The Do’s And Don’ts of Hashtagging

Check out the latest technology, business, Charlotte posts on charlotteconsultinggroup.com where I am a content creator + data analyst

Hashtag this…hashtag that… we’ve all heard it before. Hashtags are a pretty big part of our social media culture and really help drive your business forward. It was even added to the Oxford dictionary in 2010. 8 years later and they are still being used as a strategic marketing tool to gain followers, improve engagement, and create relationships with other brands similar to yours. Using hashtags is one of the ways to gain new traffic onto your posts but there is an unspoken social media etiquette to follow.

DOs

• Cater hashtags to the social media platform you are using. What works for Instagram may not work for Twitter.
• Be specific- if you’re in a new city, or trying new food. Put #Charlotte or #tacotuesday. Speak to the community you are trying to attract… #millennials #womenintechnology, etc.
• Use your brand as a hashtag, the more people see it the more your name will get recognized
• Hashtag brands that are in your photos. If a brand is in some way being represented in your photo or post tag them. Brands follow their own hashtags and if you post about them enough who knows, you may get a brand deal.
• On Instagram, post a caption THEN comment your desired hashtags. There is nothing more annoying than seeing a bunch of hashtags in one caption. Have it be a separate comment to keep everything looking cohesive. It’s a way to hide your marketing efforts too.

Donts

• #Dont #Hashtag #Like #This. Don’t use each word attached to one particular hashtag. Hashtags are short and sweet. The longer they are the less likely other people will follow it.
• Using too many hashtags in one post. Follow the rule: simplicity is genius. There should be around 3-5 impactful hashtags
• Don’t use punctuation, commas, or emojis. If you tap on a hashtag like this #it’sabeautifulday people will be directed to Information Technology (IT) not other pictures of beautiful days. You can always add additional punctuation at the end of the hashtag its self.

Improve your company’s social media presence by incorporating some of these tips into your next posts