How To Use a Hashtag and Why

By Andrea Pikscher - eGuide Content Marketing Manager

Remember when life was simple and this sign - # - was known only as the pound key? We only needed to worry about it existing if we called into a company with a long menu and pound was one of the options. That, or when making a numbered list. Ah yes…the good ole days.

Now though, it’s not just called a pound sign, but a hashtag, and they seem to be everywhere. When, how, and why should a person be hashtagging? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

True or False: You use hashtags on every social media channel.

False. No hashtags on Facebook. Technically, you CAN use a hashtag on Facebook, but people don’t utilize hashtags on Facebook the way they do on other social media platforms. Nor do the algorithms on Facebook account for hashtags the way they do on other social media platforms.?

It’s totally fine to use the same caption on multiple social platforms - just make sure to delete those hashtags before you post on Facebook. If they’re on your post on Facebook, they’re just taking up space without adding to your post.

Every Rose Has its Thorn - and Every Social Platform Has its Rules

For the social platforms that do utilize hashtags in their algorithms, here are some helpful tips:

Instagram: You get a hashtag, YOU get a hashtag - EVERYONE GETS A HASHTAG! While some advice says to narrow down your hashtags to just a few for Instagram, our personal research has shown the more hashtags the better.? Extra Insta tip: Make the hashtags your first comment.

LinkedIn: Hashtags are also valuable on LinkedIn. However, you don’t want to use as many as you would on Instagram. Instead, really narrow down your tried and true keywords for your company or organization. On LinkedIn, users are much more likely to follow specific hashtags to keep up on the industry news they most want to engage with. Try using no more than 4-5 hashtags on LinkedIn.

Twitter: Twitter is another social platform where you might think the more hashtags the better. However, this is another social channel where you want to narrow down your hashtags - maybe even using only 2-3. While hashtags can help you get your content in front of an audience, you also want to make sure your content is still something people want to engage with once they find your content. So don’t take up all of that space on Twitter with hashtags.?

Does it Even Matter What My Hashtags Say?

While some people may encourage you to hit on all the most popular hashtags, whether or not they have anything to do with your post, we would advise against that. Sure, you may get your post in front of a new audience, but if it’s not an audience that would engage with your company or product, it’s not really worth it.

Instead, try focusing on hashtags the same way you would focus on keywords for SEO. Narrowing down your keywords and using some of them for your hashtags will make sure that your content is finding your intended audience. The more you reach your intended audience, other social media metrics like engagement and followers are more likely to trend upward as well.?

If you just keep putting your content in front of anyone and everyone, your reach may be way high, but it will have no discernible conversions to speak of.

In conclusion, we may not have had a clue that our friend the pound sign was going to grow and change in such a big way - but it’s pretty cool that we have another tool at our disposal to help us with our organic reach. And while we know hashtags can be a little confusing to grasp, once you get the hang of them, they can really help boost your posts on social platforms. #youvegotthis #goteam