Finding The Best Hashtags For Optimal Results

Read Time: 3 minutes

In terms of social media, hashtags make the world go round. Without the right hashtags your organic user engagement will be lower than if you had to make use of proper hashtags. If you’re somewhat new to social media marketing you may not completely understand the importance of hashtags, but luckily this article will help you understand why you need to find and use the right hashtags.

What are Hashtags?

Simply put, hashtags are an assortment of numbers, letters and even emoji’s that are used on social media posts. They will always have the # in front of the assortment of characters. On social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook and twitter, hashtags are easily searchable, and all users need to do is click on them to see a host of other content from around the globe that make use of the same hashtag. Users are also able to search for specific hashtags if something has caught their eye.

For example, on the Connectica Facebook page you’ll see we make use of certain hashtags like #fridayhumor and #protiptuesday.

Why is it Important to Find the Right Hashtag?

It’s great if you decide to be hyper unique with your hashtag. You have the freedom to pick whatever you want when you’re doing them, but the problem is whether or not someone else will search that exact same term.

If you decide to go with #SEOisthebestthingever, it gets your point across, but how likely is it that someone is going to search for that exact term? Your ultimate goal is to increase engagement with followers and potentially gain new followers/likes on your page and posts. Finding a hashtag that people are likely to search is important. For SEO purposes keyword research is vital for a successful SEO strategy, the same can be said about finding the right hashtag – in simpler terms they are keywords too.

How to Find the Right Hashtag

There are millions of potential hashtags out there, but you need to remember that the hashtags you use, must be reflective of your brand or company.

• Stay Relevant

  It’s pointless to hashtag #beauty if your business revolves around digital services. This means that #DigitalMarketing would be a better hashtag. Try to stick to hashtags that are specific to the content you post as well as your service offering.
  

• Niche Hashtags

  There is nothing wrong with making use of popular hashtags, but don’t be general with your hashtags. If you’re running a travel agency, make use of travel related hashtags, possibly turn your company name into a hashtag used on every post. If you’re running a digital marketing agency, use related terms as hashtags. This helps narrow your audience down to people who are looking for your specific services.
  

• Competitors

  If you’d like an idea of what hashtags to use or not to use, take a look at what your competitors are posting. You can possibly find one or two hashtags you’d like to use, or you can search for alternative variations.
  

• Influencers

  People love influencers. They are people who have established a reputation and credibility online in a particular industry. They have a large following and are able to influence followers through their credibility and authenticity. If an influencer is in a similar industry to you, take a look at their posts. You may find new hashtags to use. Remember, unless you are working directly with a specific influencer, never hashtag their name in your content.
  

• Social Media Searches

  If you’re looking for hashtags relevant to your brand, try typing it into the search bar on the relevant social media platform. Instagram has its own search bar for hashtags and will give you a variety of related keywords relating to the original hashtag you’ve searched. Instagram will also give you an indication of how many posts were tagged with that specific hashtag.
  

If hashtags are still getting you confused, or your social media needs some TLC, contact us for a new social media game plan that will take you place!