Want to increase social media engagement for your business? You'l need to master the use of hashtags. In this post, we'll share 8 ways to use hashtags to get more likes on social media.
Many people use hashtags, but not everyone uses them properly. We will unveil some ways to use hashtags properly, so your brand will get more likes and engagement on social media.
But first, let's briefly cover the basics...
How do Hashtags Work?
A social media hashtag is a keyword or phrase that is preceded by the hash (#) sign (e.g. #Messi, #BlackPantherForever).
Hashtags serve as a social media search tool– they help to tie different social media posts together that relate to a particular topic, making them easily searchable.
Using hashtags in your social media posts ensures that a larger audience outside your own followers is able to see your post. It also helps your brand to get more attention and engagement when you use trending hashtags.
It's important to know that there are different best practices for using hashtags depending on which social media platform you are using. Let's briefly go over those hashtag best practices for the top social media platforms...
Using Hashtags on Instagram
Instagram’s captions and hashtags are usually used to describe pictures, so it's important that your hashtags are relevant to the picture you uploaded.
Instagram provides for a maximum of 30 hashtags to a post. However it is advisable not to use all 30 slots but rather, pick out a few (10-15) relevant hashtags. This is because a post with 30 hashtags can easily be interrupted for spamming.
By the way, Instagram has a feature that enables users to follow hashtags. So using hashtags on Instagram is a great way to get even more people who are not your followers to see your posts!
Using Hashtags on Facebook
The debate is still raging as to the necessity and usefulness of hashtags on Facebook. However, most experts have come to accept that it is a no-loss situation.
Using hashtags on Facebook can be tricky, however, especially, if you are used to the Instagram style of hash tagging. On Facebook, it is advisable to use just a handful of hashtags with whatever picture or text of your choice.
Using Hashtags on Twitter
Tweets are very short compared to other social media posts, so this makes hashtags particularly valuable: they help to explain the context. For example, sport commentators, politicians, musicians, etc. use hashtags to start conversations about a particular game, or a new album about to be released, or about a particular political issue.
Hashtags on Twitter are used to start up conversations. To efficiently utilize hashtags on twitter, you must ensure that your hashtags are not out of context, such that your tweet has nothing to do with the hashtags. Instead, ensure your tweet hits a specific topic of conversation and that your hashtag is in line with it.
Since conversations generally are about a specific topic, we do not recommend using more than 2 hashtags per tweet.
Using Hashtags on Pinterest
Even though Pinterest also contains hashtags just like Twitter and Instagram, the usage and effect of hashtags on Pinterest is quite different. While on Twitter, trending hashtags are the best to join for important conversations but in general, using hashtags on Pinterest hasn't always been recommended as being beneficial. In order to do well on Pinterest, your hashtag has to be very unique.
If you want pins to be linked back to your account, it is essential that you have a unique hashtag that is specific to your brand.
OK, now that you know some best practices for using hashtags on each social media platform, here are 8 ways to use hashtags effectively to get more likes and engagement on social media...
1. How Many Hashtags? Use Just the Right Amount
As we discussed above, different social media platforms have different rules concerning how many hashtags are appropriate, and it is important that you know how many is best for which. On Instagram for example, more hashtags mean more engagement. This is unlike the case of Facebook, where the rule is ensuring that you do not use too many hashtags (not more than two or three).
Even on Instagram which demands that you use a lot of hashtags to ensure that you are noticed, it is also not the best move to use the 30 hashtags that Instagram allows, although using it can be harmless. It is however more advisable that you limit yourself to about ten to eleven hashtags.
Of course, these hashtags have to be tailored to be both trending and relevant to the topic that you are posting about. You want to be popular and noticed on any social media platform? Don’t use too many or too few hashtags.
2. Find Which Hashtags Are the Most Popular (Influencer Hashtags)
Human beings feel safer endorsing certain things when everyone endorses it, especially when celebrities that they hold in high esteem also endorse it. A renowned psychologist at xpertwriters.com refers to this phenomenon as “social comparison theory”. This is the psychology principle that explains why trending hashtags can in most cases, be traced back to Influencers, YouTube superstars, political icons and other celebrities.
These hashtags end up generating a lot of traffic. To get attention, it is important that you find out the influencers in your niche, discover their hashtags and incorporate them into your hashtags. For example, if you are in fashion business, you can check out the hashtags used by celebrities like Rihanna, Cardi B, Kim Kardashian or influencers like Chiara Ferragni.
You can also find influencers’ hashtags through certain apps which have been designed for such purpose. A benefit of ensuring that your hashtags are in line with that of influencers is that it helps you to gather more reach. You can analyze and measure the success of your hashtags with various social media analysis tools.
3. Find What Hashtags to Use For Your Particular Audience
Hashtags deal with specific topics or issues. To get noticed by the audience which you are targeting, you have to ensure that you use a hashtag that is related to such audience. One way to get the right hashtag is to research the audience that you are targeting. For example, a research writing brand, UK Assignment Holic always uses hashtags such as; #Writing, #Research, #ResearchWriting, on their social media platforms, because of their audience.
Get to know what hashtags are commonly used when people are discussing the topic or brand you want to create awareness for. For example, if you want to discuss global warming or cancer (perhaps you are writing on it), it would be prudent to use a hashtag such as #GlobalWarming or #Cancer.
For a business brand, it will be important to get to know what hashtags your competitors are using, so that you can join that conversation. Being specific with your hashtags also includes using hashtags that tally with your location or geographical area. In order to communicate with your desired audience, you must tailor your hashtags to suit that audience.
4. Use the "CCC Rule" (Creative, Catchy or Comical)
Hashtags that trend and are noticed, apart from those that address current and pressing issues, are usually very catchy and creative. To get noticed on social media, especially in your field, it is important that your hashtags are comical and catchy in such a way that people can easily relate.
String two or three words that create a comic effect concerning your work, or observation. For example, the #DogBands made several bands popular on twitter because of the word “dog” added to the hashtag. An expert researcher at Assignmentgeek.com.au advised that people love catchy and precise things, and so your hashtags must reflect this.
5. Keep Your Hashtags Short and Simple
As important as hashtags are, they are not the main post or text, it is important that you keep whatever hashtag you intend to use both short and not overly lengthy. Furthermore, ensure that your hashtags are specific or precise so that your posts do not get lost in the sea of millions with the same hashtags.
For example, if you are into cake business, instead of using a hashtag that just says “cake”, it will be better and smarter to use a hashtag such as #VanilaCakeRecipe. Gaining attention on social media with the use of hashtags involves being tactful and prudent with the way such hashtags are used.
6. Optimize Your Account Settings for Hashtags
This particular tip relates more to Facebook and Instagram. In using hashtags on Facebook, it is important that you set your posts and all the hashtags involved to be viewed by the general public, not just by friends. This will increase the scope of people who will notice your post and your brand.
The effect of restricting visibility of your posts and hashtags to a group of friends could be harmful to your brand. If you restrict it, then only such group of friends will be able to see that post, no matter how well-researched the hashtags being used are.
Furthermore, for Instagram, it is advisable that if you are trying to sell a brand, you change your account to a business account. This also applies to Facebook. The benefit of this is that; you will get post analytics that will help you track the efficiency of your hashtags.
7. Use Branded Hashtags for Your Business
As important as it is, to find out what hashtags are trending and are being used by influencers, you can create and invent a new hashtag that defines your business. In creating your hashtag, you should ensure that you keep it short, it is also important to capitalize the first letter of each word.
8. Use Hashtags Consistently
If you want to get noticed on social media through the use of hashtags, then you have to ensure that you always use hashtags. This does not however, mean a mindless use of hashtags, such as putting a hashtag before every word in your caption.
Having researched and invented the very best hashtags that will make you and your business become noticed on social media, the next crucial thing is that; such hashtags be used regularly. This will help your brand to be one of the very first posts to be displayed when a search is done.
Conclusion
We live in an age where most things are digital and for your business to do well, you need to master the digital sphere, which of course includes social media. To successfully break into the social media market, you need to master the use of hashtags.
As seen above, there are general rules concerning hashtags, but each social media platform has its own rules and best practices. Your brand must master all these rules. Hashtags are incredible tools to increase your engagement on social media, and now you have the knowledge to do it. Go ahead and try one of these tips, and watch your social media likes tick up!