Social Media Hashtagging – Do’s and Don’ts

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Hashtags fall into this category. Social media platforms are searchable by hashtags and keywords so it’s easy to think that the more hashtags you use, the more you are searchable. But the downside is a post with too many hashtags can be a drawback. Here are some do’s and don’ts on effectively using hashtags:

Do:

• Use hashtags! Make them relevant to your business and to any trends that are relevant to your business or area you operate in. Hashtags are a great way to find you or a subject your audience is interested in viewing.
• Create a hashtag for a specific promotion or one that is associated with your brand. You could even take your tagline and make it a hashtag which directly correlates with your brand.
• Research what is trending right now in hashtags and consider including them in your posts. Trending means just what it sounds like. Taking a trending or widely popular hashtag and including it in your post draws awareness to your post when anyone is searching using that specific hashtag.

Don’t

• Don’t go hashtag crazy! Too many in one post looks junky and not well thought out. It could like you are trying to be all things to all people and very sales oriented. Stick with 3-4 hashtags that are consistent with the content and brand.
• Don’t forget use a hashtag. At the other end of the spectrum is not having any hashtags means you have wasted an opportunity to reinforce your brand and message. Use your hashtags to get an additional message out there like a promotion or show your savviness about what is hot right now!
• Don’t use generic hashtags. Be specific with your hashtags and avoid ones like #fashion or #food. Those are very heavily used so you won’t stand out in the sea of results that come up in a search. Don’t be a plain Jane with your hashtags!
• Don’t forget to track the success of your hashtags. There are lesson to be learned from evaluating the success or lack thereof. You can learn a lot about your audience when looking at the data and use it to create better, more sticky hashtags. You may find after tracking that not all platforms have the same response to certain hashtags.

These tips work across media platforms so work a hashtag into all of your posts. #HappyHashtagging!