Hashtags Explained – when to use & how many

Should you be using hashtags? Simply put... YES!

Hashtags started their usage on twitter as a way to categorize posts and search for themed content. Oxford Dictionaries define a hashtag as …. 'a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic'. Anyone can create a hashtag and as a brand, you can create ones specifically for your business. Using popular hashtags allows you to be found and reach more people who may be interested in your products or services.

Although hashtags began their life on Twitter, they are now totally accepted on all social media sites and search engines. However, how you use them does differ from channel to channel.

• Facebook – Using hashtags on Facebook should be done with caution. The verdict is out on whether they improve engagement and certainly the more you add, the less engagement you are going to get. After reading the thoughts and research of many social media experts and from my own experience, I would suggest a maximum of 2 on Facebook with one being optimal for engagement. Also, make them relevant so that your content/posts can be found be someone specifically searching for that kind of material and to allow Facebook to index your posts appropriately. If you are writing about a sailing skill you might want to use #skipperstips #sailing.

• Twitter – Tweets with hashtags get double the engagement than those without. However, having an image increases engagement and having a link to your website drives traffic so make sure you consider adding these too. You will therefore not have much space left for many hashtags so limit them to 2 maximum. If you use more than 2, the research suggests your engagement will drop.

• Instagram – Hashtags on Instagram are a must. There does not seem to be any limits and in fact, research shows that posts with over 11 hashtags get more engagement. It could be that the age of the average user on Instagram is much younger than the other sites and the millennials are completely at ease with using hashtags.

• Pinterest – Hashtags are widely used on Pinterest but the general school of thought is that they should be specific and only a few. I would keep them to less than 3 as they could put people off re-pinning your post and thus reducing your reach.

Use wisely and keep up to date with changes by monitoring how effective they are. If you find that only using one on twitter increases the chance of a retweet then reduce your hashtags accordingly. If you are new to social media marketing, please feel free to contact us.