What the Heck is a Hashtag?

May 31

#Hashtag

You mean the number sign? What is a hashtag? A word or phrase is proceeded by a hash sign on social media. The hash makes the phrase “clickable” and will then take you to a page with more content on a specific topic.

When using hashtags, you need a strategy. Why? Why can’t I just hashtag a bunch of relevant phrases under my content? Here’s why.

First of all, you need to identify and research your audience. Aim your hashtags to reach your target audience. Visit Instagram and look at the trending hashtags within your niche. Look at what your audience is passionate about, and use that information to your advantage. Use those those hashtags to draw people in to your posts.

Similar to the step above, look at big brands and names in your niche. Use some of their hashtags. Additionally, when you start to type in a hashtag at the bottom of your post, a list of hashtags will pop up. Instagram will tell you how many posts include that hashtag. Use the popular, high volume hashtags as they are already generating lots of traffic. In addition to using the popular hashtags, use small niche hashtags. Make sure each post is a nice mixture of both.

Bonus tip: holidays offer an array of seasonally appropriate hashtags.

Not only do you need to make sure you’re using the right hashtags, but also the correct amount of hashtags. Too many or too few hashtags can mean bad news for your post. Don’t add hashtags that are not relevant to your content. It can be tempting to do, thinking you’ll reach more people. This idea, flooding people with a million hashtags has been coined “spamming.” Instagram actually recommends using only 3-5 relevant hashtags.

If you’re a busy person and don’t feel like you have the time to personally curate the perfect hashtag combo, there are apps and websites that can do so for you. Some of these websites include Inflact, SISTRIX, and Plann.

Lastly, know that hashtag strategy is not one size fits all. Everyone’s strategy will be different. Analyze and modify your plan. Use your platform’s insight statistics to see how your posts have been performing. If needed, make the necessary changes, and then watch again to see which combination of hashtags are serving you.

Remember, social media is supposed to be SOCIAL!! Engage with others and find other business owners and creators in your niche. Engage with customers and new prospects. Most of all, just have fun with it!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase an item with my code, I get a small kick-back as well. But be assured, I am only sharing these products because I use them every day and love them just as well!

I’m Brenna - and I can’t wait to chat with you about all things business and rural life. Thanks for reading!

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