Hashtag Do’s & Don’ts

by Laura Carlo

Once upon a time, a hashtag was only a pound sign or hash mark. With the rise of social media, it has become so much more. This once mundane symbol became the #hashtag, used across social media platforms to increase the likeliness of your post being seen outside of your own followers.

A hashtag is a phrase or keyword preceded by the hash symbol (#) written with a post or comment to facilitate a search for it. Some social platforms, like Instagram, offer the ability to follow hashtags, giving users the opportunity to find the information they seek quickly. Try these best practices for using hashtags to increase your content’s reach and find new audiences!

#Research

You don’t have to start a hashtag from scratch. Most often it is beneficial, especially for a smaller business, to utilize an already trending hashtag. Make sure to do your research and use hashtags that are pertinent to your content. 

#Popular

Just because a hashtag is trending and popular doesn’t mean it’s going to enhance your content reach. If a hashtag has a million posts associated with it, your content may just get lost due to over-saturation. Pick hashtags in the sweet spot of around 100,000-500,000 uses. While you don’t want to pick something too common, you also don’t want to use something no one is searching for. After all, the purpose of a hashtag is to generate leads and stand out. 

#Memorable 

You want your hashtag to be memorable and easy to understand. Having a lengthy or wordy hashtag is not only going to be difficult to read (as hashtags don’t have spaces between the words) but it will likely not catch on! Choosing a #simple hashtag will pay off in the long run.

#Relevant

One thing that will waste your time is using generic hashtags that lack relevancy to your brand. Using a generic hashtag, such as #wow or #pretty, will not generate the views you are looking for. Using appropriate and relevant hashtags will bring your content to the right audience.

Hashtags can be very helpful to your social media marketing strategy and they can also add some original flare to your post when you avoid oversaturated hashtags. Take some time to research what hashtags are going to not only resonate with your current audience but attract a new one.

Laura Carlo is an Account Manager with H&C Inc., an industry leading strategic marketing firm applying creative and effective strategy to every aspect of your business. We have assembled a team of professionals who master creative, narrative, visual and technical marketing initiatives for our well rounded, global client family. Our methods provide growth through revenue opportunities. We rise above the rest and provide a full-scale effort for each member of our client family, ensuring their sales teams are well fed, and their brand is championed by their teams and customers. Our mission is to help our clients modernize their business through strategic marketing, smarter sales and a better alignment of these efforts. We draw the lines that make your company more efficient and turn ideas into opportunities into revenue. Be in good company, work with H&C Inc. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.