I’ve written before about responsible hashtagging, but based on something I saw on Facebook over the weekend, I realize it’s time that some people need a refresher on how to use a hashtag.
Hashtag etiquette also varies from platform to platform, so I’ll share a little bit about how to properly use a hashtag depending upon which platform you’re using, too.
What’s a Hashtag?
Hashtags are ways of categorizing your social media posts with a keyword (or a few keywords), so that people interested in the topic can easily find related content. The way you create a hashtag is by sticking a # in front of your keyword. For example, someone interested in cookies might look for social media posts with the hashtag #cookies. Hashtags are incredibly easy to use, which makes them incredibly easy to misuse.
While you will absolutely see longer hashtags that can be almost a full sentence or social media post all by themselves, these are generally used for comedic effect or to drive home a specific point. If you’re still building up your killer social media presence, this hashtag strategy might not be for you yet.
You can also create a “branded” hashtag that is related to your business or your message in some way. When hashtags are used in this way, it’s a great way to unify your online community and listen in to what your followers say about you both to each other and to the world at large. Examples of these types of hashtags are your business name with no spaces or a phrase that is easily recognizable as part of your brand’s message. Again, this is a more advanced strategy that works better when you already have a larger community built up.
Using Hashtags
As mentioned above, hashtags are so easy to create. You just stick a # in front of your keyword or key phrase, and now a user can click on that hashtag to find a whole world of conversation happening around that particular topic that includes both your post and anyone else’s.
This means you need to make sure the conversation happening around that hashtag is not detrimental to your brand.
If there’s a hashtag you’re planning to use, whether it’s a “branded” hashtag or one that’s already widely used, do your due diligence first by searching that hashtag on the platform you’re going to publish your post on. Do you want your name, your business, your reputation being associated with the conversation that’s already happening around it? If not, consider another hashtag and do the same research until you’re confident it’s something you want to attach your name to.
Hijacking a Hashtag
As tempting as it is, never ever ever use a trending hashtag simply for the sake of using it. I know you want as much exposure as possible, but if you have nothing relevant or of value to add to the conversation happening around that hashtag, do not touch it with a ten-foot selfie stick.
This weekend I found someone hijacking the #PokemonGo hashtag to promote their business:
This doesn’t surprise me because I see it all the time, but it does disgust me. It is completely irrelevant to PokemonGo players and not only does it fail to add value to the conversation, it’s actually mildly insulting. “You’re wasting your life anyway, why not make some money while you’re doing it?!”
Don’t be like this person. When you hijack a hashtag, you look greedy, desperate, and out of touch. It shows you don’t really understand how to use social media effectively and it damages your brand.
Hashtagging Etiquette by Platform
As previously mentioned, hashtag usage varies from platform to platform. Hashtag efficacy also varies.
When using hashtags on Facebook, use no more than 2 per post. Three or more hashtags see a significant decrease in engagement.
Hashtags on Facebook are a great way to increase your organic reach and engagement, especially if you are just starting out. Try to use industry-specific hashtags that are already popular with your target market, and contribute to the existing conversation in meaningful ways.
Twitter’s best practices recommend no more than 2 hashtags per tweet, however you can have as many hashtags as you can fit into their 140-character limit. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. 2-3 hashtags on Twitter is plenty as long as they’re relevant.
Don’t use hashtags on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn eliminated hashtags some time ago, so if you post an update on LinkedIn that includes hashtags you’ll only look out of touch and like you don’t know what you’re doing. You have an amazing message to share with the world, so don’t cloud it by making this mistake!
Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post. Again, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Research suggests that engagement starts to drop off with 6 or more hashtags. Only use hashtags that are relevant.
If you want to leave your photo or video caption hashtag-less but still want it to be searchable, you can also add the hashtags as a comment on the post instead.
Are you guilty of any of these hashtag faux pas? It’s okay – I’ve made plenty of these mistakes myself. Hashtags take practice! Now that you’re more aware about how to use them properly, you’ll be hashtagging like a pro in no time. 🙂