Social media has become a powerful tool for businesses in every industry to reach new customers and expand their client base. With over 5 billion users worldwide, the potential audience is huge.
Given the enormous amount of people online, and the content being produced every minute, getting your posts seen by the right people is a common struggle between marketers all over the globe. A quick and free solution to this problem is the use of hashtags. More than just random tags used on Twitter, hashtags are a tool that can significantly improve your social media marketing strategy.
A recent study found that 69% of marketers use social media to raise brand recognition, with hashtags playing a significant role in this effort. Hashtags help your brand reach individuals searching for content related to your market or specialty, which can increase interaction, website traffic, and revenue.
If you’re just starting to implement hashtags or your current strategy isn’t showing results, keep reading for five tried-and-true methods for making the most of hashtags.
Use Relevant Hashtags
Relevancy is one of the most significant aspects in determining the success of your hashtags. Even if you just use the top five most popular hashtags in the world, if they’re not relevant to your brand, it’s a failed mission. Instead, you should choose hashtags that are specific to your business, field, or audience. If you own a coffee shop, for instance, you can boost your exposure by adding hashtags like #coffeeaddict and #coffeelover.
Researching your competitors is another technique to identify relevant hashtags. Examine the hashtags they are using to identify those that could work for your own postings. You can also use tools like an Insta hashtag generator to find popular and relevant hashtags related to your content.
Create Branded Hashtags
Developing a branded hashtag is an efficient method to establish a community around your business. It facilitates interaction between your followers and the content you provide. Branded hashtags can also allow you to track user-generated content and monitor what others are saying about your company.
Create a brand hashtag that is simple, memorable, and conveys something about your company. For example, Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke campaign encouraged people to share pictures of their Coca-Cola bottles with their names on them. The hashtag was easy to remember and effective in inspiring user-generated material.
Participate in Hashtag Campaigns
Hashtag campaigns are organized efforts to spread awareness of a certain hashtag in relation to a larger subject or issue. For example, during the 2020 US presidential elections, Twitter launched the #Election2020 hashtag to encourage people to participate in the conversation.
To join a hashtag campaign, the content you post must fit the subject of the campaign. When you use the same hashtag, you can interact with other users by liking and commenting on their posts, and they can do the same for you. In addition to raising your profile, this will also help you get new followers who share your interest in the subject matter.
Use Hashtags on Multiple Platforms
Another benefit of using hashtags is that you can reach a broader audience through a single social media platform. If, for example, you notice that your target audience besides Instagram is also using Twitter, you can expand your reach on the second platform by using the same hashtags.
Using platform-specific hashtags is another way to narrow your message’s reach. For example, you can use LinkedIn hashtags such as #workfromhome or #careeradvice to reach professionals who are looking for job-related content.
Make sure your hashtags are platform-specific when you’re using them across several social media sites. For instance, Twitter’s character restriction implies that you should avoid using lengthy hashtags. For Instagram, it’s best to use up to 30 hashtags per post, so make good use of them to get your content seen and consider strategies like how to buy views for Instagram reels.
Track and Analyze Hashtag Performance
Just like with any other campaign, you need to monitor your hashtags to see whether they are performing well to make sure you’re doing the right thing. Following the analytics of the hashtags you use can help you see which ones are working and which ones aren’t. By doing so, you can upgrade your future strategies to maximize engagement and growth.
There’s an abundance of online tools available to make tracking your hashtags easier. You can use them to keep tabs on how well a hashtag is doing, see how active your users are, and assess the overall effectiveness of your social media campaign.
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Final Thoughts
Hashtags are a great way for brands to expand their social media following. You can take your social media game to the next level and become a hashtagging expert by keeping these tips in mind. However, remember that you need to constantly research and follow what’s currently trending in order for your hashtags to be successful and relevant.
