Dos and Don'ts for hashtags
How to increase your reach with a winning hashtag strategy
By Christina Widner
In the digital era, social media have become a vital tool. Used right, they can help to increase reach and create awareness of brands or businesses. One effective method to broaden such reach is the use of hashtags. In this feature, we are looking at why hashtags are so important, the platforms they should be used on, and demonstrate key dos and don'ts for a winning hashtag strategy.
Why are hashtags so important?
Hashtags help to categorise and organise social media content. They give users the option to search for specific topics or content and engage with others that share their interests.
Hashtags therefore act as a connecting element and considerably increase the visibility of posts and tweets. By setting hashtags, businesses and brands in particular can reach potential target audiences who otherwise would not have taken note of a specific content.
Which platforms are best for hashtag usage?
Hashtags can be used on different platforms. However, there are some platforms where they are especially impactful. Twitter was amongst the first platforms that made hashtags popular. And even today, they still play a vital role in organising content and participating in discussions.
Instagram is yet another hashtag-friendly platform. With hashtags, the individual profiles stand a better chance of making their respective content visible to a large audience.
Other platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok also use hashtags even if, compared to Twitter or Instagram, their impact is much lower. This is where businesses and brands should heed that it is best to only use platforms where their respective target audience is most active for the biggest possible reach.
How to get the number of hashtags right
The number of hashtags that you use in your posts should vary depending on platform and target audience. As a rule, never use too many hashtags. This renders your posts convoluted. It is recommended to add anywhere between three and five relevant hashtags per post. This will allow you to categorise your posts and make them visible to a broader audience without seeming cluttered.tbar machen, ohne dass sie überladen wirken.
Where hashtags are placed can also impact their effectiveness. Instagram and Twitter often add hashtags at the end of a post or as a separate comment. This keeps the main text copy of the post transparent and easy to read while the hashtags still help to extend its reach.
Facebook and LinkedIn, on the other hand, allow hashtags to be placed directly in the post’s main text copy. It is best to experiment with different placements and observe the impact on reach to find out what works best with your target audience.
Dos and Don'ts for hashtags
To roll out a winning hashtag strategy, look out for these dos and don'ts:
Dos:
- Use only specific, relevant hashtags that support your content
- Look out for trending hashtags and current topics to incorporate your posts in relevant debates
- Analyse the hashtags of your competitors and of other successful profiles for inspiration
- Blend popular hashtags with lesser-known ones to simultaneously reach a broader, more specific target group
- Be sure to monitor your hashtags regularly to respond to interactions and comments
Don'ts:
- Avoid hashtags that are either too general or overused that could dilute the relevance of your posts
- Do not overload your posts with excessive hashtagging
- Avoid irrelevant hashtags for the sake of drawing attention only
- Do not use branded or copyrighted hashtags
Bottom line: your hashtag strategy will create greater reach
A well-thought-out hashtag strategy can help to increase the reach of your posts and support you in addressing your ideal target audience. By using specific, relevant and well-placed hashtags, you may increase your visibility on social media platforms and create new possibilities for interaction and winning followers and prospective clients. The important thing is that you routinely analyse how the hashtags you use are doing in order to optimise your strategy and continuously improve your reach.
About the author
BASIC thinking is an online magazine and one of the widest-reach tech portals in the German-speaking world. The editorial team reports daily on social media, marketing and business topics. This article was written by Christina Widner from BASIC thinking GmbH and BASIC thinking International.
