Understanding Hashtag In Social Media: How To Use It?
Updated on: 15 October 2024
The rise of social media has revolutionised the way people communicate, share information, and connect with others globally. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok have become integral parts of everyone’s daily life, enabling instant communication and the sharing of diverse content. One of the most significant innovations within social media is the use of hashtags. Introduced by Twitter in 2007, hashtags have transformed how online users categorise and discover content. By simply adding a “#” symbol before a word or phrase, users can create searchable links that group posts on similar topics.
This simple yet powerful tool has not only enhanced the organisation of information but also fueled social movements, marketing campaigns, and trends, making it easier for people to find and join conversations on topics that matter to them. Furthermore, the increased popularity of hashtags also gave businesses an opportunity to upscale their social media marketing strategies. Basically, hashtags increase engagement and reach. Because of this, brands and businesses recognise the benefits of using relevant hashtags to make their content more discoverable on social media platforms. To understand more about the use of hashtags in social media, read on as this article talks about the importance of hashtags and how to use them in different social networking sites.
What is the Purpose of a Hashtag?
To understand the purpose of a hashtag, it is important to first know what a hashtag actually is. A hashtag is a term or phrase that starts with the hash symbol (#). It is included in social media posts to make it easier for people interested in your topic to find your content when they search for that specific hashtag or keyword. This can increase the visibility of your posts and boost engagement. For instance, if you run a local restaurant or store, you might use hashtags like #sandwich or #foodie when sharing a photo of a delicious meal you enjoyed.
The point of a hashtag is basically to allow online users to add context to their posts and show that they are part of a larger discussion. The purpose of hashtags is to help connect people to other individuals discussing the same topic. Considering the sophistication of social media algorithms nowadays, it can be easy to forget the disorganised social feeds people had in the early 2000s. Back then, online users had very little control over their content and were often annoyed by irrelevant or uninteresting posts. Hashtags were created for this particular purpose – to organise the social media experience. They group similar conversations to make it easier for people to find relevant content. Once a hashtag is used, it turns into a clickable and searchable link that leads to an array of has-been posts.
How to Use a Hashtag?
To make a hashtag in social media, simply add a # before a word or phrase, without any spaces. You can place a hashtag at the start or within a post. For businesses, hashtags can enhance event engagement, participate in ongoing conversations, increase promotion visibility, or discover new content ideas. In using a hashtag, however, be careful not to abuse it because too many hashtags look spammy. As a matter of fact, according to research, engagement tends to drop when a post has two or more hashtags.
Moreover, avoid creating hashtags that are too long. Make sure your hashtag is brief, simple to spell, and memorable. When using hashtags across different platforms, be mindful of each network’s character limits. For events with lengthy names, like National Small Business Week 2024, think about using a shortened version or acronym, such as #SBW24. An important additional tip is that you should always do a search for the hashtag you plan to use before actually using it. You cannot always predict how people will use hashtags. So, it is important to avoid unintentionally linking your business to negative, controversial, or embarrassing topics.
Tips on Using Hashtags in Social Media
Although it might seem easy and simple to add a hashtag to your keyword, there are some essential tips you need to keep in mind to ensure the effective use of hashtags in social media. Remember that hashtags only enhance your social media marketing strategy when used correctly. Here are some simple yet foolproof tips on how you can effectively use hashtags to boost your social media campaigns:
- Avoid overusing hashtags. Depending on the social media platform, one to three hashtags are usually more effective than many. Too many hashtags look spammy and can discourage online users from paying attention to your content.
- Keep hashtags short and easy to remember. For example, #BlackOutTuesday was successfully used during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. The success of this hashtag is primarily due to its being short and catchy enough to be easily remembered.
- Do not choose overly clever or obscure hashtags. If no one searches for the hashtags you are using, they will not help your social media marketing campaign.
- Use specific and detailed hashtags for better results. Broad terms are less likely to be searched and can cause your content to get lost.
- Focus on hashtags with low to medium search volume to reach the right audience. High-volume hashtags may attract spambots.
- Do not force hashtags into every post. Use hashtags only when they add value to your content and encourage interaction.
- Hashtags can attract your target audience and help you research your competition. Searching with hashtags can reveal relevant content related to your topic.
How to Use Hashtags on Facebook
To increase exposure for Facebook posts, using hashtags can enhance organic reach. However, hashtags are less popular on Facebook compared to other social media platforms. As such, limiting hashtags to one or two in Facebook is advisable to avoid appearing unprofessional and annoying readers. You can find relevant hashtags on Facebook by simply typing keywords into the search bar. Reposting top-performing content with relevant hashtags can also reuse effective content and attract new followers interested in your product or service.
How to Use Hashtags on Instagram
Hashtags are more popular on Instagram than on Facebook. Using hashtags on Instagram can boost reach and engagement. Feel free to use up to ten or eleven relevant and popular hashtags for Stories or Reels to reach a wide audience. A mix of popular, location, niche, content-related, and branded hashtags work well on Instagram. You can use up to 30 hashtags on a regular post. While you may not need that many, it is good to know that using more is acceptable, thereby allowing for experimentation. Use the search box to see what hashtags influencers or competitors use. Since Instagram supports multiple hashtags, try a variety of posts, photos, and comments.
How to Use Hashtags on TikTok
TikTok users categorise content with hashtags, which are clickable and place your videos alongside other relevant ones. Using hashtags on TikTok boosts reach and helps the algorithm determine which online users see your content on the ‘For You’ page. With a 4,000-character limit for captions, you have space to experiment with hashtags on TikTok. Be sure to use a combination of popular and niche hashtags for maximum reach. Moreover, hashtags on TikTok change frequently, so monitor the ‘Discover’ page from time to time to stay updated on trends.
How to Use Hashtags on LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, hashtags function similarly to other social media platforms. They can expand your organic reach and help build a community around your brand. For LinkedIn, using one to three hashtags is usually recommended. These can be added via the ‘Add’ button under ‘Hashtags’. Hashtags on LinkedIn can extend your posts’ visibility beyond your network. For example, with 500 connections, posting without a hashtag limits your reach to that network. As opposed to this, using a hashtag like #PPCMarketing can significantly increase your visibility, thereby boosting engagement and your credibility.
How to Use Hashtags on X
X, formerly known as Twitter, is the home of hashtags. As such, hashtags are quite popular on X. Using relevant hashtags on X can boost engagement if used sparingly. One or two hashtags per tweet are sufficient. Asking your followers to retweet with a couple of hashtags can further increase engagement. Hashtags on X basically make your post searchable and help you find conversations to join. For greater impact and better results for your social media marketing campaign, make sure to always research about trending hashtags on the platform.
Conclusion
Hashtags play a crucial role in social media marketing by enhancing the visibility and reach of content. They act as a powerful tool to categorise posts, making them discoverable to a broader audience beyond immediate followers. By strategically using relevant hashtags in social media, brands can tap into trending topics, join larger conversations, and increase their organic reach. This does not only boost engagement but also helps in building a community around the brand. Hashtags make it easier for users to find content related to their interests, thereby driving more traffic to the brand’s social media profiles and increasing the chances of converting followers into customers.
Moreover, hashtags provide valuable insights into audience preferences and trending topics, allowing marketers to tailor their content strategy accordingly. They enable brands to participate in popular discussions and leverage current events to stay relevant. By analysing the performance of different hashtags, marketers can refine their approach to maximise impact. In addition, using branded hashtags can foster a sense of community and loyalty among followers, encouraging user-generated content and enhancing brand visibility. Ultimately, it cannot be denied that hashtags are an indispensable element of social media marketing, offering a simple yet effective way to amplify content, engage with audiences, and drive business growth.
References:
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-use-hashtags-in-social-media
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/what-is-hashtagging/
https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/how-to-use-hashtags/