Hashtags. Originally the ‘pound symbols’ that were used to catalog content on Twitter, these puppies are popping up on all social platforms today: Google +, Vine, Pinterest, Instagram, and most recently, even Facebook!

We know they’re an effective way to discover and organize specific content, and an easy way for social media users to find posts that are relevant to them. We also know they’re easily abused and can be pretty meaningless, too.  How do you rise above the noise online and help your event attendees (and potential future attendees) find and engage with your event? Here are our four tips:

KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid): Is your event called Bertha’s Birthday? Then make your hashtag #berthasbday or something equally simple. Make it easier on your attendees and use a hashtag that’s similar (or identical) to the name of your event.

Don’t Go Overboard: Quality, not quantity, folks! Limit yourself to using one or two hashtags when promoting your event. If you tag tons of terms, you might come off as a bit spammy or overwhelming and it’s easier for your message to get lost in the #sea #of #hashtags.

Do Your Research: Think you’ve found the perfect hashtag for your next event? Type it into Twitter, Instagram, Vine, etc. and see if anyone else is using it. If you’re using the same hashtag as another group, it could negatively impact (falsely inflate) any data or metrics you are tracking. Additionally, if you’re using a service to showcase the conversation at your event (such as Tweetwall, for example), using a unique hashtag will make sure that the conversation being displayed is just yours!

Be Smart: Think about the platform you’re using. Is it Twitter? Then you have limited real estate. Be mindful of the number of characters in your hashtag. Keeping your hashtag under 10 characters leaves plenty of room for your content/thought leadership to be shared (and RT’ed!).

Have a tip you’d like to add? Share it in the comments below, or tweet it to us @Eventbrite!