An article by Pam Dyer, Marketing manager at SolutionsIQ, conveys that hashtags can be powerful tools that drive brand recognition, increase reach, build community, create buzz, and positively impact customer loyalty. They are ways to track topics on Twitter and other social media platforms. Anyone sharing content can add one to their messages and posts, thus helping people to quickly find information on that same topic. It's easy to join in a hashtag conversation by clicking on one of your own tweets or those of others. You can track hashtags to see which ones resonate most with your audience. Hashtags on Instagram can help to maximize your reach and create a network of influential brand followers. When users click on a hashtag in Google+, the search results page (SERP) includes the original hashtag as well as posts with similar tags and keywords.
For more information visit http://socialmediatoday.com/pamdyer/2381691/using-hashtags-social-media-marketing