How to Use Hashtags for Social Media

No matter what social media platform you’re using, hashtags will be highly beneficial when it comes to sharing content, whether you’re using them for personal or business accounts. Either way, hashtags will help to increase engagement, which could then mean more followers, likes and comments. Subsequently, your posts could reach a considerable number of people in addition to the followers you already have.

So what are hashtags, why do we use them and how can they be implemented across those all-important social media networks?

What is a hashtag?

Hashtags were first used on Twitter in 2007 by a marketing expert called Chris Messina. It was brought in as a way to group all related Tweets together, preferably in one feed. The first ever hashtag that appeared in a Tweet, posted by Messina himself, was #barcamp. After that, the use of the hashtag boomed in popularity, making it what it is today.

Why do we use hashtags?

There are a number of reasons why hashtags are used on social media, as well as to group related content together, including:

It helps to build your brand – branded hashtags are proving to be a popular marketing tactic. It will only be associated with your brand and it will also help to drive conversation and promote your business or brand.

They can show support for social issues – it’s an effective, simple way for your brand to get behind a cause or movement. It shows both your existing and prospective followers that your brand has its own identity and values which can help to build rapport and strengthen connections with your audience.

It can help to add context to your posts, especially on Twitter – you don’t always have a lot of space to write your captions, so hashtags can help to reaffirm the topic and context of your social media post, ensuring your followers have a clear understanding of what your Tweet is about.

They make it easier for your target audience to find you – users can follow hashtags on platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn, making it even more likely that your posts will be seen by the people you’ve initially been targeting.

When should we use popular hashtags?

Despite what some influencers advise, it’s not always beneficial to use the most popular hashtags that are out there. They may be so generic that, if you attached it to a post of yours, it won’t be seen by targeted people. Popular hashtags could also be completely irrelevant to your brand, values or what you’re trying to sell, creating confusion amongst your existing followers. The best thing to do is to occasionally check to see what the popular hashtags are in case any come up that are related to what it is you do. 

However, you shouldn’t rule out using popular hashtags altogether as some of them can help to get you involved in fun online conversations, such as #throwbackthrusday. Again, this gives your brand personality which others could then relate to, making it even more likely that you’ll gain likes and follows, no matter what social media platform you use.

How to use hashtags on every social media network

There are a number of generic rules for using a hashtag, or a series of hashtags, correctly, including:

• They must always start with a #
• They cannot contain any spaces, symbols or punctuation
• They’re only effective when used for public accounts
• Use hashtags that are relevant and specific to the industry you work in or the products/services you sell
• Don’t over use hashtags as they can look spammy and take up valuable caption space, so be selective

Although hashtags can be used across all social media platforms, there are certain tactics and strategies you can implement depending on what account you’re using them for. For example, three or more creative hashtags would be most beneficial on Instagram whereas specific, relevant hashtags should be saved for Twitter.

Here are a few other ways that hashtags can be used depending on the social media platform you’re posting on.

How to use hashtags on Twitter

• You want to aim to include no more than two hashtags
• Hashtags can be used anywhere within the Tweet, as long as it doesn’t include punctuation, spaces or symbols
• To add emphasis, put a hashtag at the start of your Tweet
• To provide context to your Tweet, put the hashtag at the end
• To highlight a keyword, put the hashtag in the middle of the Tweet

You’ll also be able to search for a specific hashtag, topic or keyword, along with seeing which hashtags are trending in real time.

How to use hashtags on Facebook

• Like Twitter, you’ll be able to get away with one or two hashtags in your posts
• Hashtags can be used anywhere in the post or even in the comments
• They can be used to group content together on private pages or clubs

You’ll also be able to search for hashtags on Facebook, much like Twitter, and click on them to open feeds and posts that are all related to the hashtag you have clicked on. If you’re in a private group, then hashtags can be searched for within that specific group using the ‘search this group’ bar.

How to use hashtags on Instagram

• You’ll have five to ten hashtags to play with on Instagram
• Put the hashtags in after the caption has been written
• Hashtags can also be added or included in the comments
• Instagram stories will allow ten hashtags to be used, allowing you to be more creative
• Hashtags can also be added to your business account’s bio

You’ll also be able to search for specific hashtags on Instagram’s ‘Explore’ section. There’s also an option to follow a certain hashtag, making it easier for you to see what your competitors are doing with their social media accounts.

How to use hashtags on LinkedIn

• One or two hashtags can be used for a LinkedIn post
• They can sit anywhere within the post, as their location doesn’t really help when looking to attract followers and encourage engagement
• Still only choose relevant hashtags to help boost your post on the platform

Like most social media accounts, you’ll be able to search for specific hashtags and see which ones are trending. LinkedIn will also give you hashtag suggestions, helping you even more when you come to write your post. Do keep in mind, however, that LinkedIn is a professional platform, so be mindful of this when choosing hashtags to include.