Using Hashtags in 2021

No matter which social media platform your brand uses as part of your social media strategy, knowing how to use hashtags can help increase your brand's reach and engagement on social media. However, if you're using the usual hashtags on Twitter or Instagram or wherever it may be and don't know how to use them, read on. Your brand can do a lot more. This article describes the basics of using effective hashtags on social media and why they are used.

Let's discuss the following:

How to find the best hashtag for your brand

Why using only popular hashtags is not right

Important Tips for Using Hashtags on All Social Media Platforms

Let's start. 

What is a hashtag?

Hashtags are words or phrases preceded by a pound sign. On social media, it indicates (to users and algorithms) that the content is related to a particular topic or belongs to a category. Hashtags help you display your content in searches on your platform and reach more people effectively. 

Hashtag basics

It always starts with #, but it doesn't work with spaces, punctuation, and symbols. Make sure your account is public. Otherwise, non-followers will not see the hashtag content. Do not combine too many words. The best hashtags are usually relatively short and easy to remember. Use a specific hashtag that is relevant. It's hard to find if it's too dark and probably won't be used by other social media users. Limit the number of hashtags you can use. It will actually looks like spam if you put too much. 

Why use hashtags? Increase engagement with followers

Incorporating hashtags into your posts means participating in conversations that take place on social media platforms. And most importantly, it makes your post visible in the conversation. This will increase engagement and drive brand engagement on social media through likes, shares, comments and new followers. Increase brand awareness with brand hashtags

Creating hashtags with your brand is an effective way to promote your business and create conversations. For example, Cheerios and #CheeriosHeartHuntSweepstakes campaign. The contest encouraged fans to buy Cheerios products and promoted brand awareness by posting photos on social media. 

Show support for social issues

Hashtags related to unbranded issues using your brand is a major cause or a way to mobilize behind the issue. For example, # IWD2020 were used for International Women's Day on social media platforms, including LinkedIn.

Brands can also create brand hashtags that indicate their connection to social issues. For example, Canadian telecommunications company Bell uses the hashtag #BellLetsTalk to raise awareness of mental health. Add context to social media posts

On Twitter, there isn't much space to write captions. Exactly 280 characters. On Instagram, the longest captions aren't always the most effective. The same is true for Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other platforms. Sometimes less is more.

Hashtags make it easy to contextualize what you're talking about without using valuable characters or repeatedly writing captions. For example, NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's lunar landing in July 2019 and used the # Apollo 50th hashtag as part of their digital campaign.

Hashtags contextualize this creative tweet, making it clear that NASA is celebrating its anniversary and participating in a World Emoji Day talk. Help your target audience find you

On LinkedIn and Instagram, users can follow hashtags like any other user. Using some popular hashtags is another way to help new users find your brand. For example, if you use #travel on an Instagram post, people who follow the hashtag will see your recent posts in your feed. This way you can get new followers. Mark the Instagram Explore page. Results of #travel

Publicly sponsored partnership

This section is intended for influencers and brands that work with influencers. When working with a brand, influencers need to let viewers know that the content is sponsored. This is a law-The FTC (Federal Trade Commission), announced in 2019, is a detailed advertising disclosure rule for influencers. Failure to comply can result in significant fines for both influencers and trademarks. Therefore, always add a hashtag that clearly indicates the influencer: brand post approval. Trademarks-Be sure to look for such hashtags when reviewing and accepting influencer content. 2021's most popular hashtag

The most popular hashtags are not always the best hashtags. For example, the hashtag #followme has more than 575 million posts on Instagram. Like-seeking hashtags don't attract followers and make no sense to posts on social media. It also actually looks like spam. And you don't want it. But don't ignore the popular hashtags either. For example, # throwbackthursday, # flashbackfriday, or other daily hashtags are a fun way for brands to participate in larger conversations on social media. As of June 2021, some of the most popular Instagram hashtags to date are:

#love (Posted 2.1B)

#instagood (13B post)

#fashion (972 million posts)

#photooftheday (931 million posts)

#photo (769 million posts)

#hermosa (794 million posts)

#instagram (691 million posts)

Of course, popular hashtags depend on the social media platform you use. Popular hashtags on LinkedIn include #leadership and #productivity. There are millions and even billions of posts using popular hashtags, but they are relatively universal. They are not industry or topic specific. And don't say too much about your brand. So be sure to identify the niche hashtags associated with your brand and what they represent.

3 Ways to Find the Best Hashtag

Finding hashtags that are unique to your brand, industry, or audience requires a bit of research.

1. Monitor influencers and competitors on social media. 

Start by doing a competitive analysis on social media. Gather information about your competitors and all the relevant influencers in your brand's niche. Note the hashtags they use most and the number of hashtags they use in each post. This helps you understand how your competitors react to your shared target audience, and the keywords that your competitors commonly use. 

2. Find the relevant hashtag

If you already know the hashtag that is right for your brand, consider using the relevant hashtag. It can be a bit more specific than the popular hashtags you're already using, helping you connect with a more specific audience. On Instagram, the relevant hashtags appear just above the Top and Recent tabs in Instagram's Exploration section. Instagram "Travel" hashtag page, shed light on related hashtags

On LinkedIn, you can find recommendations for other hashtags by clicking on the hashtag. After clicking the ellipse, select the Find more hashtags button. Tag "Discover new hashtags" on LinkedIn hashtag #marketing

3. Analyze the hashtags that were successful in previous posts.

Keep track of the hashtags used in previous posts. Analyze the most popular posts to see if they tend to use hashtags. If you find that some of your most popular posts always contain the same hashtags, you should include them in future posts as well.

How to use hashtags on all networks

Here you can find simple and easy-to-read tips for using hashtags on various social media platforms.

How to use Twitter hashtags

Optimal number of hashtags to use: 1-2

Where to find hashtags on Twitter:

You can use hashtags anywhere in your tweet. Use first for emphasis, last for context, or in the middle of a post to emphasize keywords. Repeatedly, you can also add hashtags to your comments in your reply or Twitter biography. You can also:

Enter the hashtag keyword in the Twitter search bar to search for the hashtag content. See trending hashtags in the Trends Twitter topic. Some important hashtag tips to keep in mind:

Technically, you can use as many hashtags as you need for a tweet, within the 280-character limit. However, we recommend that you do not use more than one on Twitter. When creating a new hashtag, do your research first. Please do not use. 

How to use Facebook hashtags

Optimal number of hashtags to use: 1-2

Where to find hashtags on Facebook:

Hashtags can be included in any part of your Facebook post or in your comments. Hashtags are also useful for grouping content into private Facebook groups by topic or topic. Facebook sees users switching to private channels, so it's important for brands to take this into account. You can also:

Find the hashtag in the Facebook search bar. Click on a hashtag to see a feed of Facebook posts using the same hashtag. Use the Find This Group bar in the Group menu to find the hashtag used in your private Facebook group. Some important hashtag tips:

Keep in mind that many users' profiles are private on Facebook, so brands can have difficulty tracking how users respond with hashtags. Track your brand hashtag and use the URL facebook.com/hashtag/_____ to see which public profiles are participating in the conversation. Include the last keyword to search for. 

How to use Instagram hashtags

Optimal number of hashtags to use: 5-10

Where can I find the hashtag on Instagram?

After posting a great caption on Instagram, include the hashtag. You can also include hashtags in the comments section when communicating with your followers. You can also include up to 10 hashtags in your Instagram story. (However, Instagram stories don't disappear on the hashtag page or show to users who follow the tag, which means that hashtags don't always help the story reach a new audience. Can be used to contextualize the content. Add)

You can also include hashtags in your Instagram profile biography. Read this detailed guide for more tips on Instagram hashtags. And of course, watch our strategy video:

You can also:

Find the hashtag on the Tags tab of the Search section of Instagram. Follow the hashtag. This means that any creator's content will appear in your feed as long as it contains the hashtag you're following. Some important hashtag tips:

Consider posting a hashtag as the first comment in your post so your followers can focus on the great headlines you wrote. You can use your Instagram Business Account to access Instagram Insights. Then you can see how many impressions your profile got from the hashtag. Do not add hashtags in the middle of captions or comments. Adding hashtags can make content difficult for users using text-to-speech readers to understand and access. This is the safest option for grouping hashtags at the end of the title (or in comments). Instagram Insights page where you can see how many people have seen your post due to hashtags

How to use YouTube hashtags

Optimal number of hashtags to use: 2-3

Where to find hashtags on YouTube:

Add a hashtag to your brand's YouTube video title or video description. Click on a tagged hashtag to see feeds for other videos that use the same hashtag. Note: Do not use more than 15 hashtags. YouTube ignores all hashtags and even tags content as a result of spamming. YouTube hashtags are not the only way to help users find your video. There are 12 tactics to help you watch branded videos. Some important hashtag tips:

Hashtags are hyperlinked to the title and description, so followers can click on one of the hashtags to find other content with the same hashtag. If you don't include the hashtag in the title, the first three hashtags in the description will appear above the video title.

How to use LinkedIn hashtags

Optimal number of hashtags to use: 1-2

Where to find hashtags on LinkedIn:

Add hashtags everywhere on your LinkedIn posts.

You can also:

Use the platform search bar to search for hashtags. See the LinkedIn hashtag trends displayed in the News & Views section of the home page. Receive suggestions for LinkedIn hashtags while creating updates. Read this guide for tips on using hashtags on LinkedIn.

Some important hashtag tips:

LinkedIn is a professional platform. It also keeps hashtags professional. Follow hashtags on LinkedIn to see recent posts that contain hashtags. 

How to use Pinterest hashtags

Optimal number of hashtags to use: 2-5

Where to find hashtags on Pinterest:

If your business uses Pinterest, you should include the Pinterest hashtag when writing the pin description, or include it in the description you write when you repeat it. Pinterest also offers hashtag suggestions (mobile devices only) when creating new pins. Some important hashtag tips:

Think of Pinterest as a search engine. Use hashtags that are searchable, specific, and contain relevant keywords. Do not use more than 20 hashtags to describe the pin. If you haven't done so already, start using hashtags on your social media posts. First popular in 2007, it's even more convenient for your brand today! No matter which social media platform your brand uses as part of your social media strategy, knowing how to use hashtags can help increase your brand's reach and engagement on social media.

Photo by Katie Harp from Pexels 

Do you want to build your own websites free for life? Get yours here:

https://greggygatal.com/free-website

For a list of awesome free software you can use, check out our recommended list here:

https://greggygatal.com/free-software-list