Social Media 101: Hashtag Marketing

How to Hashtag on Twitter

Twitter uses hashtags to connect different users under one topic of conversation. When you use a hashtag on Twitter, you’ll be able to click on it and see all of the other people who used the hashtag and what they are saying about it. If your Twitter is public, anyone can see your tweet with a hashtag.

For example, HubSpot used #HubThoughts to get their followers to share their best sales tips. They tweeted different questions asking for different sales tips, and then their followers could reply using #HubThoughts to share their answers.

The great thing about the Twitter hashtag is that it’s not limited to just followers. Anyone who has a public Twitter account could’ve responded to #HubThoughts. It’s a great way for companies to attract and gain more followers.

How to Hashtag on Facebook

Hashtags do the same thing on Facebook as they do on Twitter. What’s different is that most people have a private Facebook account, so hashtags are normally used by companies, brands, influencers, and celebrities.

When you’re posting your next Facebook post that includes a hashtag, make sure that your post is labeled ‘public’ before you post it. This way your post will get grouped with all of the other posts linked under the corresponding hashtag. Once you post, your hashtag will become a clickable link just like hashtags on Twitter.

HubSpot Life uses #hubspotlife to link many of their Facebook posts. When you click on #hubspotlife, you’ll have access to all of the other Facebook posts that feature that hashtag.

How to Hashtag on Instagram

HubSpot describes Instagram hashtags as “Instagram’s sorting process”. Instagram uses hashtags to sort through all of the content that all their users post. Using hashtag marketing techniques on your Instagram posts will boost your chances of it getting discovered by your target audience.

Just like Facebook and Twitter, hashtags on Instagram link people together under a common conversation. Like how #ShareACoke, from the CocaCola example from above, creates a conversation between all CocaCola customers that love sharing their coke with other people.

HubSpot uses a ton of hashtags on this ‘Carpe Diem’ post, which increases their chances of their post being found by their target audience and rank within search results.

5 Useful Hashtag Marketing Tips

1. Research your hashtags before you use them

You don’t want to use a hashtag that is already widely used because you’re less likely to show up in search results. Using a slightly more specific hashtag will decrease the chance of your social media post being lost in various posts that are unrelated to the conversation you’re trying to engage in.

Researching hashtags will also eliminate the chance of you choosing a hashtag that could mean different things. You don’t want to choose a hashtag with various meanings because you won’t necessarily be attracting your target audience.

2. Don't make your hashtags too long

If it takes you a minute to decipher a hashtag then it’s too long. Hashtags that are too long are often confusing and hard to process. Also, if your hashtags are too long, it’ll be hard for other users to share that hashtag with their own followers, especially with a 280 character limit on Twitter.

Hashtag marketing should be short and sweet. You want to get the point across, start a conversation, and be memorable for your users. Longer hashtags will make it harder to get your target audience involved in your brand’s conversation.

3. Find the right number of hashtags that brings in the best results

Every company is going to use a different number of hashtags based on what works well for them. Some companies might use 5 hashtags, while others use 15. It all depends on what you find brings in the best engagement results.

It’s going to take a little bit of time to find the best hashtag marketing strategy for your company, so be prepared to experiment with the numbers to see what brings in the most engagement.

4. Use your hashtags across your marketing channels

Continue your conversation beyond just Twitter or Facebook. Use it when you’re promoting your blog posts, webinars, or various events hosted by your company. For example, create an event hashtag and use it in email reminders to invitees to spread the message a step further than just social media.

Also, use the same hashtags across social media platforms. You don’t want to limit one hashtag to just your Twitter. You want to spread your message beyond just your followers on Twitter, so promote hashtags across your social media to keep the conversation flowing.

5. Follow your own hashtags

Keep up with how people are interacting, sharing, and using your branded hashtags. This will make it easier for your company to interact with your followers. You’ll be able to connect with anyone with a public account that has used your hashtags.

Following your hashtag will create a better relationship with your target audience. You’ll be able to effectively communicate with the people that are sharing and promoting your brand.

Hashtag marketing, when used well, will boost your social media game and help you reach your target audience. Keep this article in mind when you’re crafting your next hashtag to promote your company’s content.