How to Use Hashtags for Social Media?
Ever noticed how some social media posts become trendy, but others don’t enjoy the same recognition?
Hashtags are words or phrases placed before a hash (#), that helps with content categorization. They are simple and innovative additions, placed under a content to boost its visibility and reach way beyond your region. Someone who uses it right, enjoys the benefit of bringing in the right audience while having a higher engagement. Instagram marketing services in Kerala offer the best solutions in guiding you through proper hashtag utilization.
What is a Hashtag?
A hashtag is a word or phrase that is placed after a hash symbol (#). It categorizes content into specific groups. Eg – #digitalmarketingagencykerala
The keyword works as a tag or label and collects all posts with the same hashtag. It serves the purpose of efficiently organizing content, increasing its visibility to a wider audience, branding & marketing, joining popular trends and connecting people with similar interests.
Why are Hashtags Important in social media?
Hashtags bring together content of the same type under a specific label; this makes the chances of finding a post linked to that specific keyword easy. It also massively boosts the reach of content, out of your circle to a wider audience.
More visibility, Greater the Engagement! When people with common interests come together, they share a common goal. This inspires interactions and a massive community engagement. That’s why we should know how to use hashtags for social media to capitalize on this community building.
Every content has a distinguished marketing style, but the one integral aspect that they cannot leave out is the usage of trendy Hashtags. Brands use hashtags to join trends and run large-scale campaigns in a simple manner.
How to Choose Hashtags for Social Media?
Your hashtags for social media should always match your content, for the sake of genuineness and relevance. Misplacing your hashtags would stain your content’s credibility and trustability. The algorithm only benefits you if you link your content with a corresponding (right) hashtag. This way, people of interest get guided to what they want, rather than being forced into a deep search.
Make the best use of Popular hashtags (widely searched), Niche hashtags (meant for target audience), and Branded hashtags (brand exclusive campaign tags) while utilizing tools or platforms like Hashtagify, RiteTag or TikTok’s Discover tab to assist your search for trending and relevant hashtags. Refer to influencers in the same field and take note of those hashtags with higher performance rates.
Always stay ahead by keeping yourself informed of hashtag trends and changes but only use what you can connect with your work rather than forcefully adding it into your content for reach.
Never settle, always keep changing and modifying your hashtags according to evolving trends. If you align everything accordingly, you can increase reach, engagement, and improve your brand presence.
Does Hashtag have usage limitations?
Yes, but not always a fixed one. Each social media platform has a distinct way to standardize hashtags.
1. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags. But it’s preferable to stay within 5-10 range.
2. Facebook has no known limiter, although it’s better to use few.
3. LinkedIn limits hashtags by recommending rather than restricting. Suggesting only 3-5 tags, after which they flag them as spam.
4. Twitter(X) doesn’t necessarily put restrictions on hashtags as long as it’s within the 280-character limit.
The most effective strategy is not to use more hashtags, but rather in using content related hashtags with more quality and effectiveness. Afterall, prioritizing quality over quantity increases the impact of your content and overall brand standard.
Effective Hashtag Strategies for social media
1. Branded Hashtags: Having a unique brand hashtag is one of the major hashtag strategies for social media, that helps in improving brand identity.
Eg – Nike’s #justdoit hashtag promotes sports, fitness and personal achievement related content.
2. Trending Hashtags: When the winds change, adjust your sails. The best way to be part of a trend is by participating or adjusting to it. There are also those tags that are quite famous and remain trending for a long time.
Eg – Companies using #Giveawayalert, #justdropped hashtags
3. Community Hashtags: These hashtags are targeted towards a specific group community or interest groups with the intention of making a meaningful engagement with the people that share common interests.
Eg – Apple’s famous #shotoniphone is a tactic used by the company to flex the photos and videos captured by users using their product.
4. Campaign Hashtags: These hashtags for social media promote specific campaigns, product launches, and other events. They are temporary but quite an effective tool for generating hype and engagement.
Eg – Coca-Cola’s #shareacoke trend had people sharing photos of themselves with a bottle of coke and their name on it.
Common mistakes to Avoid When Using Hashtags
1. Never overdo anything; Overusing hashtags makes it look over-promotional and spammy.
2. Always avoid hashtags that have no relevance to your content. More importantly, ensure you never use hashtags that are sensitive, offensive, or banned as it may ruin your reputation completely.
3. Try not to make your tags 100% repetitive. Copy-pasting the same set of tags every time makes it bland, spammy and less appealing to a wider audience.
4. Always re-check your hashtags to prevent misclassification. Slight spelling errors or accidental addition of a character could totally make them useless.
Hashtag Tips for Different Platforms
1. Instagram: Use a blend of trending and target audience-based hashtags within the 5-15 range, under the caption or in the comments.
2. Twitter/X: Utilize short and relevant hashtags within the character count.
3. LinkedIn: Use professional and industry-based hashtags to uphold businesslike attitudes. Don’t use more than 5 hashtags or make them unprofessional.
4. Facebook: Limit usage to one or two tags for a polished post. Don’t overcrowd your post.
5. TikTok: Connect with trends and challenges by using hashtags related to them.
Conclusion
Using hashtags smartly is all about pursuing quality over quantity. The right hashtags boost content visibility and make it important and engaging, helping you reach your target audience while shaping your brand. Ensure not to use a repetitive set of hashtags for all your content, rather focus on its relevance, the scope it offers, and its connection with your content.
Always remember to shuffle and adjust your hashtag strategies regularly. Track, Monitor and test hashtags to find out the one that brings maximum engagement.
We are a Social Media marketing Agency in Kerala with exemplary skills in social media handling that have left a lasting impression on our clients. We would love to build strategies that step up your social media presence and visibility by connecting with the right audience and keeping up with trends.
Neeraj Lal
Neeraj is an expert content writer with 3 years of experience. As a content writer at Dinero, he is passionate about storytelling and has experience in writing blogs, articles, ad copies, case studies, etc. He is dedicated to producing high-quality content that resonates with audiences and helps brands communicate their message effectively.
