Handy Hashtag Hints 

The use of hashtag or ‘#’ on social media, rose to fame on twitter in 2009 as a way to categorise content, and is now used on most social networking sites. However, randomly tagging words in your post might not get the outcome you were looking for. That’s right, that little symbol you see splashed all over your socials, is a little trickier to get right than you might think.

You might be thinking do I even need to use them. Short answer, yes. They’re an efficient and FREE way to not only help categorise content, but promote engagement and increase click traffic, while also reaching your target audience… provided you use them correctly.

How to use hashtags 

How to use hashtags can vary depending on what social networking site you are using, however there are a few basic rules that apply to all.
 
1. Making a hashtag; besides adding a hashtag in front of your word or phrase, there can’t be any spaces, punctuation or special characters. Using capital letters will only help readability, for example #WildandFree is the same as #wildandfree. 

2. Research a hashtag before you use it. You don’t want to align your brand with any offensive or scandalous tags. Research is also important to see if the hashtag is popular or trending. This is easy to do with tools such as Hashtagify.me. You need to be aware of what hashtags are popular in your industry as well as your community. 

3. Use them regularly and consistently in your posts. You may want to pre-plan your post using industry specific tags as well as popular ones such as #followfriday or #FF. Again, there are tools to help you do this such as Hootsuite, which will allow you to organise and schedule posts in advance.   

Twitter 

Even though it’s the home of the hashtag, it is vital to remember to not go overboard with tags when using twitter. Research has shown posts with two hashtags get the most engagement, however, decreases the more hashtags you use. When creating your own hashtag, make sure it is unique and memorable. When using an existing hashtag, ensure your brand is adding value to the conversation. 

Instagram 

You might think this is the platform to let loose on with the hashtags, with a maximum of 30 per post. However, DON’T post 30 hashtags on your post, this can make it look crowded or like spam. To ensure a more neat and tidy post hit return a few times then add your hashtags. Another method for using hashtags on Instagram is to post without any, then post your hashtags in the comments. When choosing hashtags, you should start with broader tags related to your industry, product or service for example #media #mediaagency #socialmedia. You should then narrow your hashtags to keywords that clients would use to find you, for example #wildandfree #wildandfreemedia. 

Pinterest 

Unlike Instagram, you should steer clear from the broader hashtags and stick with tags more closely related and unique to your business. This will ensure that those hashtags are more likely to show your pins. It’s also important to note that hashtags are only useful in the pins description (not comments). The first four hashtags show up in the feed, so use at least 4. 

Google Plus 

Google+ allows you to use as many hashtags as you like, similar to twitter though less can be more, and don’t go too broad. A feature on Google+ if you aren’t sure what hashtags to use, it will automatically add up to three hashtags related to your content, although you don’t have to use them. 

LinkedIn

Again, there are no limits to the number of hashtags you can use on LinkedIn. Similarly, to other platforms, you can post hashtags on your own posts, but another effective way to use them is to hashtag on other posts relevant to your business. It’s also a good idea to use hashtags on your own page.

Facebook 

The use of hashtags on Facebook is somewhat controversial, not catching on as well as other platforms, it is a topic that has divided users. However, using them is still an effective way for people to find your business through searching for specific topics. Therefore, keep hashtags specific and if you are already using them on other platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, try using the same ones for consistency. 

If you can’t find the time to organise your hashtags or it’s all a little #overwhelming, we’ve got you covered. At Wild and Free Media, social media strategy, management and measurement is our specialty, so holla at hey@wildandfree.com.au