Hashtag strategy? Does it really work? I know you have this question in your mind somewhere. But in reality, you should never ignore hashtags because they help increase visibility and discoverability on social media platforms, especially on platforms like Twitter and Instagram where hashtags are used extensively to categorise and search for content. By using relevant hashtags, people can reach a wider audience and potentially gain more engagement on their posts. People who have serious interest in some particular niche, are willing to follow hashtags to stay updated with the things happening around their interest.
What is a Hashtag?
A hashtag is a symbol (#) used in social media to label and categorise the content. It is added to a word or phrase to create a link to all other posts that have used the same hashtag. This allows users to find and view all related posts on a particular topic or theme. Hashtags help users discover, categorise, and participate in social media conversations. Now that you know what is hashtag basically used for, here are the things that you should take care of while using it:-
- They always start with #, but they won’t work if you add any punctuation, symbols, or spaces.
- It is necessary to create a public account. Otherwise, your posted hashtagged information won’t be visible to others who aren’t followers.
- Keep your word count to a minimum. The most effective hashtags are typically short and easy to remember.
- Use specific, relevant hashtags. If it is too complex, it will be hard to find and unlikely to be used by other social media users.
- Don’t use hashtags in bulk otherwise, it looks spammy.
To avoid looking spammy you can follow this Instagram hashtag strategy: 
As mentioned in the Instagram hashtag strategy above, you should use a minimum of 3 hashtags and a maximum of 8-10 hashtags. Going overboard with hashtags will make you look irrelevant and spammy as you have been already told. Choose an industry and niche hashtag from which your post belongs and your brand hashtag is a must. Also, mention the location to target the audience from your targeted location, you can also put hashtags of events, and community if needed.
How to find the best hashtag to Use
- Research your audience and competition: Look at what hashtags your target audience and competitors are using, and consider using similar ones.
- Use hashtag research tools: There are several online tools, such as Keyhole, RiteTag, and Hashtagify, which allow you to search for and analyse the popularity and usage of hashtags.
- Create unique hashtags: Create a unique hashtag specific to your brand, event, or campaign to increase visibility and engagement.
- Keep it relevant and specific: Use relevant and specific hashtags that accurately describe the content you are posting.
- Limit the number of hashtags: Using too many hashtags can appear spammy, so it’s recommended to limit their number to 5-6 per post.
By following these steps, you can find the best hashtags to increase visibility and engagement on your social media posts. Now that you have understood how to use hashtags, let me tell you that every platform has a different hashtag strategy.
Twitter Hashtags
Total no. of hashtags you should use: 1-2
In your tweets, hashtags can be used in any place. Use them at the beginning to highlight, in the end to provide context, or in the centre of your content to draw attention to a particular keyword. In addition, you can include hashtags in your Twitter bio, responses, and comments when you Retweet.
To find hashtagged content, you can also type a hashtagged keyword into Twitter’s search field and view trending hashtags in the trending topics on Twitter. Technically, you have 280 characters to use as many hashtags as you like in a Tweet. However, Twitter advises using no more than two. Use Twitter’s advanced search features to check whether a new hashtag is already in use before submitting it.
Facebook Hashtag
Total No. of hashtags you should use: 3-4
You can use hashtags in the comments or in any written section of your Facebook post. They are helpful for categorising the information in private Facebook groups according to theme or subject. Since private channels like Facebook groups are becoming more and more popular, it is crucial for brands to remember this. Remember that it’s harder for marketers to track how people are engaging with your hashtags because so many Facebook user accounts are private. Observe the hashtags associated with your company and discover which public accounts are contributing by visiting facebook.com/hashtag/____(at the end, add the keyword you want to search with).
Instagram Hashtag
Total No. of hashtags you should use: 5-8
In the Explore section of Instagram, use the Tags tab to search for hashtags.
Observe hashtags as long as the content uses the hashtag you’re following, it will appear in your feed regardless of the originator.
Some key Instagram hashtag advice:
- You can view Instagram Insights if you have an Instagram Business account. Then, you can see how many hashtag impressions your profile received.
- To avoid making your content less accessible to users of the text-to-speech feature (convert text to audio), avoid including hashtags in the middle of your captions or comments.
- The best practice is to group hashtags at the conclusion of your caption (or in the comment section).
LinkedIn Hashtags
Total No. of hashtags you should use: 1-3
You can use the search box on the platform to look up for hashtags. The “news and views” area of the home page will display the most popular hashtags on LinkedIn. As you submit a post, LinkedIn will recommend hashtags. As LinkedIn is a professional site, keep hashtag usage professional. To see current posts using a certain hashtag on LinkedIn, follow that hashtag.
Conclusion
In conclusion, developing an effective hashtag strategy is crucial for maximising your social media presence in 2023. By carefully selecting and using hashtags, you can increase your reach, engagement, and brand recognition on all major social media platforms. Whether you’re a business owner, influencer, or just looking to build your online presence, taking the time to understand how hashtags work and incorporating them into your content strategy can help you achieve your goals and stand out in a crowded online landscape.
It’s time to start including hashtags in your social media posts if you haven’t already.
