Dive summary:

• Hashtags can be a great social media tool when used correctly, but can backfire if you don't follow the four tips for hashtags [see full list at Social Media Examiner].
• One important thing to do before deciding on a hashtag is to search how people are using it first, what may seem like a perfectly innocent hashtag may have a negative trend associated with it. 
• Choosing something unique will encourage more interaction than using a more universeal or generic hashtag like #marketing. 

From the article: 

"Before using a hashtag, you always need to search to see if other people are using it and what they are saying.

Entenmann’s learned this the hard way when they used the hashtag #notguilty to talk about their cookies when other people were using it to talk about Casey Anthony’s #notguilty murder trial verdict."