Growing your social media following is a struggle when you have to compete against an endless stream of content. Some people seem to effortlessly gain traction, while your posts fall by the wayside. The difference between lots of engagement (or none) may just lie in your hashtag usage. In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to use hashtags effectively so you can connect to your target audience.
What is a Hashtag?
By definition, a hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the hash sign (#). Twitter first began using them in 2009, when the site hyperlinked all hashtags to Twitter search results. Now, many other platforms use them as well.
Essentially, they act as labels on social media posts, which is important for two main reasons:
They allow content creators to organize their posts amongst all other posts
They allow users to easily find posts that they want to see
When you scroll through your feed, you can see pretty much anything, from news to memes, politics, etc. Instead of aimlessly scrolling, you can just click on a hashtag and see all the posts about that particular topic.
Once enough people use the same hashtag, it becomes a trend, making it highly visible. In the past, people have used them to bring attention to social movements. Examples of this include #MeToo, #BLM, and #jesuischarlie. But, you can use them for many other purposes too.
When Should I Use Hashtags?
If you create content on social media that you want people to see, you should use hashtags. Here are some other reasons to use them:
Increase social media engagement
Hashtags are a great way to increase engagement on your social media posts. When you use them, it means other people can find your posts more easily. When people see your posts, they can like, comment, and share it. If you don’t use tags, it is nearly impossible for people to do that because they won’t see your post in the first place.
Connect with your target audience
Relevant hashtags get your posts in front of people who are interested in your niche. Hashtags include keywords that let you target specific interests.
For example, if you are a vegan cooking influencer, you should use the hashtag #veganrecipes. That way, you attract people who are actually interested in plant-based cooking, instead of meat-eaters who will just scroll by your post. Precise tags mean that the people who see your posts are more likely to engage with it and follow you.
Start a conversation online
Hashtags mean you can either spark or take part in online conversations. They essentially link your posts to a larger discussion or movement. So, when others who also want to be part of the conversation search for that hashtag, they see your post too.
The conversation could be about a popular TV show, global news, or a local event. Either way, adding to the conversation boosts your visibility and relevance.
Add context to social media posts
When writing captions, less is usually more. You don’t always have the character count (or audience attention span) to write out everything you want to say. So, adding a hashtag can help you convey the emotion or theme of your post.
Bring attention to social issues
You probably don’t think hashtags are that serious, but they can actually be a force for social change. Here are some examples of how tags havespotlighted important issues:
#NoDAPL (aka the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests). In 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux began a grassroots campaign to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Social media played such a huge role in the movement that people often refer to it by the hashtag itself.
#WomensMarch. In 2017, millions of people around the world marched to protest Trump’s policy positions and rhetoric. People organized the marches online, which resulted in the largest single-day protest in US history at the time.
#MarchForOurLives. In 2018, people marched to protest gun violence after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. This hashtag spread across social media, sparking a nationwide movement to promote stricter gun laws.
Hashtags have a long history in activism. The Dakota Access Pipeline protests recieved a high amount of attention on social media with the hashtag “#NoDAPL”. Photo taken by A Disappearing Act.
Any easy way to make users aware of the brand partnership is to use hashtags such as #Ad, #Sponsored, or #Partnership.
Build brand awareness
Hashtags are a key tool for building brand awareness when social media marketing. Find hashtags that are relevant to your brand or industry so people associate your content with those keywords. This makes it easy for users to find and engage with your brand. As a result, people recognize you and you build a strong industry presence.
Protect your brand’s reputation
Hashtags are also a great tool to learn what people are saying about your brand. You should monitor your public perception so that you can address any issues in a timely manner. Create a unique branded hashtag so you can keep track of online conversations and manage your brand reputation.
The 3×3 rule is a hashtag strategy from TikTok creator and social media manager Rachel Pedersen (@themrspedersen). She created this strategy specifically for smaller accounts on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. The idea is to use 9 hashtags total, broken down like this:
3 tags related to who you serve/who you want to reach
3 tags related to what you are offering/what the video is about
3 tags related to the problem/pain points your audience experiences
Try this strategy out for yourself and see how the hashtags work!
How To Use Hashtags On Different Social Media Platforms:
Facebook
Generally, hashtags on Facebook aren’t as popular as they are on other social media platforms. People just don’t tend to use them as much as they would on platforms like Twitter, for example. But, adding a couple of tags to your Facebook post could expand its reach.
The key here is less is more. According to Post Planner, posts with 1-2 tags receive the most interactions. Using more Facebook hashtags than that actually decreases engagement! So, use them sparingly.
According to Post Planner, the ideal amount of hashtags on Facebook is 1-2. Less is more!
Instagram
Instagram hashtags max out at 30, but do you need to use all of them? According to Later, posts with 20 hashtags on Instagram received the highest reach rate. However, Sprout Social argues for sticking to 3-5 tags within the caption of your post.
According to Later, posts with 20 hashtags get the most reach on Instagram. In this case, try adding more hashtags to your posts.
So, what are you supposed to do? An easy solution is to add tags in the comments of your post. This is just as effective as adding them in the caption, but make sure to do it as soon as your post goes up. This keeps your caption clutter-free while expanding your reach at the same time.
Twitter
Twitter (now X) is the birthplace of hashtags, so it is important to include them in your posts. Twitter is all about trending topics, so check out the “Trending” section to find tags to add to your posts. But, make sure the tags are relevant to your tweet.
You can use as many tags as you want, as long as you stick to the character limit. However, Twitter recommends using a maximum of two tags.
TikTok
The TikTok algorithm is rather elusive, and some argue whether hashtags on TikTok even matter. The platform does actually analyze the audio transcript of the video to tell what it’s about. So, it may send your video to people’s For You Page based on that alone, but tags definitely can’t hurt.
If you have a small account and want to expand your reach, try adding some tags to your posts. You can use as many tags in your TikTok captions as you want, but stick to ones that are relevant to your video. You can find trending topics by tapping the search icon in the top right hand corner of the home screen.
LinkedIn
Hashtags on LinkedIn help people find your posts so you can add to the conversation. Users tend to follow tags relevant to their industry, so using them can help you network.
Since LinkedIn is for professionals, your tagsshould be more formal than on other platforms. To find new tags, type a relevant topic into the search bar. LinkedIn recommends using a maximum of three tags in your post. You can also add them to the comments on your post or others posts.
7 Dos and Don’ts of Hashtags
Here are the dos and don’ts of using hashtags, no matter the social media platform:
Do: Research hashtags before you use them
Don’t just guess which hashtags to use by choosing a random word or phrase. Find ones that have a high amount of engagement and are relevant to your specific post.
For example, if you’re a photographer, you have tons of potential tags to choose from. Think about how users would search for your post. Someone searching #photography might just want to look at aesthetic photos. However, someone searching #photographer might want to find a photographer to hire.
Do: Discover trending topics
Most social media sites have a sidebar that says “What’s Trending”. Below that you will see a list of popular hashtags either around the world or in your area. These trending topics are often about major news stories, celebrity deaths, holidays, etc.
Using these trending hashtags means your posts have access to a widespread audience. However, it also means your post has to compete with many others. Depending on the post and social media platform, you can also consider using some more niche tags.
Do: Be specific
Make your hashtags as specific to your post and brand as possible to hone in on your niche, theme, or topic.
For example, say you own an Italian restaurant and you want to promote your new dish. Instead of using a vague tag like #food or #restaurant, using something like #italianfood. That way, people who are already interested in what you have to say will see you.
Do: Be concise
Yes, hashtags should be specific, but they also need to be short and to the point. Stringing together too many words, or using hard to spell words, means people will struggle to even type it into the search bar. Use a simple hashtag so that people can find your posts easily.
Don’t: Add spaces or special characters
Hashtags do not allow for spaces or special characters. If you add a space or special character, the hashtag will just break off.
For example, if you were to write “#Throwback Thursday” only #Throwback would become a clickable hashtag link. You must also use numbers carefully, as you can’t hashtag a number on its own or start a hashtag with a number. For example, #funrun2016 is fine, but #2016funrun is not.
Don’t: Add too many hashtags to one post
Do not stuff your posts with as many hashtags as possible, or the platform could flag your post as spam. Different social media sites have different guidelines about this, but remember that less is more.
Stick to a few relevant tags per post, and make sure to write a well thought out caption that adds to the conversation. Captions actually help out a lot with social media SEO, so don’t skimp out on it in favor of more hashtags.
Don’t: Overuse a hashtag
If you flood a hashtag by using it in 100 consecutive posts, the platform may also flag your post as spam. If you spam a hashtag, users may either block you or just scroll past your content. Using the same hashtag over and over also limits the amount of people you can reach, so mix up your tags.
Conclusion
Remember, you never have complete control over how a hashtag performs. Even if you create one, people can use it however they want. That’s why you should monitor hashtags associated with your brand to make sure they are sending the right message.
Using the right hashtags is one small part of protecting your online reputation and promoting your brand. When you need reputation help, the professionals at Reputation911 are here for you. Contact us for a free consultation today.
William DiAntonio is the Founder & CEO of Reputation911, a reputation management firm he founded in 2010 that has earned the trust of its clients for over a decade by helping individuals, businesses and brands control their online search results.
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Growing your social media following is a struggle when you have to compete against an endless stream of content. Some people seem to effortlessly gain traction, while your posts fall by the wayside. The difference between lots of engagement (or none) may just lie in your hashtag usage. In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to use hashtags effectively so you can connect to your target audience. 
