The Ultimate Guide to Using Hashtags Strategically

Hashtags have become an integral aspect social media networking and marketing. You can use it to find and label social media updates. It helps you find relevant content from others and make your content discoverable as well. With appropriate hashtags, you can connect with a broader network of social media users. If you are active on Instagram and Twitter, hashtags will help you maximize your social interactions.  

Want more people to know about your posts and images? Using the correct hashtags will not only get you more followers but will also increase the number of social shares. However, to derive the benefits of hashtags, you know how to use it effectively. Here are a few innovative uses of hashtags for social media marketing and interactions.  

Avoid being spammy. Be precise!

You must have come across social media posts crammed with hashtags. While on Instagram, you can add as many as 30 hashtags, on Twitter and Facebook, you have to limit the numbers. Regardless of how many you are adding, all of your hashtags must be relevant. You need to add the best hashtags that will help users to discover your posts quickly.

Do you want to know the best way to go about it? Tag your videos and pictures using the popular hashtags that will help others find your post. However, the hashtags need to be relevant to your post and your target audience. Targeting the wrong people will not help your campaign.

Use the trending hashtags

Simply put, a trending hashtag is one that is popular based on current news, lifestyle trends, political news, technology developments and the like. Trending hashtags are about topics that everybody is talking about at the moment. These hashtags are always changing based on the current news and happenings. Hence, when you come across an industry news update associated with your business, you can use the same to tag your post. It will help a broader network of users to have access to your post.

Furthermore, by using the trending hashtags, you can maximize your brand visibility. Add a hashtag to your post if you are sure that it will add value to the existing conversation. If the hashtag does not add value, then chances are your post will be lost in a pool of other social media posts. If you are looking for ways to find trending hashtags, you can browse through hashtag analysis and monitoring sites such as RiteTag, Hashtags.org, Hashtagify, and Trendsmap. Reputed online marketing agencies like Internet Business Solutions can guide you on this.

Be unique and distinctive

It is crucial to connect with your online community using hashtags, more so during events. To successfully do this, you have to come up with unique hashtags and avoid generic ones. Only then can you encourage and motivate people to join your conversations.  

When you select from the common hashtags such as #style or #seo, you cannot expect a meteor chunk of online visitors to get attracted to your post or start a conversation. First, you need to figure out what is unique about your post and then highlight it through hashtags.

For instance, if you have introduced zero to low-calorie Gelatos, using a generic hashtag that says #lowfat or #sugarfree will not garner much attention. However, if you use hashtags like #NoFatGelatos, people will give your post a second glance. Here, you have addressed a core desire of most people to eat sweets and not gain weight.

So, to get distinctive and unique with your hashtags, you first need to identify the USP of your product or service. Then you can use hashtags to find the right audience. Furthermore, the use of hashtags varies based on your channel. So, make it a point to check out various platform-specific practices to increase the performance of hashtags.

Hashtags on various social media platforms

Twitter initiated the use of hashtags. However, today it has been integrated into all the major social media channels except for LinkedIn. Using hashtags can help to increase your brand awareness and brand recall value. It helps to spread word of mouth publicity for your services or products. Furthermore, when you use hashtags on more than one social media channel, it allows people to identify your brand and its offering better. Wondering how to use hashtags on various social media platforms? Here’s how to go about it.  

• Twitter: Since your post has to be within 140 characters, it is smart to stick to two trending and relevant hashtags per tweet for the best results.  
• Pinterest: Since it comes under a search category, use two best hashtags so that users can locate your valuable content.
• Facebook: It is best to use two hashtags on Facebook. One could be a custom hashtag for the brand and the other a prominent one.
• Instagram: Here, you can add as many as 30 hashtags. However, it is smart to restrict it to a max of 11 per post to enjoy a high level of engagement.
• Google+: Use one hashtag on Google+, and you can locate and join a relevant conversation on a chosen topic.  

Generate brand engagement

You must know when to use hashtags on social media. It is not always essential to use hashtags to communicate with your users. You should also know which hashtags you should never use to communicate with your audience. Whether you are sending a reply or re-tweeting a post, it is best to avert characters that are unnecessary. When you are engaged in a conversation, keep the marketing bit out of it. It will help you generate authentic brand engagement.

Hashtags will not work because you want them to. It will only work if you use the right tactics. When creating relevant and unique hashtags, it is essential to keep the same short. It should also be easy to spell and read. If online users have trouble understanding your hashtags, they will bounce off to another post. To excel in your hashtag game, use these innovative ways, and see yourself succeed!