Twitter and Instagram have emerged as two primary platforms for hosting hashtagged content on social media platforms.
Utilize hashtags to expand the scope and engagement of your social media efforts, expanding both reach and participation on both networks. Use #hashtags as an effective strategy to grow both these areas simultaneously. Hashtags offer more than just an avenue for #ThrowbackThursday photos on Instagram.
An effective social media strategy must include popular and brand-specific hashtags for optimal engagement on social networks.
This post describes how and why using hashtags effectively on social media is essential.
Learn
- How To Select Hashtags For Your Business Now.
- Why using trendy hashtags alone may not be the optimal approach
- Use hashtags to expand your social media reach.
Lets set ourselves on this path together.
What Is A Hashtag?
Hashtags use # symbols followed by words or numbers to categorize content on social media and track its movement across platforms - Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest among them are popular places where we use this feature to categorize and track our posts, comments and bios on these significant networks.
Hashtags allow users to link social media posts directly with specific topics, events, themes and conversations on various social media networks.
Hashtags dont just belong on Twitter; they can also benefit other social media platforms.
What Are The Roots Of Hashtags?
How did hashtags originate? In 2007, Chris Messina created the inaugural Twitter hashtag. We designed my hashtag not to allow any particular social media network to become the gatekeeper for its use on various social platforms.
Instead, the hashtag is one superstructure that can be leveraged across multiple social channels and services.
Hashtags provide the only effective means of connecting individuals with similar interests across platforms like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
A hashtag also gives a glimpse into a decentralized, interoperable social network." - Chris Messina. Chris may have yet to anticipate just how popular hashtags would become; these posts provide additional details regarding Facebook and Instagram hashtags.
What Is The Hashtag Symbol?
Social media users, marketers and others instantly recognize the # symbol as a hashtag; its name is an octothorpe.
Telecom firms introduced it into society when they added it to dialing pads in 1971. This symbol goes by various names depending on its usage. Before its social media presence prominence, the symbol was known as the pound sign or number symbol (for instance, #2 pencil) before becoming more commonplace online.
Musicians use the symbol to indicate sharpness (example F#), while copy editors add space by placing two spacebars.
Early Internet users called this symbol the "hash," an abbreviation borrowed from programming culture. Messina took inspiration from this and applied it to Twitter, and hash is now part of our modern vernacular...
What is the Purpose of Hashtags?
Given todays sophisticated social media algorithms, imagining the chaos of early 2000s social media feeds may be challenging.
Users had little control over which posts appeared in their meals. They often became annoyed at having too much uninteresting, irrelevant and spammy material displayed to them.
Hashtags were created as an organizational strategy on social media to simplify user experiences and help find relevant content more efficiently by organizing conversations about similar subjects into groups, becoming clickable and searchable once published.
Click #SummerVibes to watch videos that have been published using this hashtag, along with information regarding its popularity and top videos.
What Is A Hashtag Used For?
Although hashtags were initially designed to organize feeds, their role has transformed dramatically in recent years.
Now, users are using them to expand on their message; such power may even spark a movement across an entire campaign.
Some viral hashtags can be for entertainments sake; one such viral campaign, #Gentleminions on TikTok Challenge, became an instant cultural icon and broke box office records.
Hashtags can be an extremely effective tool for brands looking to reach specific audiences on social strategies and build community. We go into much greater depth in our blog post on creating hashtags.
Messina states that many individuals desire to build or expand upon an existing community online; hashtags offer an effective solution across many social media platforms.
Hashtags offer social media marketers another effective tool for building viral campaigns and increasing brand recognition.
Hashtag Basics
- Hashtags begin with # but wont work when punctuation or symbols are included.
- Assure that your account is public. Otherwise, any hashtagged content could remain concealed from non-followers and go undetected by search engines like Google and Bing.
- Avoid overusing words; most hashtags should be short, simple and easily remembered.
- Use only relevant hashtags; obscure ones will likely go unused by others and should be avoided as they will take longer for your audience to discover and utilize them.
- Limit yourself to using up to three hashtags at any time; using more makes the post appear spammy and attractive.
Why Use Hashtags?
Hashtags can help you connect with people with similar interests and serve various other functions. As an owner of a small business, you may use hashtags as part of your promotional strategy for services or products you offer.
Utilize hashtags to spark discussions or raise awareness for particular causes. Hashtags can also provide an effective means of staying current with current trends and news. Utilize hashtags as part of your social media marketing strategy.
Expand Engagement Among Followers
Use hashtags to participate in more extensive discussions or popular topics, widen your reach, generate conversations, and get more people excited about your posts.
This may increase engagement from viewers of what you posted as more are exposed to it through hashtags.m Imagine that youre a brand of sportswear looking to join in the conversation about the FIFA World Cup with relevant hashtags such as #WorldCup or #FIFAWorldCup to join it.
Your posts will appear more prominently in feeds and searches related to the World Cup, increasing exposure and engagement potential.
Hashtags offer you an opportunity to engage with users. Use hashtags by liking/commenting/sharing pertinent posts, sharing user-generated material or hosting giveaway/contest opportunities.
Be careful. Overusing hashtags, incredibly spammy or irrelevant, and generic ones may do more damage than good. Choose hashtags wisely to connect with like-minded individuals and ensure engaging content creation.
Your hashtag strategy needs to show its effectiveness, so there are tracking social media management tools and analytics solutions available that allow you to evaluate its effects.
Include hashtags when posting to social media platforms to join conversations and become visible. Doing this allows you to participate actively while keeping yourself visible during the dialogue.
Engagement on social media platforms such as Instagram, facebook can boost brand recognition through comments, likes and shares from followers and potential new business leads.
Explore Using Hashtags To Increase Brand Recognition
Hashtags can be an extremely effective tool to increase brand recognition. They allow you to categorize content, making it easy for anyone searching on that topic on Google to find you quickly and efficiently.
Imagine that youre the brand manager for a skincare company and create a blog post promoting their latest moisturizer with relevant hashtags such as #skincare or #beauty to highlight this promotion. You could tag these posts using appropriate terms for more significant impact.
Searching hashtags will enable those interested in skin care products to locate you (and your brand) quickly. Use hashtags with your posts so people can more quickly locate the content or pages they need.
This makes searching on Google easier.
Support Social Causes
Create awareness for social causes. Use hashtags as a rallying call, rallying support behind reasons beyond your brand and its mission statement.
BTS of Kpop superstardom took to Twitter with an anti-Asian hate message called #StopAsianHate #AAPIHate and created one of 2021s most-read Tweets, garnering nearly one hundred thousand views.
Increase Engagement On Social Media Posts
Use hashtags to connect posts with specific themes or topics. This makes it simpler for readers to understand, engage with and respond to your content.
If you want to share a recipe you have tried with others, hashtags such as #recipe will make the post searchable and differentiate it from food posts without recipes.
If you are attending an event or conference, using its official hashtag to increase visibility will allow your posts to reach attendees who follow it online.
Hashtags offer another easy and effective way of sharing creative content and providing context without writing long paragraphs.
Twitter only permits 280 characters for captioning your tweets. Longer captions on Instagram dont consistently deliver results; Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn offer similar insight - sometimes shorter is better.
Using hashtags is an efficient and cost-efficient way of providing context without taking up space in captions and character limits.
BTP Lancashire, part of the British Transport Police force in Lancashire and the UK, got inventive when using Twitter with limited characters to urge residents not to step onto train tracks.
This innovative tweet by BTP Lancashire uses hashtags to demonstrate its participation in World Emoji Day while simultaneously sending out an important public service announcement (PSA).
Help Your Target Market Locate You
Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn allow users to follow other accounts while using hashtags with popular google search terms can help your brand or product get discovered by users.
By including #travel in an Instagram post and Facebook post anyone searching the hashtag will see it appear in their newsfeed - potentially helping you attract new followers.
Disclose Sponsored Partnerships and Investment Opportunities
Influencers, as well as brand partners who work with influencers, are welcome in this section. Influencers must make clear to their audience when working with brands; the Federal Trade Commission recently issued detailed advertising disclosure guidelines for influencers online in 2019.
Influencers must always include hashtags in their sponsored posts to the full extent possible. Brands should take note when reviewing influencer content that includes hashtags.
Which Hashtags Should Be Utilized?
It doesnt matter whether a hashtag has widespread recognition; it might not be suitable for your business. There are holidays such as #NationalHotdogDay or #SiblingsDay to consider.
Before using a hashtag (for instance, increased engagement), determine your goals (example being increased engagement). Once you know your end goal, start researching hashtags to meet it. Various techniques for discovering hashtags suitable to your brand and its needs exist.
Use A Social Media Monitoring Tool
Monitoring conversations will allow you to learn which hashtags and topics interest your target audience. We make it possible to analyze engagement, sentiment and number of mentions of hashtags you already use - providing an effective means of evaluating whether you are employing appropriate hashtags in your strategy or need to revise it accordingly.
Also Read: The value of Digital Marketing in Your Business Plan
Utilize Trending Hashtags
Add trending hashtags to your post to attract more views and increase its chances of going viral. Making content can also generate creative ideas while becoming part of a wider community.
How can you identify trending hashtags in your industry? Start by using an application or tool for monitoring hashtags; the latter option allows users to research popular ones as they browse apps. From here, you may get inspiration:
- Product or service (example: #Pretzels)
- Specific to a given industry or community (for instance, #BookTok).
- Seasonal or timely (e.g. #NewYearsEve).
- Location (e.g. #Dublin)
- Acronyms and Emojis (example #SMMs). Please find them on the trending pages of your preferred social media channels.
Explore Instagram, Facebook to identify which posts have gained the most traction; consider adopting similar hashtags if your brand fits this model.
Utilizing hashtag search tools or keeping an eye out for holidays, special events, and other occasions to track trending hashtags may also prove fruitful in finding emerging ones.
Competitor Analysis
Investigate your competitors online strategies to identify relevant hashtags that work for your brand. Start by searching for brands similar to yours regarding offerings, audience target and brand image - then analyze which hashtags they utilize on their profile page and bio page.
Search topics or themes relevant to your business and examine which hashtags theyre using and the engagement levels among their followers.
Track which hashtags your competitors use against you; your workhorses might differ significantly from theirs. Create hashtags that resonate well with your target market to gain a clearer insight into the voice and vision of your brand.
Search For Related Hashtags
Add hashtags related to those already being used - they could provide more targeted reach. After clicking a hashtag, LinkedIn will provide more recommendations by showing more hashtags under that topic.
After selecting "Discover More Hashtags", press ellipsis > select the button "Discover Additional Hashtags."
Find Out Which Hashtags Have Been Popularly Used In Past Posts By Searching Through All Posts With Those Hashtags
Track which hashtags you have been using in past posts, taking note of which ones received the highest views and see if any patterns emerge within them.
Note which posts have become the most engaging; include these hashtags in all future posts to keep them engaging for readers.
Increase Organic Reach Using Hashtags
Adding hashtags to your posts makes them discoverable by people searching for that particular term. Are You A Wedding Planner and Post Using #Weddingplanner In your social posts, this hashtag may allow someone who needs your service to discover it more easily.
Use hashtags related to your industry and business to maximize organic reach.
Use hashtags relevant to the industry under which your work falls. Once youve created an extensive list of hashtags that perform well and are relevant, they can be added to posts easily.
Research backs this up, showing how overuse of hashtags could hurt reach.
Make Your Posts Stand Out By Using Hashtags To Increase The Visibility Of Their Content
Some Marketers Must Understand How Best To Employ Hashtags Despite Their Many Benefits. If Your Goal Is To Reach Specific Audiences, Using Popular Hashtags In Your Posts (For Instance, #For Page) Could Cast Too Wide A Net Without Connecting With Those Most Likely To Respond Positively.
Before Initiating Any Hash Tagging Campaigns, Be Sure To Conduct Extensive Research. Select Hashtags Wisely And Carefully Assess Their Results.
Apply Hashtags Effectively By Following These Strategies.
1. Branded Hashtags
To Meet Your Goal, Create Your Own Branded Hashtags. They Can Increase Visibility, Clicks On Posts, Mentions And Reach - Something Non-Branded Hashtags May Fail To Do.
Utilize Hashtags Across All Your Social Media Platforms Consistently And Encourage Fans To Use Them When Posting Relevant Material Related To Your Brand. Selena Gomezs Makeup Line, Rare Beauty, Recently Introduced #Rare Routine To Incentivize Potential Customers To Share Their Routines Involving Rare Beauty Products On Social Media.
Consider Running A Contest Or Social Media Campaign Using Your Hashtag To Raise Brand Awareness And Boost Business Goals.
Brands Seeking Maximum Exposure Should Blend Popular, Niche And Specific Hashtags As Part Of Their Campaign Strategy. You Must Identify Hashtags That Make Your Brand Distinctive And Enable It To Differentiate Itself From Its Rivals.
2. Include Appropriate Hashtags When Posting To Social Media Platforms
Now is the time to add hashtags to your developed content Social Media Profiles; using less is better. When selecting hashtags for use in posts, remember that not overusing them could prevent people from reading what you have to say and cause social media platforms to classify it as spam and thus remove your posts altogether.
Stick with only relevant or descriptive hashtags when posting to any social platform, following its guidelines on what numbers are appropriate and reading up on best practices on each social network for more info on that platforms specifics.
Adjust the placement of hashtags according to each platforms requirements, keeping in mind they act as hyperlinks - it would be best if these were added at the end of captions, posts or descriptions to prevent people from clicking away quickly.
3. Analyze And Report The Development Of Your Hashtags
Track your hashtags closely to measure their impact on social media marketers performance and ensure they have been getting the desired result.
Conduct regular monitoring of critical metrics, including:
- Popularity - How many people use this hashtag?
- How Many Are Viewing It (#achieveReach)
- Interactions: What percentage of users interact (like, comment or share) on posts featuring hashtags?
- Users - Who is viewing my hashtag?
Data about native apps may also be found using social teams to produce and visualize it in one convenient location automatically.
Social listening enables you to assess how often people discuss a particular subject matter and which terms and their associated sentiments are employed by individuals who share this topic.
Data can help identify which hashtags are effective and which ones are ineffective while testing new tags. Avoid repeating one hashtag across posts, as this could be perceived as spamming; keep a mix of top-performing hashtags in rotation while experimenting and trying out new ones frequently.
Use Hashtags Across All Your Social Media Networks When Posting Using #Hashtags
Using hashtags differently across each social media platform is a social media marketing strategy if you want your Content Calendar to have maximum reach and expand its audience.
Follow these best practices for hashtag use, as it will boost its success and reach.
Instagram hashtags: How to Utilize them
The use of tags can bring many advantages to Instagram. According to the Instagram Creator Community, Instagram users "should see hashtags as tools that provide context to posts while supporting distribution of relevant material for specific audiences".
The Creator Community also approved these guidelines:
- Use only three to five hashtags per post.
- Include hashtags in your Instagram Stories, posts and comments for increased reach and interaction.
- Utilize hashtags relevant to both you and your brand.
Facebook hashtags: How to utilize them
Facebook no longer explicitly advises using hashtags effectively since their introduction in 2016. Some brands have chosen not to utilize them, while others continue including them regularly in their posts.
Follow these simple steps for using hashtags based on research in Facebook posts.
- Add only two hashtags per Story, post or comment on Facebook.
- Include hashtags on your Stories, posts and comments.
- Consider including timely hashtags, as many Facebook users use this platform to stay abreast of current events and news.
TikTok hashtags: How to utilize them
TikTok has become synonymous with success for many. Hashtags play an instrumental role in expanding app reach.
Utilize these hashtags to expand your TikTok.
- Use only three to five hashtags.
- When posting stories and videos to social media, save space on their timelines and allow viewers to navigate between stories and videos easily.
- Keep informed on the newest hashtags and appropriately use them.
- Use #ForYou and #ForYouPage cautiously if and when utilizing them in social posts and interactions.
Twitter hashtags: How to Utilize them
Twitter was designed around hashtags to simplify searching for the latest information for its users, with trending keywords and hashtags displayed prominently on its homepage.
These hashtags will enable you to maximize the effectiveness of your tweets.
- Use only one or two hashtags.
- Use hashtags when tweeting, retweeting or replying on Twitter.
- Use hashtags relevant to your community (examples include conferences, events and holidays).
- Use trending hashtags to join current discussions and stay abreast of emerging trends.
LinkedIn hashtags: How to Utilize them
LinkedIn users frequently follow and interact with hashtags related to their profession or industry, making hashtag usage essential when developing social media content for LinkedIn users.
When creating posts utilizing hashtags relevant to your job or industry, use those your audience uses most.
LinkedIn can also be a practical place for brand hashtag promotion and team member adoption.
Keep these strategies in mind when using hashtags on LinkedIn.
- Use at most 2-3 hashtags.
- Hashtags may be used on personal and company pages; please remember that hashtags used within articles or comments do not appear in your feed.
- Use both popular hashtags and niche branding hashtags when selecting hashtags to use for branding purposes.
YouTube hashtags: How to Utilize them
Hashtags on YouTube can make your videos more accessible for others to find and help to organize and motivate viewers to watch for an extended period.
Hashtags enhance searchability, manage channels more effectively and encourage viewers to stay.
Utilize these hashtag guidelines to maximize their use and boost video views.
- Use only 3-5 hashtags per video content.
- Start your title with one or two hashtags and use any remaining ones within the description section of your post.
Pinterest hashtags: How to Utilize them
Pinterest creates an enhanced user experience by categorizing all Pins. Be sure to add niche hashtags when posting to reach the appropriate target audience; many search for inspiration in everything from holiday decor to muscle car restoration projects on this platform.
These hashtags will enable you to reach your intended target audience more effectively.
- No official data exists to establish an optimal number of hashtags to be used; remember, less is better.
- Consider creating seasonal hashtags to aid users in finding ideas quickly.
- Make sure that the hashtags used relate directly to the Pin.
2023s Top Trending Hashtags
Popular hashtags sometimes translate to something other than top-performing. Instagram currently hosts over 575 Million posts using the #followme hashtag; these posts do not engage followers nor add meaningful context to posts made.
These spam emails appear very unprofessional; that is something you dont require.
Pay attention to popular hashtags, too; for instance, #throwback thursday or #flashback friday can help initiate more extensive social media discussions on certain days of the week.
Popular hashtags depend on which social media platform you use; on LinkedIn, for instance, these include #personal development, #investing and others.
Though millions or billions of posts may use popular hashtags, their meaning remains relatively universal, not specific to any industry or theme.
Avoid talking too much about yourself and focus on being helpful rather than boastful about what services your company can provide.
Use Hashtags To Inspire Your Next Great Idea.
#hashtags can help inspire the next big idea in you. Use hashtags to explore potential concepts or methods of using your next great invention or innovation.
Heres an overview of how brands and creators employ hashtags in their strategies.
1. Relate An Internet Trend
Casper joined in when they heard of #GoblinMode, the online trend devoted to lazing around and relaxing. Casper prides itself on providing its state-of-the-art mattresses to promote restful sleeping environments.
Use any trend aligning with your brand to inspire your following tweet, and use the current trending hashtag.
2. Utilize Hashtag For All Related Questions And Responses
Orgain conducted an interactive Q&A session live and posted answers via Twitter with #OrganicSummer as its hashtag to engage their target audience and track its development.
Their target demographic could then easily find pertinent information through it all. Are You Hosting or Attending An Event Soon? Use its Hashtag In Your Marketing Content If it Does Not Already Exist
3. Use Both Hashtags For Branding And Generic Ones.
Jenna Kutcher has earned an esteemed reputation as an online marketing expert. As host of Goal Digger Podcast, she adeptly utilizes targeted hashtags such as #GoalDiggerPodcast and more general ones used by her target audience.
Consider including hashtags associated with campaigns, taglines or series of social content your brand produces as natural keywords to use when sharing it online. Theyll become part of its identity quickly.
4. Tag Your Location
Myles Apparel recognizes its ideal customers share an affinity for nature. Therefore, posting images to Instagram with #Donner Summit as the location tag makes perfect sense as an Instagram-friendly spot made specifically for outdoor enthusiasts.
Add a hashtag to your Story or post when visiting an essential location for your audience.
Utilize Hashtags To Enhance Your Content Strategy
Hashtags remain essential tools in driving user-generated types of content success, building relationships with audiences, and increasing brand recognition on social media teams, helping you meet goals more efficiently than ever.
Strategically using hashtags in your posts allows for building deeper bonds between companies and audiences and reaching their social media objectives more successfully.
Need some assistance selecting appropriate hashtags for your brand or business? Use this worksheet for an efficient method of quickly discovering which hashtags have the highest impact.
Conclusion
Hashtags can be an indispensable asset to digital marketer, helping businesses connect directly with more potential clients online while engaging with them now and increasing engagement.
Learning more about their role and creating platform-specific strategies will allow enterprises to use hashtags more efficiently to maximize visibility and relevance when choosing hashtags.
Avoid making mistakes when selecting brand hashtags and promote them on trending topics to maximize the effectiveness of campaigns or local marketing events and contests, with tracking performance to realize its full potential.
