In the “old days” (10+ years ago), the # symbol was known only as the pound key on your telephone. Fast forward to today, # is now the hashtag and it has single-handedly transformed modern communications and marketing as we use to know it. It is everything and everywhere, in both our verbal and digital language. They’re commonly used through social media as a tool to bring exposure to pages, profiles, and content from millions of users. Relevant hashtags are the ultimate device to amplify awareness and traffic, especially for businesses and brands. An entire marketing campaign can be driven around a single hashtag! Yes, we have certainly come a long way.

Here’s several insightful tips in how to effectively utilize relevant hashtags in your social media marketing strategies:

Be Aware of the Amount

Since everyone is preoccupied with staring at their phones, ipads, laptops; social media is in the forefront of many people’s attention. Thus, hashtags have changed the game. On some social media platforms, it’s integral to be persistent with hashtags on every post. The amount of hashtags that you do utilize depends on a particular platform.

Instagram: Using 11+ hashtags in your posts will bring the highest number of interactions according to study. However, it is wise not to crowd your post with just random popular hashtags. The max is 30, but keep the amount in the low-to-mid teens. Overloading your post will only attract spammers and non-relevant followers. The goal is to gain real customers, so focus on adding hashtags that are custom, trending, focused, and relevant.

Twitter: Because of the 140 character limit, the amount of hashtags should be about two per post. Hashtags will gain 2x more engagement than posts without. Again, make sure to implement appropriate hashtags.

Facebook: In contrast to Instagram and Twitter, posts without a hashtag on Facebook will gain better engagement than those with them. Hashtags won’t make a great effect in Facebook, but businesses can still integrate them in ad, promotion, and event posts.

#Specific

Specific and relevant hashtags will obtain a better reach to your followers and viewers than the generic ones. Creating unique hashtags will allow your posts to stand out and produce engagement with users within your community. For example, if you own a restaurant, posting #localfood will be more effective for you than using #food. Brands can also look upon their competitors for some influences on developing their unique hashtags or they can use the search bar in social media platforms to find which words are garnering the best engagement. Popular, generic hashtags will bury your content. Specific and unique ones that are relevant to your industry, brand, and audience will keep you above water.

#Trending

Our society is all about what’s “trending now”. Everyday and every week will have a popular hashtag that is the talk of the town. They’re usually centered around a hot news topic around the world. If you have a business and you notice a trending hashtag that relates to you, GET ON IT immediately. You can take advantage of a trend by adding it in your new content. The benefit is that you will reach a wider audience, outside of your fans and followers. Utilizing trending hashtags to make your content more current, informative,interesting will increase your brand’s visibility, encourage re-sharing, and ignite engagement.

#Brand

Brand hashtags are mega beneficial for a business marketing campaign. It can be named after your company’s name, your product, a contest of yours, or your tagline. The important fact is that it’s yours. A branded hashtag would be a great tool to gather and collect engagements and photos shared by the public. If it catches on, your brand could flourish. Your company can also devise strategies and a hashtag-branded promotion to encourage more and more people to share. A unique name might spark interest and spread rapidly through shares and news feeds.

Follow Through

Coincidentally, August 23, 2017 marks the 10th anniversary since the first hashtag was applied by its inventor Chris Messina. That means, we’ve gone through 10 years of #selfie, #foodie, #sorrynotsorry, #nofilter, #picoftheday, and other imaginative and experimental hashtags. Now, your job is to keep innovating and creating unique hashtags and utilizing all of them to your brand’s benefit. It’s time to get to work and maybe you could be the one to kickstart the next great viral marketing campaign. The best thing about relevant hashtags is that you’re free to be inventive and reach many people with ease.

Relevant Hashtags Experts

If you begin to feel overwhelmed in producing constant social media posts, BSG has the expertise and the knowledge to develop successful strategies and create content will be engaging with your audience.