Hashtags accompany social media posts and can boost the visibility and reach of your content. You can use digital marketing strategies to maximize the potential of your hashtags, which are generally the most effective on Instagram and Twitter. You can use hashtags in the primary written text or shortly after to make them less visible to the reader.
Hashtags can help you target a specific market segment, increase brand awareness, and encourage consumer engagement.
Best Practises For Using Hashtags
Choose the Optimal Number of Hashtags
Excessive use of hashtags on your post can decrease interactions. You should be familiar with the rules around hashtag use, as they differ across platforms.
For Twitter, using hashtags is what drives growth for your account. Indeed, posts with hashtags acquire twice as much engagement as compared to those without. Tweets with approximately two hashtags attract the highest engagement and exceeding that number is not beneficial.
Instagram offers space for about 30 hashtags per caption, but avoid maximizing this character limit. Posts with approximately 11 hashtags get about 80% more interactions, which leaves you more space to dedicate more characters to written content.
The efficacy of digital marketing hashtags on Facebook is debatable. Introduced to the platform in 2013, hashtags are a relatively new feature for the platform. Regardless, hashtags can still help users locate your brand on Facebook and should therefore be used where appropriate.
Branded Hashtags
Developing a branded hashtag can boost your recognition on social media. Branded hashtags can include your tagline, slogan, brand name, or service/product names. For example, while GoPro uses #GoPro, Nike often uses its tagline #JustDoIt.
You can use your branded hashtag across platforms and media types. Using consistent hashtags can increase your online brand awareness. To further promote the hashtag, motivate followers to use it when they post a trend or enter a sweepstakes contest with your company. You can also use the hashtag to track the external use of your brand name.
Community Hashtags
Community hashtags can establish a connection with a specific audience. In a way, they are an alternative to branded hashtags, as established brands see real communities grow around their products and brands. For example, searching #JustinBieber returns both a list of fans celebrating him and his music, along with people voicing their dislikes toward him.
Many brands use their own names as hashtags to get their social media communities involved with their brand as we saw with GoPro using #GoPro. It should be noted that this strategy thrives when your company has a loyal and enthusiastic consumer group.
Campaign Hashtags
Campaign hashtags are used during a specific digital marketing contest or campaign. They have a start and an end date. Similar to branded hashtags, the main difference is that they are used for a set period in digital marketing. Campaign hashtags can have a wide reach in a short amount of time and may be a good option if you are looking for a faster return.
Event Hashtags
When your company hosts or partners with an event, this is an opportunity for you to use event hashtags. The event likely has an audience of people who are attending the event and who you can motivate to share your hashtag. Like campaign hashtags, event hashtags have a start and end date and are likely to only be effective for a limited period of time.
Use Hashtags To Grow Your Brand’s Reach
Digital marketing hashtags are best used in moderation to promote brand awareness. Using different types of hashtags can grow your online presence. Reach out to a digital marketing agency if you want help implementing an impactful content strategy with hashtags.
