Power of Hashtags in Social Media

In the times we exist, it has become mandatory for each one of us to understand the importance of hashtags in social media. If you are new to the digital world, you must be wondering what is hashtags used for. Hashtags are words or phrases that help people discover your content easily. Using hashtags, you can drive more likes, comments, and shares for your valuable content. Twitter was one of the first social media platforms to use these widely. Later, it got popular on Facebook and Instagram as well. The thing with social media marketing is, that trends are never consistent.

 For instance, previously, it was recommended to add at least 30 hashtags in an Instagram post to make content discoverable. However, according to the latest updates, now it is suggested to add 3 to 5 hashtags only. One of the reasons for the changes could be that too many hashtags can confuse the algorithm and your content might index in the wrong category or get shown to an invalid audience. Each social media platform has a different set of instructions when it comes to adding relevant words or phrases. Further down this blog, you will come across how to add hashtags, to popular platforms when aiming for social media awareness.

Top 3 Advantages of Hashtags in Social Media

 Brand Identity

Many people must not be familiar with this but adding hashtags, actually help you make your brand more visible to the audience. When a user searches for a certain term, that is relevant to your business, your post will come up in the searches. Showing up in searches increases your chance to gain more followers and engagements.

Competition

Hashtags actually allow you to track what are your competitors talking about. You can search for the relevant phrases and look up their top-performing post. This will not only give you the motivation to produce better content but also give you unique ideas.

Promotion

If you plan to do a giveaway challenge and come up with a hashtag that represents your brand, it will definitely increase awareness as the users will be using it all over social media, in an attempt to score the precious prize.

How to Use Hashtags for Different Social Platforms?

When creating a hashtag there are certain rules that one should follow. One of the most important ones is, that it should not contain any punctuation or symbols. Although, you can certainly add numbers along with the relevant words. Also, there is no fixed spot to place the hashtag, you can type it in the beginning, middle, or at the end of the post. However, there are different ways of using them according to various social platforms. Here is a quick guide to some of the most popular social networks.

How to use Hashtags on Facebook?

For organic reach, using hashtags on Facebook works like magic. But you need to make sure, that you add only some. The right amount would be somewhere between one and two, just a pinch. Stuffing too many, can make your post look unprofessional and annoying for the reader. In order to find relevant trending tags, you should type a keyword in the search bar, for example, if you run a digital marketing agency, then type in the term “Marketing Experts” and it will recommend you the trendiest hashtags, that you can safely use it in your post. You can also, go back to your top-performing post and add more trending hashtags to attract a new audience.

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram?

Using hashtags on Instagram is extremely beneficial as it invites more engagement and awareness. You must be wondering, why use hashtags on Instagram or on any other social network for that matter. One of the prime reasons is, you can analyze what are your competitors talking about and find refreshing ideas for your social media content. So, your mind must be thinking, how many hashtags should I use on Instagram? As mentioned earlier, social media is never consistent. The rules keep changing as they update their algorithm. Currently, for Instagram, it is suggested to add maximum 5 hashtags, because it won’t overwhelm your audience and invite them to know more about you.

How to Use Hashtags for LinkedIn?

The best thing about using hashtags on LinkedIn is, that it, recommends them to you by itself. Yes, that’s right. When it comes to LinkedIn you don’t really need to search for relevant tags. Simply, start composing the post, and soon you will find the right suggestions below your post. Since the platform is popular among professionals, it is strictly suggested to place only one or two hashtags. Needless to say, hashtags, definitely increase engagement and the appearance of your brand.

How to use Hashtags for Twitter?

This is where it all started. Twitter didn’t exactly discover hashtags, but it was certainly the first social platform, to integrate it in the world of social media marketing. Similar to LinkedIn, the popular social media company has a refined audience. A Twitter post, must not carry more than two hashtags. The platform also provides trending lists of hashtags, based on the topics you are interested in. Making it easier for you to gain online growth without any hassle. You can also use a hashtag, and be part of a conversation, allowing your audience to discover your brand more quickly.

Use Hashtags Smartly to Be Social Media’s Hero

As we reach the end of the blog, you must have gotten a clear idea, of what is hashtags in social media and why does it matter. Hopefully, the hashtag examples we shared help you clear out the doubts. Before we wrap it up, here are some rules that you should follow in order to design a successful hashtag strategy:

• On average, use 1 to 3 hashtags only as this quantity is said to be effective
• Use minimal words rather than stuffing too many words in it
• Use them smartly to track your competitors
• Add them where they add value
• Keep them specific

You can use these strategies to gain the goal of brand awareness. Apart from the mentioned platforms, you can use the trending tags, on popular networks such as TikTok and YouTube. Before you jump on the bandwagon of tags, ensure you are using the right platform to reach your audience. If you are not using the right one, then regardless of how many hashtags you use, you won’t be able to generate any sort of engagement, let alone increase followers. And that is exactly not the goal. Right?