Strategic Visibility: How To Effectively Use Hashtags To Market Your Business and Content

1. Be Specific

Using hashtags that are detailed and specific will lead to better results than broad or general ones. Broad terms are not likely to be searched, and if you do use them, they will more likely be lost with other unrelated content.

2. Optimizing Your Hashtags For Each Channel

Almost every social media platform uses hashtags, but they all use it differently. The most effective way to utilize hashtags on Twitter is by applying one or two hashtags per post. Doing this allows your engagement on your content to grow at a steady pace.

In relation to hashtags, Facebook is the least popular platform in terms of hashtag utilization. With that being said, if you do use hashtags in your Facebook posts, try using the less is more route and only use one or two specific hashtags.

With Instagram, the best way to manage your hashtags is by posting them after your caption or as the first comment in your post. Photos with 11 hashtags seem to get the most interaction, but pictures with over 16 hashtags may appear to the platform's algorithm as spam. With so many users abusing the use of hashtags on their posts, Instagram has started to shadowban certain posts causing viewers to overlook your post.

3. Utilize Trending Hashtags

If you see a trending hashtag that is related to your business than add it into your post; doing this can get your post seen by a much larger audience. Using niche-trending hashtags will help you connect and build a relationship with your target marketing before anyone else does.

4. Be Unique

When trying to be unique don’t overdo it by being too clever or unusual; if you choose a tag that no one is searching for, it won’t benefit your market. Step into your viewers’ shoes and think of what they would search for when they are thinking about your business; this can help guide you in creating the perfect hashtags for your company.

5. Personal & Be Engaging

The main purpose of having hashtags is the ability to connect with your audience. Using proper hashtags will drive new viewers to your social media channels, and will give you the opportunity to engage with them. Adding keywords within your hashtags isn’t enough to improve your online presence. To ensure you are using proper hashtags keep it short, conversational, and unique.

Hashtags are an excellent tool for communicating with your followers as well as increasing engagement with your existing audience and attracting potential new customers. Optimizing your use of hashtags may not seem easy or essential to your strategic marketing plan at first. However the steps to effectively using hashtags to support your social media growth have been laid out in front of you, now it's up to you to implement them.