We get asked a lot of great questions by our clients, but a question that keeps coming up is about hashtags. There seems to be some mix up as to why a business would want to use hashtags. And if you are using them, you may not know why or which ones would help. One thing is important: If you use them correctly you will get your posts seen by more people likely to be interested in your products/services or brand.
So, let’s clarify a few items about hashtags first so that you can utilize them more effectively:
Hashtags are:
- Type of metadata tag used on social media networks (label for content)
- Combination of numbers, letters, and/or emojis preceded by a # symbol
- Helps others find your content or messaging
- Clickable
- Nine distinct types of hashtags
o Product/Service – basic keywords that describe your product or service such as #cleaningservice or #steelersbar
o Niche hashtags – more specific and shows where you fit in the context of your industry. #birdwatchersofinstagram is an example
o Special event or seasonal hashtags – these are specific to a holiday or season. #nationalcatday or #fallcolors are examples
o Location hashtags – even if you geotag your posts you can still utilize a location in your hashtags such as #Indianapolisburgers or #Tampaeats
o Daily hashtags – there are a lot of hashtags that describe the day such as #sundayfunday or #fridaynighteats
o Relevant phrase hashtags – these hashtags combine elements of a few of the ones listed above. #mondaybirders or #catslovefridayandfood
o Acronym hashtags – The best known one hashtag is #TBT for throwback Thursday. But there are a ton such as #YOLO or #BYOB
o Emoji hashtags – these hashtags include emojis
- You can “hide” hashtags on certain platforms such as Instagram in the comments section
- There are trending hashtags that change daily or weekly
- Your business can create a branded hashtag. At StrategyNest we use #jointheflock
- Hashtags can be used for competitive intelligence. Hastags.org is a great site that aggregates hashtags and tells you what people are discussing. It can also give you ideas with great hashtag examples
Here are four reasons you would want to use hashtags for your business:
1. Hashtags make the process easier for you and your audience
- Searching for a specific hashtag pulls results for each post using that hashtag. Therefore, using a hashtag helps you reach your target audience, and also makes it easier for others to find your posts
2. Hashtags call for an action
- When a user sees a post that is of interest to them, they will most likely spend time looking through content brought up by the hashtag associated with it
3. Hashtags are continuously growing
- Hashtags are constantly being used by more and more platforms, impacting the amount of posts with information put directly in front of social media users that are your correct target audience
4. They are rewarding
- Hashtags make finding information easier for social media users. A unique hashtag makes your message stand out to the users who find the hashtag and particular topic valuable
Each platform on social media has a different recommendation on how to use hashtags. Here are some guidelines to help you as you plan and research hashtags for your business:
Twitter:
Optimal number of hashtags used: 1-8
Where do you find hashtags on Twitter: Anywhere in your tweets. You can use them at the end, at the beginning or in the middle of your post to highlight a keyword. Hashtags can also be added in a comment when you Retweet, in replies and in your Twitter bio.
You can also:
· Type a hashtagged keyword into Twitter’s search bar to find hashtagged content.
· See trending hashtags in Twitter’s trending topics.
Facebook:
Optimal number of hashtags used: 1-5
Where do you find hashtags on Facebook: Hashtags can be included anywhere in your Facebook post or in the comments. Hashtags are also useful for grouping content in private Facebook groups by theme or topic. This is important for brands to keep in mind considering Facebook is seeing its users shift to private channels.
You can also:
· Search for a hashtag in the search bar
Instagram:
Optimal number of hashtags used: 5-10
Where do you find hashtags on Instagram: Hashtags can be found in your IG caption or in the comments section.
You can also:
· Include up to 10 hashtags in your Instagram story
We hope that this helps you as you research and strategize your hashtag strategy for your business.
#CHEERS