What are the most effective hashtags for Twitter trend research?

1 Why hashtags matter

Hashtags are keywords or phrases that start with the # symbol and are used to categorize and filter tweets. They can help you increase your visibility, engagement, and reach on Twitter, as well as identify and connect with your target audience, influencers, and competitors. By using hashtags, you can also monitor what's trending, what's popular, and what's relevant in your industry, niche, or location.

2 How to find hashtags

Finding hashtags for your Twitter trend research can be done in various ways, depending on your goals and needs. Twitter's native features, such as the search bar, the explore tab, or the trends section, can be used to discover what hashtags are being used and talked about. You can also narrow down your options by filtering results by location, language, or topic. Third-party tools like Hashtagify, RiteTag, or Keyhole can provide data on hashtag popularity, relevance, sentiment, reach, and more. You can even compare different hashtags and observe how they perform over time. Furthermore, Twitter's native analytics or other tools such as Sprout Social or Hootsuite can be used to track and measure your own hashtag performance. This will allow you to see which hashtags generate the most impressions, clicks, retweets, likes, and replies so that you can optimize your future posts.

3 How to use hashtags

Finding hashtags is just the beginning. To maximize the effectiveness of your Twitter trend research, it’s important to use them correctly. Here are some best practices to follow: Make sure your hashtags are relevant to your content, audience, and goals. Avoid using hashtags that are too broad, too specific, or too spammy – instead, opt for hashtags related to your industry, niche, or location that reflect your brand voice and values. Additionally, use a mix of popular, niche, and branded hashtags to reach different segments of your audience and stand out from the crowd. Popular hashtags can help you join trending topics and increase exposure, niche hashtags can help you target ideal customers and generate leads, and branded hashtags can help create awareness and loyalty for your business. As for the right number of hashtags to use on Twitter – there is no definite answer; however, it’s generally recommended to use no more than two or three per tweet. Using too many can make tweets look cluttered, spammy, or irrelevant which can reduce engagement and reach.

4 How to create hashtags

Creating your own hashtags for Twitter trend research can be beneficial, especially if you're launching a campaign, promoting an event, or encouraging user-generated content. It can help generate buzz, increase participation, and track your results. To create effective hashtags, it's important to do your research first to make sure it's not already in use or associated with something negative or controversial. You can use Twitter's search bar or third-party tools to check the availability and suitability of your hashtag idea. Additionally, make sure it's memorable, catchy, and easy to spell and pronounce. You can use alliteration, rhyme, humor, or wordplay to make your hashtag stand out and appeal to your audience. Capital letters can also be used to separate words and avoid confusion. Once you have your hashtag, you need to promote it and get people to use it. This can be done by using it in tweets, bio, profile picture, or pinned tweet. You can also cross-promote it on other social media platforms, websites, or offline channels. Offering incentives, rewards, or contests may motivate people to join your hashtag campaign.

5 How to analyze hashtags

The final step of your Twitter trend research is to analyze your hashtags and see how they impact your performance, goals, and ROI. To understand what works, what doesn't, and what can be improved, you should track and measure metrics such as impressions, reach, engagement, sentiment, and conversions. Impressions are the number of times your hashtag was seen, reach is the number of unique users who saw your hashtag, engagement is the number of interactions your hashtag received, sentiment is the tone and emotion of the tweets that used your hashtag, and conversions are the number of users who took a desired action after seeing your hashtag. To access and visualize this data you can use Twitter's native analytics or other tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite. Additionally, Hashtagify, RiteTag, or Keyhole are great for comparing and benchmarking your hashtags against competitors or industry standards. By following these tips and tools you can find the most effective hashtags for your Twitter trend research to achieve your marketing objectives.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?