Are you a user? Or an abuser?

Are you a thoughtful hashtagger? Or are you super-careless? Throwing any old phrase next to the pound sign. Trying to make people LOL (or just to L at all). Well, the road to L is paved with good intentions.

I’m asking you to stop. Stop hashtag misuse, and don’t look back. We won’t judge you. Anymore.

If you’re in charge of your brand’s social media, then my plea to you is even stronger. When individuals misuse hashtags, people just think they look silly and ignore them. For businesses, there’s a lot more at stake. You never want your brand to seem silly or uninformed. You want to be smart, slick, and in-the-know.

You only need Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake to remind you of how silly hashtags can be:

It’s okay if you’re confused. New trends pop up on social media (and elsewhere) by the millisecond, and you want to be on top of every one. Master them first. There’s even a hashtag website guide to help you through it, but here are a few quick do’s and don’ts.

DO

• Make sure your hashtag has something to do with the rest of your message. People don’t like deception.
• Make your own branded hashtag and have people actually use it for something, like a photo or caption contest. Sharpie has been hailed for their very successful call for creative submissions using #Sharpie.
• Use a hashtag or two – but no more than that. #When #you #hashtag #every #word #its #utterly #annoying.

DON’T

• Use punctuation in your hashtags. It won’t work.
• String a bunch of meaningless words together. If you do this repeatedly, it will damage your brand’s reputation.
• Launch a hashtag campaign without thinking about every possible angle. McDonald’s was the victim of what was once considered the most infamous hashtag hijacking of all time. But it looks like the NYPD has taken the #1 spot in that category.

Hashtag success: Sharpie