Hashtastic, the hashtag analysis app created by Mark Hadj Hamou (EDHEC 2017)

Hashtastic (Hashtags + Fantastic) is a powerful and comprehensive tool with which to analyse hashtags on the market. 

It was created by Mark Hadj Hamou (EDHEC Grande Ecole 2017) and allows users to double, and often even treble, the number of views, likes and comments that their Instagram posts generate, giving businesses, influencers and marketers the chance to drastically increase the visibility of their products and online publications, and consequently increase their sales. It’s a new-generation tool for online referencing.

Tell us about your project. How did it come about?

The application came about from a simple observation: it is increasingly difficult to stand out online and on social networks, whether you’re an influencer, a business, or a photographer, etc. It’s increasingly difficult to make a name for yourself with the market so saturated in publications everywhere you look.

As a professional photographer and director, it’s very important for me to be able to stand out on Instagram so I can be seen to have more legitimacy in the eyes of the businesses I approach every day. I came upon an application for purchase that promised to find me the best hashtags and increase my visibility, and I was eventually tempted to sign up for a trial period. The app was badly made, the data it had wasn’t really up to date, but the concept was interesting: use a mathematical approach to determine the likelihood that users will identify with a particular hashtag.

So I used my experience as a consultant and some free time I had between jobs to try to create a simple model using Excel that would allow me to determine precisely which hashtags would perform best. The results of the analysis were unequivocal: I had managed to significantly increase my visibility and the method was reliable. I started to speak about the project to those around me and realised that there was a real need to be met. So I put in place a small online interface that would allow anyone to use my method, and everything just took off from there.

Six months later, the app has more than 10,000 users and is seeing exponential growth. I really didn’t think it would take on such momentum. 

What drives your motivation in this entrepreneurial adventure?

I worked in a major consultancy firm for nearly 3 years, and what really drives me today is the freedom I have as an entrepreneur. When working for a company, I really didn’t have the kind of freedom I have today, and I would never have been able to launch this kind of project simply based on intuition. What really drives my motivation in this entrepreneurial adventure is the freedom I now enjoy: I can organise my days and weeks as I see fit and I can try to launch other projects as soon as an idea comes to mind.

It’s also the feedback I received from users that motivates me. Almost every day I receive messages from my users telling me about the results they have achieved using Hashtastic. Whether major communication agencies or simply amateur photographers trying to make a name for themselves, all my users have noticed significant growth in their Instagram accounts, whether in terms of followers, the number of likes or simply increased visibility. 

For my clients, having more visibility means generating more sales. Knowing that I am contributing to their success is a huge motivating factor for me.

How has your experience at EDHEC or with the network of graduates helped you achieve this project?

My experience at EDHEC has been very helpful in achieving this project. I’m a former member of the Total EDHEC Entreprendre association and I also chose an optional module on entrepreneurship. Both of these experiences made me aware of the many challenges involved in setting up a company. It was fascinating to see close-up how these different entrepreneurs/start-ups operate, which traps you have to learn to avoid, and how to develop an “entrepreneurial vision” of sorts.

I also think that being surrounded by young start-up entrepreneurs and freelancers is essential. When you’re an entrepreneur, you often end up fighting a rising tide, and to be able to talk to those around you and get an objective viewpoint on the project as a whole is really beneficial.

What is your initial assessment of this entrepreneurial adventure? What are your expectations from the community of EDHEC graduates? 

I have learned a great deal from the last 6 months setting up this new business:

- It’s relatively easy and inexpensive to launch a basic application to test the market. With a bit of know-how you can launch a product that may be far from polished but will allow you to determine whether there is a need out there. If you sense that there is and that there is a market for your product, just go for it! I never drew up a business plan or conducted a market study, I simply followed an intuition that cost me hardly anything except my time and it quickly paid off! In the first month, I must have spent €20 all in.

- Don’t hesitate to make a free version to get off the ground. For the first 3 to 4 months, my app was entirely free of charge, but I looked very closely at how my users were using it. And so I quickly learned to break down their habits and develop a product that would meet their expectations. After a few months of testing, and when I was confident that the product was of a high quality, I shifted everything over to a payment model.

- You really have to learn to understand your users and often take them by the hand. At the very beginning I had a real “consulting” perspective on the app which was a bit like a big dashboard with loads of data. As a former consultant that’s what I thought would be most useful. I quickly realised that it was better to have a more simplistic and elegant approach.

- It’s essential to test your ideas on those around you, who will often be more objective than you.

If I have one piece of advice to give, it’s that you shouldn’t hesitate to take the plunge, test the market and see what works. At worst you lose €20, and at best you find yourself leading a new business with thousands of users.

More information about your business

Website 

And to see the results:  Instagram