Hashtags 101

Hashtags have been around since 2007 and were initially made for Twitter. They are now used on many other social networks like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

They make posts and conversations centered around the same topic easier to discover. Hashtags allow users to find posts around a specific theme, mood, subject, event, or other searchable feature. They also make an excellent tool for audiences to join in conversations, and marketers to target specific audiences. You could think of hashtags like keywords for a search engine.

Using hashtags help:

By using popular or trending hashtags with your social media posts, your messages will reach audiences beyond just your followers. You are exposing your message to everyone discussing that topic and looking at the subject. The question is, do you know which hashtags will work best for your brand and strategy?

Best Practices:

To use a hashtag on a social media post, add the # sign before a word or phrase, without spaces or punctuation. You can include numbers and emoji's in your hashtags as well.

A CamelCase hashtag is when you capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag. Using CamelCase helps the screen reader read it with pauses between the words instead of making it one word.

Stick with hashtags that are relevant to the topic of your post. They don't have to be words included in your post, but they should be authentic to the subject and something the reader would be searching for, given the nature of the post.

Don't miscalculate the power of knowing how to use hashtags to join in on the conversation, such as:

• Events and conferences (#NationalChampionship)
• Holidays or celebrations (#MayThe4thBeWithYou)
• Popular culture topics (#PandemicDocumentary)
• Popular hashtags for days of the week (#TBT)
• General interest topics (#blogging)

Use on different social platforms:

Did you know that according to Instagram Statistics, including at least one hashtag will boost your engagement compared to posts without hashtags?

Once you start digging into using hashtags on Instagram, you'll find yourself having more questions than answers. Do you know which hashtags are leading followers to your page? What are the most popular tags in your industry? How many hashtags on Instagram do you tack on a typical post?

Instagram will allow up to 30 hashtags on a single post. That doesn't mean you have to use 30 on every post. Experiment with your audience and the types of posts you are engaging on. Look for the sweet spot and top-performing tags.

Neglecting Instagram hashtags means hard work you put into your posts will be more difficult for potential followers to find. On the flip side, taking a few seconds to tack on popular hashtags instantly makes your work discoverable. So, go that extra step and watch your engagement increase.

A Twitter hashtag links the conversations of different users into one stream. Tweets will appear in the same stream when Twitter users who aren't otherwise connected to each other are talking about the same topic using the same hashtag. One to two relevant hashtags per Tweet is the sweet spot, but more is acceptable. Remember, the character count is what matters. KISS-Keep it short and simple. As long as the account is public, anyone who searches for the hashtag could find your tweet.

LinkedIn provides some straightforward guidelines for using hashtags. Do not use punctuation or spaces and do #KeepItProfessional. Don't spam your post with too many hashtags; long lists are only for Instagram. Beyond that, aim to use hashtags that are specific to your industry and niche consistently. And then apply additional hashtags that are specific to the topic that you are posting about. LinkedIn recommends some hashtags for you at the bottom of your post while you are drafting them. These are populated through LinkedIn's algorithm, which means they will likely be a good match for your posts.

Social media and its best practices are constantly evolving. For more information on social media, make sure to follow Ruth.

Ruth Bozeman specializes in Marketing, Social Media, Digital Storytelling, Branding, Events, Team Building, Health, Fitness, and Coaching.