Hashtags have been around for a long time but still seem a little mysterious to anybody new to social media marketing, so let’s first remind ourselves of the basics and some advice for best practice.
So what are Hashtags? Hashtags are a way for social media users to tag their posts with keywords, which in turn make them easier for social networks to organize and users to search.
Don’ts
Don’t overload your posts with hashtags. It is recommended not to use more than 3 hashtags in a post for good readability, any more is considered by others as “a little bit spammy”. 21% of Tweets with the highest engagements use only 1-2 hashtags.
Don’t post with overly-used hashtags which will get you nearly none visibility, use relevant hashtags related to your industry based on the products or services you offer.
Don’t use hashtags that are too long. With hastags the main rule is: The shorter, the better. It’s all about readability: If you’re using more than two words in your hashtag, put capital letters at the beginning of each word. For example #DigitalMarketing
Don’t use hashtags only on Twitter, they’re also relevant on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest! The commonly accepted use of hashtags is not the same from one social media channel to another. Whereas 1 to 3 hashtags will be enough on Facebook, up to 11 hashtags are still relevant on Instagram but could still overload the message you want to spread.
How to use hashtags on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
Do’s
Do use specific hashtags related to the content you’re talking about : Instead of using #marketing, use #conversion #SMM for example.
Do create your own hashtag related to your brand : It can be a special hashtag related to your brand’s identity or to a special campaign. This will help increase the engagement of your community. This is especially relevant if you are running a special contest / competition or a promotion.
Do use a Call To Action : Try to reach your audience by providing them hashtags they could use when posting something related to your business. For example, if you own a bike hire business, ask your audience to share photos of their trip using the hashtag of your brand, but also perhaps the hashtag of the wider tourism region #WildAtlanticWay. This will improve your visibility on Social Media.
Do use external tools to help you find the right hashtags. Tools like Tagboard or Trendsmap will help you see what are the trending hashtags and who is using them.
Social Media Marketing Strategy is one of the services we can help you with as part of a social media marketing strategy. Contact us at OSD Digital Agency if you would like to know more!
