Why do I need to use hashtags on my post?
What even is a hashtag?
As we launch further into the 21st century there are many things about the World Wide Web that is assumed knowledge. Hashtags are one of those assumptions.
If you have a business and a social media presence you probably are already aware of the ol’ hashtag. But what does it actually do?
Hashtags help you find and connect to your audience. By hashtagging your content people interested in that hashtag can discover it.
Hashtags help you develop and build your brand. Creating a hashtag for your business allows your audience to use it, you can use it to generate excitement for a new promotion or competition and it increases the likelihood of your post being shared.
It is important to note that hashtags differ depending on which social media platform you are using.
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram use hashtags to categorise content. This enables users to search for content, follow content and sort keywords. Across these platforms users are able to discover relevant, similar content.
Before you jump on the hashtag bandwagon and start hashtagging everything, there are a few tips and tricks to remember.
Don’t use punctuation, your hashtags won’t work - no apostrophes or spaces #nospaces #CapitalLettersAreFine
Don’t use symbols - #$50aticket won’t work as a hashtag because of the $
Check carefully your hashtag does not change meaning when there are no spaces. We all know Susan’s album party did not end well for Susan Boyle.
Each social media platform uses hashtags slightly differently, they all have guidelines and rules of their own for the use of hashtags.
Twitter was one of the first to take the # symbol to help sort tweets.
By using hashtags in your tweets it categorises keywords. People can then search for a hashtagged keyword. If you have a public Twitter account, your Tweet will show up in a search.
On Twitter, hashtags can be used anywhere within the Tweet. The official Twitter line is a recommended two hashtags per Tweet, but there is no ‘official’ limit to the number of hashtags you can Tweet.
Check which hashtags are trending first! Your #innocent Tweet may take on a totally different meaning if there happens to be a big criminal trial going on.
Facebook uses hashtags to also categorise content to enable users to search for similar content. This happens by turning the hashtag into a clickable link users can explore. Again, if you have a public account, your content is visible to those who click or search that particular hashtag.
Instagram’s use of hashtags seem to cause the most angst amongst business owners. There are entire articles dedicated solely to the Instagram hashtag.
It doesn’t need to be so overwhelming.
Users can follow hashtags. They might not know your business name or that you even exist, but if you use the relevant hashtags your reach is greatly extended.
This has resulted in some clever, well thought out hashtags, but also some desperation.
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags on a post and 10 hashtags on a story. Instagram, however, allows you to hashtag only your own posts.
Businesses take some time to come up with a list of 30 hashtags and just copy and paste those for each post. This is counter intuitive, as it goes against Instagram’s community guidelines of remaining spam free by not “...posting repetitive comments or content”. Your beautifully curated Instagram account may well be undiscovered by your target audience as it has been deemed ‘spam’ by the algorithm and won’t show up on a search.
You need to choose relevant hashtags. If you own a coffee shop #cafe is a good start. But with over 59 million posts, yours is, sadly, likely to be lost. #mondaymorning lets your coffee photo slip in amongst others who may be struggling for motivation or have already kicked butt this week. Either way a coffee is a good accompaniment to a Monday mood and now you are amongst relevant content, with the numbers more in your favour.
Narrow it down a bit to help find your niche. Rather than using the hashtag because it seems popular with over 50 million other photos, have a think about what it is you are trying to communicate. #plantsofinstagram is a good hashtag that might extend your reach, but will it help you sell plants? #onlineplantseller is much more specific and with a little over 7000 posts, you are more likely to find a niche market here.
You need to include relevant hashtags. This means including the location, a brand or your own business hashtag. Tourism campaigns do this well. By creating their own hashtag tourism campaigns enable tourists to use the hashtag for sharing their photographs further promoting the location.
Explore the related hashtags and see what others are using. Influencers and your competition may have hashtags you haven’t thought of.
Unlike the other social media platforms, Instagram allows you to use an emoji.This opens the door for more hashtagging options, thus increasing your exposure.
#cakes🍰 has almost 200 000 posts, and you know the old adage of a picture painting a thousand words.
Currently, a significant portion of the world is working from home or just staying home, your audience suddenly has a lot more time. See this an opportunity to experiment with some hashtags, research some hashtags, related content and find an influencer for inspiration.
With the right mix of hashtags your business can grow in followers and customers alike.