How to Use Hashtags for Social Media Growth?

Puneet Kapani
Aug 24, 2017 · 3 min read

Our definition for #Hashtag
A hashtag is created by using the number sign (#) before a word, term, or group of letters that links to a live feed of all social media posts use the same hashtag on that social platform. The word, term, or group of letters ends once broken up by a space or symbol, and not all social media platforms use hashtags.

Three of the most widely used social media platforms that have a hashtag functionality are Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, which we focus on in our report.
Hashtags are a little misunderstood in social media. Since virtually any word can become a hashtag, knowing how to use hashtags in your social media marketing effectively can get a bit confusing. In this post we will tell you how to use hashtags for more social media growth and exposure.

1. KEEP IT SIMPLE AND RELEVANT
There are lots of hashtags scattered in the social media universe. Using a hashtag that is long and difficult to spell or pronounce, will probably not give you a good result. However, an unclear, never-used or generic hashtag will also not get the results you want.

Hence, the hashtag should be short, crisp and simple to spell. It should give your audience a clear idea about the topic of the conversation. The key is finding out to what topics your audience can relate. You need to find the ones they are already talking about. The hashtag helps to categorize your content and let people follow a trend and even help you to engage with a community.

2. USE TRENDING HASHTAGS
Trending hashtags are continuously changing according to the latest trend. Oftenly, you should use the ‘trending now’ hashtags. When you see a trend that relates to your business, engage in it by using the tag. By using a trending hashtag in your content update, you can get your message seen by a much larger audience.

3. USE HASHTAGS ON MULTIPLE SOCIAL CHANNELS
Hashtags may have started on Twitter but now all social media platforms support hashtags except for LinkedIn. Hashtags give your brand more exposure so you can spread the word about your product to a massive audience. In addition, when you use it on multiple times on different channels, people will easily remember your hashtag.

Twitter Hashtag: Because of character count restrictions, please don’t use more than 2 hashtags per tweet for best engagement.
Facebook Hashtag: Use 2 hashtags on Facebook try one popular hashtag and one custom hashtag for your brand.
Instagram Hashtag: It allows up to 30 hashtags, however keep it to no more than 11 per post for the highest level of engagement.
Pinterest: Use only 2 hashtags, it’s a category of search so use your unique hashtag to help pinners to find relevant content.

4. DON’T OVERUSE HASHTAGS
Make sure to use a maximum of two hashtags for each post. Including too many will leave the impression that you are spamming your followers. Usually, you don’t want to use more than one or two hashtags per post, with one hashtag is the best choice. Social media hashtags are important if used wisely.

5. CHOOSE SOMETHING UNIQUE AND EASY TO REMEMBER
Nowadays, people are using a unique and specific hashtag for better engagement with an audience. You can’t use generic hashtags, such as marketing or SEO and expect people to re-tweet your post. When choosing a hashtag, it’s important to make sure that your hashtag is easy for users to remember.

6. HASHTAG TRACKING TOOLS
Hashtag tracking tools for Twitter and Instagram with statistics reports and infographics in real time easy to share. Hashtag tracking or keyword analytics, you can also use it for event tracking and brand monitoring as well.

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Puneet Kapani

Written by

I am a social media analyst at GetMeAShop. Loves to read, write & learn more about digital marketing trends.

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