Hashtags have become an incredibly popular way to categorize content and make it more discoverable on social media. Whether you want to start a new branded hashtag campaign or simply tag your posts for reach, creating an effective hashtag is an important skill for any social media user or marketer.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creating a successful hashtag. First, we’ll look at hashtag basics – what are hashtags, and how do they work? Next, we’ll explore hashtag best practices so you can craft one that stands out. We’ll also provide tips for promoting your new hashtag to drive engagement.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the knowledge needed to brainstorm, optimize, and promote a custom hashtag that helps you achieve your social media goals. Let’s get started!
What exactly is a hashtag?
A hashtag is any word or phrase preceded by the pound symbol (#). For example, #socialmedia, #bloggingtips, and #foodlover are all hashtags.
On social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and others, hashtags have specific functions:
– They categorize content, making it easier to find. For instance, clicking on #bloggingtips would display other posts using the same tag.
– They allow users to join larger conversations. By using a popular hashtag like #foodlover, your post becomes part of a public exchange with anyone else also using that tag.
– They help spread information quickly. When a new trending topic emerges, using the designated hashtag allows you to share your thoughts and see what others are saying.
– They can be used to promote brands, events, causes, and more. Companies often create branded hashtags related to specific marketing campaigns.
So in a nutshell, hashtags organize content and make it searchable. Strategic use of relevant tags is a valuable way to distribute your posts to new audiences and build engagement.
Hashtag best practices
When deciding on a hashtag to use, keep these tips in mind:
– Make it short and memorable. The best hashtags are under 20 characters. This makes them easy to spot and remember. Aim for brevity.
– Add context. Choose descriptive words that summarize the topic or purpose of the hashtag. This gives viewers an immediate understanding of its intent.
– Make it unique. Research whether your desired hashtag is already in use. If it’s too generic, modify it by adding another relevant keyword. This prevents confusion and clutter.
– Use camel case. Capitalize some interior letters to make the hashtag more readable, like #SocialMediaTips. Avoid underscores and hyphens.
– Consider branded hashtags. Create a customized hashtag incorporating your business name, like #AnthropicTips. This helps establish brand identity.
– Be consistent. Once you start using a hashtag, stick with it. Switching it up dilutes its strength.
– Use up to 2 hashtags per post. Any more starts to look spammy and detracts from your message.
– Place them at the end. Putting hashtags in the middle of a post breaks up the flow. Keep them at the end.
Following these best practices will ensure your hashtag is effective, easy to spot, and encourages community participation.
How to create an effective branded hashtag
For businesses, creating a memorable branded hashtag tailored to your company can be a smart marketing strategy. When thinking of branded hashtag ideas:
– Incorporate your company name or a key product. Examples are #JustDoIt for Nike or #ThinkDifferent for Apple.
– Make it relevant to specific campaigns or events. If you’re launching a new product line, create a unique tag line to promote it.
– Use branded hashtags consistently across networks. This repetition establishes recognition.
– Make sure it’s catchy and easy to remember. You want people to instantly recall and spread it.
– Monitor use of the hashtag to see who’s engaging and how it’s being applied. This informs hashtag performance.
– Adjust hashtags periodically if they underperform. You can retire or refresh tags as needed.
With a compelling branded hashtag, you can increase social media buzz, interact with audiences, boost UGC (user-generated content), and monitor campaign impact. It becomes part of your brand identity.
Promoting your hashtag
Once you’ve created the perfect hashtag, you need followers to start using it. Here are some promotion tactics:
– Post frequently with the hashtag. Get the ball rolling by including it in your own content.
– Have influencers and brand ambassadors use it. Collaborations expand reach.
– Share user generated posts. Reshare examples of followers using your hashtag.
– Create a clickable hashtag link in your bio. This lets people quickly find other related posts.
– Promote it at events. Add branded hashtags to event materials. Encourage attendees to post.
– Run hashtag contests to drive usage. Offer prizes to top contributors.
– Use hashtag stories like on Instagram. Curate highlights with your branded tag.
– Advertise your hashtag launch. Paid ads help quickly spread the word and build momentum.
– Make the tag visually bold in posts. Place it in headers, image captions, or stylize it with emoji.
Driving early adoption is key. Once your hashtag starts trending organically, it will be shared more and gain momentum.
10 tips for creating successful hashtags
Let’s do a quick recap of key tips for making effective hashtags:
1. Be specific
Generic tags like #food and #fashion are too broad. Include details like #DairyFreeRecipes or #NYCFashionWeek.
2. Think branding
Customize hashtags with your company name or product. Memorable branding builds recognition.
3. Do your research
Search if your desired hashtag already exists. Google it to uncover current usage.
4. Keep it short
Lengthy hashtags get cut off. Ideal length is one to two words or acronyms under 20 characters.
5. Use camel case
Insert capitals to improve readability, like #SocialMediaToday. Avoid punctuation.
6. Make it catchy
Use rhymes, alliteration, puns, song lyrics. Be clever and creative.
7. Place it at the end
Post flow gets disrupted when hashtags are inserted mid-sentence.
8. Use up to 2 per post
One or two relevant tags are ideal. Too many look spammy.
9. Be consistent
Stick with hashtags once you start using them. Consistency strengthens association.
10. Track performance
Use analytics to see which hashtags drive the most engagement. Refine based on findings.
These tips will help you maximize hashtag impact and choose the most effective tags for your brand and content.
10 popular types of hashtags
There are many common categories of hashtags widely used across social platforms. Here are 10 of the most popular types and how to use them:
Event hashtags
Tags created for specific conferences, webinars, or occasions. Example: #SXSW2019
Brand hashtags
Tags incorporating brand, product, or company names. Example: #JustDoIt
Cause hashtags
Tags promoting nonprofit causes, social justice issues, or specialized health conditions. Example: #BreastCancerAwareness
Community hashtags
Tags that unite niche communities by shared interests or lifestyles. Example: #DigitalNomads
Industry hashtags
Tags related to different business or professional fields. Example: #SaaSTips
Location hashtags
Tags noting locations, cities, or travel destinations. Example: #MiamiLife
Content hashtags
Tags categorizing posts by formats like photos, videos, quotes. Example: #FoodPorn
Campaign hashtags
Tags created for specific marketing campaigns or product launches. Example: #ShareACoke
Trending hashtags
Hashtag topics going viral due to current events or pop culture. Example: #GameOfThrones
Aggregator hashtags
Mega-hashtags used to populate general content like #instagram or #tweeting.
These examples reveal the diverse range of conversational, promotional, and informational applications for hashtag usage on social media.
5 keys to creating viral hashtag campaigns
For marketers, launching a viral hashtag campaign can produce incredible visibility. But for maximum impact, strategy is crucial. Here are five tips:
1. Tap into trends
Capitalize on zeitgeist moments or news events popular with your audience.
2. Encourage UGC
User-generated content is huge. The more users adding the hashtag, the better. Make participation easy.
3. Try humor
Clever, funny, or punny hashtags spark more shares. Lean into what makes people laugh.
4. Offer incentives
Contests, giveaways, and hashtag challenges provide participation motivators.
5. Promote cross-channel
Launch your campaign across multiple social platforms for expanded impact.
Viral hashtags allow you to crowdsource content, engage communities, and increase brand visibility. Follow these principles to inspire the next big social media trend.
Tips for tracking hashtag performance
Monitoring metrics provides valuable data on how your hashtags are performing. Here are useful methods to track effectiveness:
– Analyze reach and engagement. Measure impressions and user interactions like clicks and shares.
– Check hashtag usage volume. Tools like RiteTag let you study search frequency over time.
– Compare against competitors. Search rival branded hashtags to compare engagement.
– Study sentiment and feedback. Review user comments for telling qualitative insights.
– Check for incorrect usage. Search randomly to ensure proper application.
– Use UTM parameters. Track hashtag clicks to website or ads with campaign tags.
– Evaluate conversions. See if hashtag usage impacts desired KPIs like sales.
– Do hashtag timing tests. Experiment with posting frequency, days, and times.
– Optimize based on learnings. Double down on top-performing tags. Phase out poor performers.
Regularly assessing your hashtag metrics provides actionable data to maximize their visibility and impact.
5 common hashtag mistakes to avoid
It’s also important to avoid these common hashtag pitfalls:
1. Using too many hashtags
Anything more than two hashtags looks spammy. Curate tags strategically.
2. Creating ambiguous hashtags
Make sure meaning and purpose are immediately clear.
3. Forgetting to research first
Do a hashtag search to confirm you aren’t duplicating another tag.
4. Changing hashtags randomly
Inconsistency dilutes their strength. Use established tags methodically.
5. Placing them inconsistently
Hashtags work best at the end of posts. Changing placement causes confusion.
Be aware of these mistakes that can hamper hashtag functionality and adoption. Analyze platform data to improve.
Top 10 tips for promoting your hashtag
Let’s recap key promotion strategies to spread awareness of your amazing new hashtag:
1. Feature it prominently in your profile
Add branded hashtags in descriptions, link trees, and bio URLs.
2. Include it in all relevant social posts
Cross-post across all your active platforms and communities.
3. Run contests and sweepstakes
Incentivize usage through prize giveaways and hashtag challenges.
4. Collaborate with influencers
Get buy-in from leaders in your niche to share with their followers.
5. Use Instagram and Facebook Stories
Leverage hashtag stickers in ephemeral content for additional visibility.
6. Promote at live events
Add to signage, presentations, and event activities.
7. Advertise on social media
Consider paying to boost hashtagged posts.
8. Create user-generated content galleries
Curate and re-share the best UGC examples using your hashtag.
9. Send email newsletters
Promote new hashtags directly to your subscriber base.
10. Analyze and refine
Review data continually and adjust strategy accordingly.
Execute these promotion tactics consistently to embed your branded hashtag into the social conversation.
Top 10 tools for creating and managing hashtags
Specialized social media tools can also help generate and manage branded hashtag campaigns. Here are 10 top options:
1. RiteTag
Tracks hashtag search volume and performance over time.
2. Display Purposes
Creates and analyzes hashtag lists. Identifies high-performers.
3. Tagboard
Aggregates hashtag search results across platforms into one feed.
4. Keyhole
Provides real-time hashtag analytics and competitor benchmarking.
5. Hashtagify
Generates hashtag ideas based on keyword analysis.
6. Tweetbinder
Curates social media search results into shareable reports.
7. Hashtracking
Tracks campaign analytics like impressions, engagement, sentiment.
8. Socialert
Alerts you when chosen hashtags reach peak popularity.
9. Twazzup
Performs competitive audits of hashtag usage.
10. Sprout Social
Robust social media management platform with hashtag tracking.
Check out these handy tools to level up your branded hashtag efforts and simplify optimization.
Frequently asked questions about hashtags
Let’s wrap up by answering some common hashtag FAQs:
How many hashtags should I use per post?
Experts recommend using one to two relevant hashtags maximum per post. Anything more looks over-tagged.
Where should I put the hashtag in my post?
Put hashtags at the end of your post for optimal visibility. Mid-sentence placement interrupts reading flow.
Can I use hashtags on Instagram captions?
Yes, hashtags function the same way on Instagram as other platforms. Just tag wisely in captions.
Should I use different hashtags across platforms?
You can tailor hashtags to specific platforms, but having crossover provides consistency.
What makes a hashtag go viral?
Viral hashtags tap into hot trends, encourage UGC, and provide a social experience people want to be part of.
Conclusion
Creating a winning hashtag strategy takes research, creativity, and promotion. But when done right, branded hashtags become invaluable marketing assets that drive measurable business results. Define your campaign goals, craft targeted tags, promote cross-channel, and analyze performance. This blueprint will make your next hashtag shine on social media.
So don’t hold back – it’s time to start hashtagging! Just use these tips to optimize content discoverability, connect with communities, and boost brand engagement.