Social media is constantly evolving. New platforms emerge while mainstays like Twitter and Facebook are continuously updating, adding new features every couple of months. Hashtags are one such feature that has remained a key element of various social media platforms, and whose importance has only increased in recent years. Effectively utilizing the hashtag feature is imperative to a successful social media strategy. Read on to discover the basics of hashtags, why they’re necessary, and how to use them in your business’s social channels.
What is a Hashtag?
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the pound key (“#”), that signifies a certain type of content. (Younger generations don’t even call it the pound key anymore; they’ve only ever known it as a hashtag.) Examples of popular hashtags include #travel, #food, and #makeup. Hashtags can be added to the captions of social media posts and will act as a live link to a collection of all other photos and videos that are posted with that same hashtag. Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook all allow for hashtag usage, though we typically don’t recommend them for Facebook. Twitter is where hashtags originated, but for business social media accounts, Instagram is where we see them being utilized most effectively. This is because Instagram is increasingly pushing e-commerce on their platform, a feature all businesses can, and should, take advantage of. On Instagram, you can include up to 30 hashtags per post, and up to 10 hashtags per story. Later, we’ll discuss whether or not you need 30 hashtags, but you do have the option.
Why Should You Use them?
There are many reasons you should be using hashtags on your social media, the most important being that hashtags can increase your post reach, thus expanding your audience. When you include hashtags, your post becomes more discoverable to users that are interested in that hashtag. For example, if you own a doughnut shop and add the hashtag #dessert to your post, anyone searching for desserts will be able to see your photo, regardless of whether or not they follow you (so long as your profile is public). Hashtags are also incredibly useful for building an interactive online community. Creating hashtags that are unique to your business can be a way to build your brand while giving your followers a way to engage with your business on a more personal level. In addition, we recommend that you follow the hashtag you are utilizing as a way to keep tabs on competitors who may be using the same tags.
Hashtag Tips and Best Practices
If you’re new to using hashtags, here are our tips for ensuring they’re being used effectively. When it comes to the number of hashtags per post, it’s more beneficial to start with 5-7 “good” hashtags, rather than including the maximum number possible. “Good” hashtags are ones that are relevant to your post, as well as your business. Including countless unnecessary hashtags can annoy audiences and may even be flagged by Instagram as spam. In terms of hashtag placement, Instagram recently recommended users include hashtags in the original caption, as opposed to posting them in the comments section, as some creators have done in a bid to “hide” the hashtags. We recommend taking it a step further by incorporating your hashtags into the caption organically (i.e. “With #spookyseason over, it’s time to start thinking about getting a head start on all of the #holidaygifting. Here’s our #giftguide for the dad in your life”). Finally, as a general rule, we recommend to our clients that when choosing hashtags, think about what your audience is looking for and try to include a hashtag that can speak to those needs.
Hashtags are an incredibly useful tool that, when used correctly, can help your business get noticed. Our social media team has experience in implementing hashtags to help our clients grow their social media presence and attract new audiences. Make an appointment with us to discover the ways we can help grow your online following and how we can bring more potential customers to your business through social media.
