6 Ways to Optimize Hashtags for Business [Infographic]

Written by Irfan Ahmad on 03 November 2017.

inShare

Hashtags have become fairly mainstream - almost everyone now uses them in some capacity, while they’ve also become something of a symbol to describe the hopelessly internet-obsessed. Yet for all this popularity, few businesses are using hashtags to best advantage. It’s time to learn how to optimize hashtags for your business.

Let’s start with the basics, just for clarity’s sake. Hashtags are keywords prefaced by a # - for example, #marketing. On social media sites, they're effectively live links, and clicking on them will take you to a feed of all the people using the same hashtag. It’s a natural connection to your core audience.

Hashtags are also used on nearly every social media network, having been recently re-added to Pinterest and LinkedIn.

If you want to learn more about hashtag best practices for your business, check out Rival IQ's listing of brand hashtag tips in the below infographic.

How to Use Hashtags on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

A lot of words have been added to the dictionary over the past few decades thanks to social media, but few have become so widely used and accepted as "hashtag."

For a long time, the hashtag symbol (#) was known simply as the "pound" symbol. Now, I could swear that the only time I hear it referred to as a pound symbol is when I enter my PIN number to pay my cell phone bill.

While hashtags were originally made famous by Twitter, they're now used on many major social networks, including Facebook and Instagram. Let's explore what a hashtag is, why they're so great, and how they work on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

What Does 'Hashtag' Mean?

A hashtag is simply a keyword phrase, spelled out without spaces, with a pound sign (#) in front of it. For example, #InboundChat and #ChocolateLovers are both hashtags.

You can put these hashtags anywhere in your social media posts: in the beginning, at the end, or anywhere in between. (Read this blog post for more instructions on using hashtags.)

These hashtags tie public conversations from all different users into a single stream, which you can find by searching for a hashtag, clicking on one, or using a third-party monitoring tool likeHubSpot's Social Inbox. Note that, in order for a post with a hashtag to appear in anyone's search, the post must be public.

What Makes Hashtags So Great?

Back in 2007 when hashtags were a brand new concept, Google's Chris Messina realized the value of hashtags right away. He wrote that the "channel" concept of hashtags satisfies many of the things group discussions do, but without inheriting the "unnecessary management cruft" that most group systems suffer from.

In addition, Messina wrote that they're easily accessible with the syntax on Twitter (and now on other social media networks), easy to learn, flexible, and works with current user behavior instead of forcing anyone to learn anything radically new. It also works consistently on cell phones -- whereas, for example, the star key doesn't.

Almost a decade later, the hashtag continues to thrive. When used properly, hashtags are a great way for individuals and brands to make their social posts more visible and increase engagement. They can give people useful context and cues for recall, aggregate posts and images together, and update a group of like-minded individuals on certain a topic in real time.

Hashtags are often used to unite conversations around things like ...

• Events or conferences, like #INBOUND16 or #SB50
• Disasters or emergencies, like #JeSuisCharlie or #PrayForHaiti)
• Holidays or celebrations, like #WorldNutellaDay or #OneHaleOfAWedding
• General interest topics, like #WinterWonderland or #ChocolateLovers
• Popular hashtags, like #tbt or #MotivationMonday

The key is to use hashtags sparingly and only when they add value. Use them too much, and they can be confusing, frustrating, and just plain annoying. 

How Hashtags Work On Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Click on a social network below to jump to that section:

1. How Hashtags Work on Twitter
2. How Hashtags Work on Facebook
3. How Hashtags Work on Instagram

1) How Hashtags Work on Twitter

A Twitter hashtag ties the conversations of different users into one stream. If Twitter users who aren't otherwise connected to one another talk about the same topic using a specific hashtag, their tweets will appear in the same stream.

Here's what a hashtag stream on Twitter looks like -- we'll use #WorldNutellaDay as an example:

Most of the good stuff takes place in the center of this page. For the hashtag #WorldNutellaDay, you'll see there are a few ways to toggle the hashtag stream: Top (the default), Live, News, Photos, Videos, and More Options.

• Top: A stream of tweets using that hashtag that have seen the most engagement -- which usually means tweets from influential people or brands that have a lot of followers. (Download our guide on how to get 1,000+ Twitter followers here.)
• Live: A live stream of tweets from everyone tweeting out that hashtag.
• News: A live stream of tweets from publishers and other designated news sources.
• Photos: A collage of photos included in tweets that use the hashtag. When you hover your mouse over a photo, you can reply, retweet, or Like the tweet with just one click. You can open the tweet by clicking on the photo.

• Videos: A stream of tweets using the hashtag that have videos in them.
• More Options: A dropdown menu that has a few great options to pick from, including "From people you follow" and "Near you." You can also save your search here by clicking "Save this search." To access it later, simply click into the search box on the top right of your Twitter home screen and it'll appear as a saved search.

On the left-hand side of the screen on the #WorldNutellaDay stream, you'll find "Related searches." This is especially useful if you're looking for unofficial hashtags for your own events and campaigns and others'.

Finally, on the right-hand side, you'll find "Related articles." Here's where Twitter pulls in the most recent, popular articles on the topic from its partner publishers. You can view more articles about the topic by clicking "View all."

How to Use Hashtags on Twitter

Want to get involved in the conversation, or even start your own? Using a hashtag on Twitter is as simple as publishing a tweet from a public account that includes the hashtag, like this:

Or this:

As long as your account is public, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your tweet.

How to Find Hashtags on Twitter

There are a few ways to find hashtags on Twitter. If you already know the hashtag you want to search for, there are four main ways to search for it: a simple search, an advanced search, monitoring using a third-party tool, or typing it directly into the URL.

You can do a simple search using the search box in the top right-hand corner of your screen:

If you're searching for a hashtag but want to include more details in your search, try Twitter'sAdvanced Search. Here, you can search for tweets with specific words and phrases, written in a certain language, from certain accounts, near certain locations, published on certain dates, and even containing smiley :) or frowny :( faces.

For example, if I wanted to search for the sad #WorldNutellaDay tweets, I might search for the WorldNutellaDay hashtag with a frowny face, like so:

The results show up in a stream with different toggle options, just like our original hashtag search. (These people need to go get some Nutella!)

You can also use a third-party monitoring tool like HubSpot's Social Inbox to monitor certain hashtags. These tools will put certain hashtags in a stream beside any other streams you've set up in the tool already.

(HubSpot customers: To set up a stream in Social Inbox, click Social > Monitoring > “+” and enter the name of the hashtag you'd like to monitor. Click here for detailed instructions on how to create monitoring streams.)

Finally, you can search for a hashtag by typing it directly into a URL like so:twitter.com/InsertHashtagHere. So #WorldNutellaDay can be found attwitter.com/#WorldNutellaDay.

If you're searching for popular hashtags from scratch, the best place to look is the trending topics bar on the left-hand side of your homescreen. Popular hashtagged words often become trending topics -- which are topics so many people are talking about that they are a "trend." Oh look, #WorldNutellaDay is on there!

By default, Twitter tailors these trending topics to you based on your location and whom you follow. If you want to change the location Twitter uses to tailor your trends, you can do so by clicking "Change" to the right of "Trends." In the window that appears, click "Change" again, and then enter in the location information you'd like Twitter to use instead.

Twitter's native "trending topics" is limited to only a few hashtags, so if you want to find more outside of trending topics and you don't know what to search for, consider using Advanced Search to browse tweets, or a third-party application like Trendsmap.

Twitter Chat Hashtags

Along with hashtags for events, campaigns, and promotions, there are these unique things on Twitter called Twitter Chats. Twitter Chats are live Q&A sessions organized around a hashtag -- either on the fly, or at a pre-arranged time.

I like how Buffer explains them: "Imagine a business networking event -- but without a dress code and with a keyboard instead of a bar. The same social customs apply -- courtesy and respect -- and it’s a great way to meet new people with similar interests."

There are Twitter Chats about pretty much everything, from marketing to personal finance to affinities for cats.

If you're looking for Twitter chats to engage in, check out TweetReports' Twitter Chat Schedule, which you can toggle by date, hashtag, and topics like writing, social media, and so on. You can also submit your own Twitter chats to be considered. 

2) How Hashtags Work on Facebook

Like on Twitter, a Facebook hashtag ties the conversations of different users into one stream. But unlike Twitter and Instagram, where many people have public accounts and their posts can be seen by anyone, most people's Facebook posts and accounts are private. This means that even if individuals are using hashtags, they aren't searchable. The result? The hashtags you can search for on Facebook tend to be published by influencers, brands, and publishers, rather than by individuals. 

Here's what a hashtag stream on Facebook looks like, using #WorldNutellaDay as an example:

Most of the good stuff takes place in the center of this page. For the hashtag #WorldNutellaDay, you'll see there are a whole bunch of ways to toggle the hashtag stream -- even more than we have on Twitter: Top (the default), Latest, Photos, Videos, Pages, People, Places, Groups, Apps, and Events.

• Top: A stream of Facebook posts using that hashtag that have seen the most engagement -- which usually means tweets from influential people or brands that have a lot of followers. In this case, a video from the brand Nutella itself garnered the most engagement and got a top seat.
• Latest: A stream of public Facebook posts using the hashtag, usually by influencers, brands, or publishers -- like a food blogger posting a tutorial on how to make a Nutella hazelnut cake for #WorldNutellaDay.
• Photos: A stream of public Facebook posts using the hashtag that have photos in them.
• Videos: A stream of public Facebook posts using the hashtag that have videos in them.

• Pages: Pages on Facebook that are officially associated with the hashtag.
• People: People on Facebook with a name officially associated with the hashtag. For a hashtag like #WorldNutellaDay, there are no results here.
• Places: Places in the world with a name officially associated with the hashtag. For a hashtag like #WorldNutellaDay, there are no results here.
• Groups: Groups with a name officially associated with the hashtag.
• Apps: Facebook apps with a name officially associated with the hashtag.
• Events: Faceook events with a name officially associated with the hashtag.

 

How to Use Hashtags on Facebook

To use a hashtag on Facebook, all you have to do is publish a Facebook post to your Page or timeline that includes the hashtag.

Be sure your post is public if you want people other than your Facebook friends to be able to find it. To make a Facebook post public, click on the button to the right of "Post" and choose "Public" from the dropdown menu.

Once you publish the post to your Page or timeline, the hashtag becomes a clickable link, which takes folks to the hashtag page. Here's what a Facebook post with a hashtag looks like:

 

How to Find Hashtags on Facebook

If you already know the hashtag you want to search for, there are two main ways to search for it: a simple search or by typing it directly into the URL.

You can do a simple search using the search box in the top left-hand corner of your screen:

You can also search for a hashtag by typing it directly into a URL like so:facebook.com/hashtag/InsertHashtagHere. So #WorldNutellaDay can be found at www.facebook.com/hashtag/WorldNutellaDay.

If you're searching for popular hashtags from scratch, the best place to look is the trending topics bar on the left-hand side of your homescreen. (Note: This is currently only available in English in select countries.) The articles and hashtags Facebook shows you are based on a number of different factors, including engagement, timeliness, pages you've Liked, and your location.

While most trending topics on Twitter are hashtags, this is much less the case on Facebook. You'll see only one trending topic below is actually a hashtag (#DemDebate):

3) How Hashtags Work on Instagram

An Instagram hashtag ties the conversations of different users into one stream, just like on Twitter and Facebook. If Instagram users who aren't otherwise connected to one another talk about the same topic using a specific hashtag, their posts will appear in the same stream.

Here's what a hashtag stream on Instagram looks like -- again, using #WorldNutellaDay as an example:

Notice the user interface on Instagram's hashtag stream is much simpler than those on Twitter and Facebook. There are three things you can do from this page: Scroll through related hashtags, look at the Top Posts, and browse Recent Posts.

• Related Hashtags: All related hashtags (like #nutellalover, #nutellaaddict, #nutellabread, etc. in this case), which users can scroll through sideways.
• Top Posts: The nine posts using that hashtag that have seen the most engagement -- which usually means tweets from influential people or brands that have a lot of followers. This is limited to nine posts.
• Recent Posts: A live stream of Instagram posts from everyone posting that hashtag.

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram

Want to get involved in the conversation, or even start your own? Using a hashtag on Instagram is as simple as publishing an Instagram post from a public account that includes the hashtag, like this:

Or this:

As long as your account is public, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your Instagram post.

When you write a new post and start typing in a hashtag using the # symbol, Instagram will actually suggest hashtags to you based on their popularity. Check out the suggestions I got when I typed in the incomplete hashtag, #WorldNutel:

How to Find Hashtags on Instagram

If you already know the hashtag you want to search for, the only way to search for a hashtag on Instagram on your mobile device is through a simple search. You can do a simple search by clicking the magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen, which brings you to the "Explore" tab. From there, type the hashtag name into the search box at the top of your screen, and toggle your results by "Tags":

If you're searching for popular hashtags from scratch, the best place to look is in Instagram's "Explore" tab. Here, you'll find popular hashtags as well as posts liked by people whose posts you've Liked, or posts that are Liked by a large number of people in the Instagram community.

To explore these hashtags, go to the "Explore" tab by clicking that magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen. Check out the "Trending" section to browse trending hashtags either by scrolling sideways or clicking "See all."

What About Using Hashtags "in the Wild"?

Although hashtags were born and work best online, you can point people to them in real life. Try placing hashtags in relevant and well trafficked public locations -- like in pictures or posters, menus, stickers, and so on -- to encourage people to search for that hashtag online.

10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING HASHTAGS FOR MARKETING CAMPAIGN

S

JULY 7, 2014 | ESTHER NYAADIE

Hashtags are an invaluable tool in marketing any business, both offline and online. It is easier for people to refer to and talk about your brand on a social network they frequent (that is on social media) rather than visit your website. Hashtags make it easier for a brand to be referenced on social media.

In last week’s article, we examined some challenges affecting the use of hashtags in online marketing. In this article we take a look at 10 things to consider when choosing a hashtag for marketing campaigns:

1.  Objective – what do you seek to achieve with your hashtag campaign? That should inform the word(s) or phrase(s) you choose to tag.  For example,the#BringBackOurGirls tag has anobjective that is spelt out in the tagged phrase; it is a call for the release of the kidnapped Nigerian girls, hence – ‘bring back our girls’.  The crusade to #OccupyFlagstaffHouse initially started as #OccupyGhana. Inmy opinion, the first hashtag (#OccupyGhana) was too vague since it did not spell out the campaign objective clearly. These examples serve to clarify how campaign objectives must inform the choice of words that you choose for your hashtag.

Figure 1 – The #OccupyFlagStaffHouse campaign on Instagram

 

2. Your target audience – Consider your audience when you are choosing a hashtag. Ask yourself these questions:

• Who is your typical customer/audience?
• Who is the target of your message?
• Will your message appeal to your customer and prospects?

Figure 2– the benefits of this service MTN outdoored are spelt out in the hashtag#RoamLikeHome and will definitely appeal to the ‘traveling’ MTN user.

3. Strategy – your objective(s) will inform the strategy you use for your hashtag campaign. Carefully plan where to use the hashtags, when and how to use them. Hashtags have a cross-channel nature. since most social media channels have adopted hashtags as an identifier, brands can now run cross-channel campaigns with one common identifier. When you are able to figure out what you are going to focus on (set your objective) you can then consistently leverage those across numerous campaigns. Consider your hashtag as the international connector of the social web and other advertisingplatforms.For example, in the 2013 #MakeItCount campaign, Nike used all forms of social media marketing, television advertising and massive offline advertisements throughout their stores and branches. Like Nike, use an across board marketing strategy for your hashtag and think about how your hashtag will look on all these avenues.

4. Format – if you are tagging a phrase capitalize each word or use underscores (#TaggingAPhrase or #tagging_a_phrase). This will prevent difficulty in reading and understanding the phrase and also prevent mix-ups and ambiguity.

5. Research – Research into what would sound with your audience. Talk to your customer service folks and others in constant contact with customers like your sales force. Additionally, follow online activities of your customers and competitors. After you come out with your hashtag, test the response of a few customers with the words and phrases you chose.

You would not want to end up like Blackberry when they sent out their #RIMjobs tweet.  A few years ago, Blackberry used to run under the parent brand “Research In Motion (RIM)”. They decided to tweet about job openings in the company with the hashtag #RIMjobs. The obvious connotations related to this seemingly innocent hashtag set the pace for massive backlash and mockery from the social media community.

 Make sure the word or phrase you want to tag is not being used by another brand. There are other cases where brands decide to go with a particular hashtag only to realise that another brand is also using it for a different purpose altogether.

In 2012, CelebBoutique, an online retailer based in the U.K., sent out a tweet using the trending hashtag #Aurora. #Aurora was trending due to the tragic movie theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado. However, they used it to promote their Kim Kardashian Aurora dress. CelebBoutique said, “We didn’t check what the trend was about hence the confusion, again we do apologize.”  See figure 3. Source: http://www.hotpotatosocialmedia.com/social-media-gone-wrong-twitter-hashtags

Figure 3 – A snapshot of the tweet Celeb Boutique sent out. The lesson here is to always do due diligence before joining in on a trending conversation and using a trending hashtag.

6. Punctuations and Spaces – Always remember that punctuations don’t work in hashtags. The hashtag will end when punctuations are used. Tagging #Don’tEatThatwould end up as ‘#Don t Eat That’. We see an example of punctuations and spaces breaking an intended tag in Figure 4. This is a post on Facebook celebrating the work of a Ghanaian fashion designer. The person posting attempts to tag the designer’s name but ends up with just the first word being tagged (hyper-linked).

Figure 4 – ‘#Kurvs n Stitches’should have been #KurvsnStitches

In figure 5 the host of a popular radio uses two hashtags on twitter to post about his show.  Tagging both words results in two separate links. instead of #Ekwanso #Dwoodwoo, #EkwansoDwoodwoo would have been a great way to gather all content and conversations relating to this show.

Figure 5 – ‘#Ekwanso #Dwoodwoo’ should have been #EkwansoDwoodwoo

7. Be clear and concise – The word or phrase you pick to tag should immediately let others know what the conversation will be about. Your hashtag should be short and to the point. Apply the golden rule of communication by keeping it short and simple. Do not be vague and general, instead of #Floods use #AccraFloods (see figure 6). Make them mean something specific.  In making sure that people remember your brand, selecting a hashtag that is more specific to your brand is essential.As in figure 6, Joy FM brands its news with the tag #JoyNews. This makes it easier for their audience to relate to the tag.

Figure 6 – The #JoyNews tag allows audiences to relate exclusively with the news on JoyFM.The #AccraFloods tag was also a simple  and concise tag.

8. Unique – create messages that hammer home your slogans, prompt calls-to-action and create excitement. Your hashtags can be statements about your brand and reflect your most current messaging. Being unique would mean that, your users get only related content when they search for your hashtag. A unique tag would prevent your audience from being bombarded with off-topic content and spam. Additionally, the word or phrase you chose should not only be unique but should also be easy to remember.

Figure 7– NKACC uses its company tagline as a hashtag. Using your brands tagline or motto can be a way of getting a unique hashtag.

9.  Conversational – Effective hashtags should have the power to ignite a conversation in the social world. Otherwise, the tagged word or phrase should have the ability to be the focus or the point of a topic.

After the Black Stars were eliminated from the World Cup with all the brouhaha that surrounded their exit, someone started #BlackStarsReasonsForStayingInBrazil (Figure 8)on Twitter and most people joined in with funny and witty contributions.

Figure 8– #BlackStarsReasonsForStayingInBrazil makes it easy for other people to join in the conversation. Some of the contributions included: “#BlackStarsReasonsForStayingInBrazil The management team has filled the plane and there’s nowhere for the playing body to sit”. “#BlackStarsReasonsForStayingInBrazil Samuel Inkoom is at a free WiFi zone uploading training pictures to Instagram”

Figure 9 – The Nike #makeitcount tag also makes it easy for Nike to reach out to their audience. It is also easier for people to incorporate this tag in their posts and join in the conversation with their contributions.

10. Popular words – The words you choose should be everyday words. That is, words and phrases which come up in ordinary or familiar conversation. This is evidenced in the annual Nike “#MakeItCount” campaign – the phrase is composed of everyday words. This makes it simpler for people to join in the conversation and to contribute to it. In the#MakeItCount campaign, athletes, including runners were asked to tell Nike and the rest of the world how they are going to “make 2013” count. Motivational images such as the ones in figures 10 and 11 led the movement to encourage athletes to sign up and connect with the rest of the world about their sporting goal for the next 12 months.

Figure 10 – “In 2013, I will complete a 10k. Join me and together we will #MakeItCount”.

Figure 11 – “In 2013, I will run a half marathon. Join me and together we will#MakeItCount”.

Source:http://solesoftheearth.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/nikes-makeitcount-campaign-the-power-of-the-brand-and-social-media/

To recap, there are some factors you must consider when choosing a hashtag for a marketing campaign. The words chosen for the hashtag must be accepted, conversational, unique, clear and concise. Avoid punctuations and spaces. Research into what will sound with your audience too. Before you start any hashtag marketing campaign, have an objective in mind; this will inform the strategy you adopt. Be mindful of your target audience and environment within which the message would be consumed. Double check the word or phrase you want to tag to be sure it is appropriate before you outdoor your hashtag.

Next week we will continue looking at some factors to consider when marketing with hashtags.