Hashtags are one of those funny social media features that can be difficult to understand and use at first. But, once you get the hang of them, the results come pouring in.
The purpose of a hashtag is to group together conversations or content around a certain topic, making it easy for people to find information they are interested in.
You can use hashtags on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
This article will explain how to use hashtags correctly in order to expand your influence and followers. Hashtags allow people who are interested in your topic to find you more easily, and using them correctly can help you to reach a wider audience.
Hashtag
Hashtags are used on social media to help people searching for a particular topic to be able to find your post. The hashtag is the word or phrase preceded by a hash symbol (#) and is used within the post.
Mentioning other users in your posts helps to get their attention and encourages them to interact with your content.
Design a Hashtag Strategy
When creating hashtags, try to be as specific as possible in order to attract a targeted audience.
Capitalizing each word in a sentence is not required, but it can help to clarify what you are trying to communicate.
Your competition is probably already using hashtags to appeal to your shared audience. It would be beneficial to take note of how much they use hashtags and what the response is in order to improve your own social media strategy.
When it comes to using hashtags, there is no one definitive answer. Instead, it depends on your audience and what works on each platform. A successful hashtag strategy starts with knowing your audience and being familiar with what works on each platform.
After you master using hashtags, you will need to learn how to analyze your results to see what works and what does not.
#Hashtags are a great way to communicate with your followers, increase engagement, and attract new customers.
Hashtags on Twitter
Making use of hashtags that are related to your tweet can help increase the engagement you receive, as long as you don’t use too many. It’s generally best to stick to using one or two hashtags per tweet. If you use a couple of hashtags and also ask your followers directly to retweet your tweet, this can often lead to even more engagement.
Adding hashtags to your Twitter posts makes them accessible to people who search for those tags. It can also help you find conversations to join.
There are a few Twitter hashtag research tools that can help you find out which hashtags are trending. Twitonomy is one specific tool that is designed for research on Twitter trends.
Hashtags on Facebook
If you use hashtags on your Facebook posts, it may help increase your organic reach. You shouldn’t use too many hashtags though.
It is generally recommended that you only use one or two hashtags. Using more than that can make you seem unprofessional and can annoy those reading your posts.
To find relevant hashtags, type a keyword into the search bar.
You may want to go back to your most successful Facebook posts and share them again, with relevant hashtags. This allows you to recycle content that was already popular with your followers, and might also attract new followers who are interested in your product or service.
Hashtags on LinkedIn
People haven’t always used hashtags on LinkedIn, but they can be useful on this platform. As of now, LinkedIn doesn’t allow clickable hashtags in articles, so you’ll need to use them in the body of your post to make sure people can see it.
on your update. You can add up to three hashtags to your LinkedIn update by clicking the ‘Add’ button under ‘Hashtags.’
If you post with a hashtag, your post has the potential to reach anyone who searches for that hashtag If you use hashtags on LinkedIn, your posts can be seen by people who are not in your network.
For example, if you have 500 LinkedIn connections, and you don’t use a hashtag, then your content will only be seen by those 500 people. However, if you use a hashtag, then your post can be seen by anyone who searches for that hashtag.
If you use a hashtag like #PPCMarketing, you may increase the number of people who see your post by three times, which will also improve your post’s engagement and credibility.
Hashtags on Instagram
Adding hashtags to your Instagram stories can help you reach more people and get more engagement. It’s a good idea to use around 10 or 11 popular hashtags that are relevant to your story.
You can use up to 30 hashtags on a regular post on Instagram. Using more than that is perfectly fine, so feel free to experiment.
Here’s an example from ModCloth to give you an idea of what kind of hashtag would work.
You can learn about what hashtags your competitors or influencers use by searching for them in the search box. Try using a variety of hashtags on posts, photos, and comments, as Instagram is the best platform for multiple hashtags.
Hashtags on Pinterest
Adding hashtags to your Pinterest content is a great way to help people find your content based on keywords. Posts using hashtags are also put in chronological order, so the platform puts the latest content first; this is helpful if you have fresh content that you want to be seen immediately.
The pins that came up for the hashtag #digitalmarketing are shown in the image below.
If you want to be successful on Pinterest, you need to use hashtags that are specific to your topic. Broad terms won’t do you any good. #unique #specific
Hashtags on TikTok
TikTokers use hashtags to categorize their videos and make them clickable so they will appear alongside other relevant videos.
Hashtags are important on TikTok because they help increase reach and help the algorithm decide which users see your content.
The character limit for captions on TikTok is 100, so use hashtags sparingly. Try mixing popular and niche hashtags to get the most visibility.
Keep an eye on the “Discover” page to see which hashtags are trending on TikTok.
Increase Engagement With Your Followers
When you use hashtags in your posts on social media, you are joining in on a conversation that is already taking place. This makes your posts more visible and makes it more likely that people will see them.
Engagement on social media can be increased by likes, shares, comments, and new followers, which can in turn boost your brand.
Build Brand Awareness With Branded Hashtags
A branded hashtag is a great way to promote your business and get people talking.
Hashtags that include your company name or tagline are a great way to promote your brand.
For instance, JIF Peanut Butter achieved TikTok fame in 2021 with its #JIFRapChallenge branded hashtag. The challenge featured rapper Ludacris rapping with a mouthful of peanut butter.
The hashtag #LudacrisChallenge was created by rapper Ludacris as a way to challenge his fans to make their own videos, or Duet with him, using the JIF image in their grill.
More than 200,000 people viewed and 600 people created unique videos for this challenge.
Users took to Twitter, TikTok and Instagram to post videos and photos of themselves participating in creative workouts while staying safe.
A hashtage that Nike Los Angeles started during the pandemic was #PlayInside. People would post videos and pictures on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram of themselves doing creative workouts while staying safe.
The PlayInside campaign is still going strong, with over 68,000 posts featuring the hashtag.
Show Support For Social Issues
Using a hashtag that raises awareness for an issue that your brand is not a part of is a way to show your support for that issue.
K-pop sensations BTS had the most retweeted tweet in 2021 with a #StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHate message.
Add Context to a Social Media Post
On Twitter, you are limited to 280 characters for your caption.
Shorter captions are sometimes more effective on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Adding a hashtag to your post can help to explain what you are talking about without using up a lot of characters or writing similar captions over and over again.
An example of this is when BTP Lancashire (the British transport police force in Lancashire, UK) used their Twitter word limit to ask locals to stay off train tracks.
BTP Lancashire is using hashtags to join in on the World Emoji Day conversation while also providing an important public service announcement.
Help Your Target Audience Find You
You can help new users find your brand by following a few popular hashtags on LinkedIn and Instagram.
If you use the #travel hashtag on your Instagram posts, your recent post will show up on the feed of anyone who follows that hashtag. You could even gain some new followers this way.
Disclose Sponsored Partnerships
This section is intended for influencers and brands that work together.
Influencers who promote brands or products in their posts must let their audiences know that the content is sponsored, in accordance with FTC guidelines from 2019.
If you don’t follow the rules, you can get fined a lot, both as an influencer and as a brand.
This way, followers will be less likely to call you out for selling out. It is important for influencers to be clear about when they are sponsored by a brand in their posts. This will make it less likely for followers to call them out for selling out.
When choosing influencers to promote your brand, make sure to look for those who use hashtags that are relevant to your brand. This way, you can be sure that the content they create will be aligned with your brand’s message.
You shouldnt just go for popular hashtags, you should go for the best hashtags.
This is an example of a hashtag that does not engage followers or add any meaning to social media posts.
As of April 14, 2022, these are the top 10 hashtags on Instagram:
- #love (1.835B)
- #instagood (1.150B)
- #fashion (812.7M)
- #photooftheday (797.3M)
- #beautiful (661.0M)
- #art (649.9M)
- #photography (583.1M)
- #happy (578.8M)
- #picoftheday (570.8M)
- #cute (569.1M)
To find hashtags that are specific to your brand, your industry, and your audience, you’ll have to research what is popular for your brand, industry, and target audience.
1. Monitor Social Media Influencers and Competitors
Conduct research on your competitors’ social media platforms and identify any influencers within your brand’s niche.
What hashtags does the account use most often, and how many hashtags do they use in each post?
You can learn about your competitor’s engagement with your shared target audience and the keywords they use.
2. Know Which Hashtags are Trending
Then, the site provides a list of hashtags that will help you increase engagement. If you type your social media caption into the text bar on RiteTag and upload the photo you’ll pair with your caption, the site will provide a list of hashtags that will help you increase engagement.
RiteTag produces trending hashtags for your content. You’ll see hashtags that will make your post visible immediately, as well as hashtags that will make your post visible over time.
After you click on the “Get Report” button, a more detailed analysis of the hashtags displayed will be provided.
3. Get a Social Media Listening Tool
Hootsuite is a social listening tool which allows your brand to use search streams to discover which hashtags are most popular on each social network.
Search streams allow you to see which hashtags are the most popular and effective.
4. Find Related Hashtags
If you’re already using hashtags that are working well for your brand, try using related hashtags. These might be more specific than the popular hashtags you’re already using, which could help you connect with a more targeted audience.
LinkedIn provides suggestions for additional hashtags to use after clicking on one hashtag. To access these suggestions, click on the ellipsis button and then on the “Discover more hashtags” button.
5. Analyze Which Hashtags Were Successful on Past Posts
It can be helpful to look back at your previous posts to see which hashtags you have used. You can then see which posts were most popular and look for any trends with the hashtags.
If your most popular posts contain the same few hashtags, make sure to include those hashtags in your future posts.
Use Hashtags to Become a Social Media Superstar
DMI’s certified Social Media Marketing course will teach you the basics of social media as well as more advanced techniques.
You will learn how to create a successful social media strategy, including how to extend your reach and engage your audience. You will also learn how to create engaging social content, including using hashtags.
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