A hashtag - written with a # symbol - was originally used to index keywords and topics on Twitter to allow people to easily follow topics they are interested in.

However, hashtags have turned into a universal language across all major social media sites. So how can you use them for customer research?

If there’s one guarantee on social media, it’s that travellers love to brag about the fact that they’re away. On average, travelers spend 2.8 hours per day on social media researching, planning, boasting about, and reporting on their trips.

If you search Twitter using the hashtag #CookIslands, you can easily discover where tourists are visiting, what activities they are enjoying, or any poor customer service experiences. You can use this information as a guide to make recommendations and plan itineraries. It's a free, genuine customer service review - no need to do any in-depth research!

Before impulsively adding a bunch of tourism-related hashtags, pause and reflect on what you're doing. 

Having an effective hashtag strategy is crucial for your posts to reach the widest audience possible - and the desired audience. For instance, #travel could seem like a smart choice, since it is widely used; however, there are two main drawbacks: 

Firstly, it's way too generic and can apply to a variety of content. 

Secondly, owing to its immense popularity, your post may get quickly crowded out by other posts if it doesn't spark enough engagement.

To fight this, you should come up with a hashtag approach that's both general and precise simultaneously. Don't just count on hashtags related to tourism like #travel, make it more specific, such as #lagooncruise or #progressivedinner. The more precise you are, the easier it will be to post relevant content for that hashtag.

Additionally, the more detailed you are, there is a higher chance of gathering attention from the right people. It's not all about getting a great deal of engagement - it's about obtaining involvement from the relevant individuals.

When using hashtags, there are some unspoken guidelines that you should be aware of. 

Primarily, don't use more than 1-2 hashtags - research shows that any more than that can lead to a 17% drop in engagement. Additionally, keep the hashtags short - the longer they are, the harder they become to understand. To make your posts easier to read, it's best to place the hashtags at the end.

#TryForYourself!

References: 
Typsy 
Wetravel Academy