By now, everyone knows what a hashtag is; some of us are more fond of them than others. Love 'em or hate 'em, they do serve a purpose. You have to use them correctly, though, which unfortunately a lot of people don't do. That is why we've put together a guide on how to use them effectively!
Although some people overuse them, hashtags are vital for social media success. The hashtag is a social media tool specifically designed to help your content reach wider audiences.
When we started using social media, we used to #hashtag #everything. Now, seeing a million and one hashtags being used on a post is #outdated and #annoying.
Using these characters correctly, though, will help boost your engagement and visibility. It can also help you find trends and relevant content.
Knowing how to use hashtags effectively is key; that's why media update's Saads Abrahams is sharing all the tips to being #savvy!
The Hashtag's History
Back in the day (2007 to be precise), the hashtag as we know it came to life on Twitter by Chris Messina. Because the algorithm that we have come to know and love didn't exist back then, your feed used to be full of anything and everything.
The #SanDiegoFire was doing the rounds on another platform called Flickr, and Messina saw this as an opportunity to filter content — so he called on residents of the area to use the hashtag on Twitter as well.
Sure enough, people hopped on the train and started using hashtags for specific content they were sharing and wanted to see. Twitter adopted the sign and unveiled the search function to locate relevant hashtags. A year later, the social media platform unveiled the Trending Topics segment.
So, we know where they came from, but how do we use these nifty social media filters to get us where we need to be?
Be Specific
So before we knew exactly how effective hashtags could be for your personal or business brand, we used to use a hashtag on every other word — and yes, you still find some people doing that (cough, cough, boomers and Gen Xers).
But we now know that if you want to get your content picked up by the right people, using specific and relevant hashtags is key. So, make sure you are not using any generic hashtags like #food if you are a food blogger. Rather, be precise with your hashtags and use tags like #FoodReview or #FoodPhotography.
Using a general hashtag like #Food or #Foodie might help increase your visibility; however, the chances of it getting lost in the millions of other posts with that hashtag are far greater.
Research
Building on from this, how do you know what hashtags you should be using and which ones are doing well on your socials?
The answer is to do thorough research on each platform you post on.
Hashtags that are working on X might not be doing so well on Instagram, and this is why you need to do a deep dive into each platform you are going to use.
You can do this by searching on the platform itself, but there are also multiple sources online that can give you insight into how well a hashtag is doing. This can help make the process of finding the right hashtags so much easier.
Choose Trending Hashtags Wisely
Posting something with a trending hashtag can be useful to get your content seen by millions, but make sure you aren't overusing the hashtag or using it incorrectly.
No one wants to be baited into seeing your content just because you used a trending hashtag that has nothing to do with the actual hashtag. So use trending hashtags wisely — you want them to work in your favour and not against you.
Use, Don't Abuse
Please do not overuse hashtags; there is simply no truth in gaining more engagement on a post because you have added more hashtags.
Think about hashtags like a spice: Use them to give flavour to your post and not to overpower it. Stick to using two to five per post; using too many hashtags makes your post come across as spam and will likely be ignored.
According to FlexisourceIT:
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X / Twitter: Use one to two hashtags per post.
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Facebook: Use two to three hashtags per post.
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Instagram: Use three to five hashtags per post.
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LinkedIn: Use one to five hashtags per post.
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TikTok: Use two to three hashtags per post.
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YouTube: Use three to five hashtags per post.
Create Your Own #
If you are a brand, consider creating your own memorable hashtags to get engagement. This way, you can use the filter tool to boost brand awareness — and hopefully see your customers start using it too.
There are many options at your disposal: You can create generic or specific tags for your brand, events and campaigns. This will help boost your brand's visibility online and engagement.
Analyse and Adjust
Now, to make sure your hashtag strategy is working, you need to sit and do some analytics. Use analytics tools to see how your hashtags perform and if they work the way you need them to.
If they aren't, then you need to sit and adjust your hashtag strategy and see what does work for you. Things like using a mix of long and short hashtags, as well as title cases with your hashtags, can all help.
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*Image courtesy of Canva
**Information sourced from; Medium, SocialPilot and Codedesign.