Walk through any middle school in the United States and you will hear “hashtag, (fill in the blank)” tacked onto the end of many conversations. But these little words and phrases are far more than a teen fad. Unlike that Flock of Seagulls hairdo you may have rocked in the 80’s, these little guys can be very useful for your online marketing strategy. 

By adding relevant hashtags to your social media posts, you are essentially labeling your post by topic, making it easier for your potential audience to find you and increasing brand awareness and engagement.

While #hashtags can be a handy tool in your social media marketing toolbox, there are some helpful guidelines to follow to get the best results. Here is a list of do’s and don’ts:

Do: Use your keyword list when creating hashtags.

While they may not always be relevant, your well-researched keywords are a staple for content creation, social media posts, and hashtags.

Do: Make sure your hashtags are relevant to the content you are posting.

For example, if you post a blog about designing websites for small businesses in Boston, you may use hashtags like #Boston or #webdesign.

Do: Use hashtags anywhere in your social media posts.

You don’t have to restrict hashtags to the end of your posts. Sprinkle them in the beginning, middle, or end—wherever they fit best.

Do: Put yourself in your audience’s shoes when determining hashtags for your posts.

What common words or phrases are they likely to search for?

Do: Keep hashtags short.

While #smallbusinesswebsitedesignBoston hits on all of our topics, the likelihood of someone searching for that phrase is slim to none, making it a fairly useless hashtag that takes up prime space in our Twitter post.

Do: Use hashtags on all of your social media platforms (except LinkedIn).

Generally, try to keep it to two hashtags for Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter posts. You can include several for Instagram, but cap it off around ten. Using hashtags excessively can make your brand look spammy, and it can annoy viewers.

Do: Check out trending hashtags and use them in your posts when possible.

While it is tempting to get in on the action by throwing in some popular hashtags, be sure they make sense with your post.

So just to recap, hashtags are an easy and powerful way to amplify your social media posts. By following the “do’s” above, you can determine the best hashtags to use as a part of your social media marketing strategy.

Do you need help developing an online marketing strategy that gets great results? Contact our online marketing experts today to see how we can help you grow your small business.