#GarfieldES                            #ReevesMS

#HansenES                             #WashingtonMS

#LincolnES

#BrownES                              High Schools:

#MadisonES                           #AvantiHS

#McKennyES                         #CapitalHS

#McLaneES                            #OlyHS

#PioneerES

#RooseveltES

Remember to post consistently and frequently to engage your followers and grow your audience! #GoodLuck