In today’s blog post we are discussing hashtags!
Those pesky little things that turn us upside down trying to work out when to use them, why to use them and how freaking many to use on what platform!
For little things, they cause big headaches!
So, let’s analyse these little buggers some more.
- What is a hashtag, and what is it used for?
Well, I think we all know what they are – they are the naughts and crosses symbol #
What they are for is to help your content to be found on social media for particular subject matters, locations, campaigns etc.
They are a way of grouping together similar content to help the consumer of the content find it all in one place.
So, let’s start here – there are 5 types of hashtags to keep in mind when you are thinking about what to use them for.
- Location – so places, neighbourhoods, cities and countries
- Branded hashtags – so for campaigns, events and your brand – of course!
- Industry hashtags – for your business niche – i.e. #marketing, #socialmedia etc
- Community hashtags – for a specific group of people – #blacklivesmatter
- Descriptive hashtags – the content of your actual post – i.e. #catsofinstagram
Now – one of my pro-tips for hashtags is that it is vital that you don’t use just one type.
That is what people mean when they say “don’t use the same hashtags all the time”.
Also, make them relevant to what you are posting about! You can’t use #catsofinstagram if your content is about trucks, or you shouldn’t use #australianruralbusinessawards2022 if you are talking about Christmas, for example.
Hashtags aren’t hard and fast rules; you need to test and measure what works.
A hundred marketing/social media specialists will probably have a slightly different take on them so it’s super important to test and measure for yourself – not just listen.
For example, Instagram For Business (no, this wasn’t from Instagram, but an account that looks like it’s Instagram) said earlier this year only to use 3 hashtags in your posts.
The platform blew up – ONLY 3 (What the …..????)
But the reality was, that was great for that account and accounts like it – they already have 14 million followers – so it makes sense, right – they don’t need to be found, just followed.
So, fo accounts like ours, with only 500 or 3000 followers, 3 isn’t going to get us far at all.
This is why I reiterate to clients to not just follow the advice you read or hear or see – you need to test, measure, polish, test, measure and polish to find the strategy that works for you!
Even what I’m saying here today – test it for yourself!
- How many hashtags to use?
It depends on the platform, so I’m going to talk about the 4 most # popular platforms – Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Well, it’s all about being found – so a few!
Make sure that 1/3 of what you use are <5K (and some are brand specific to you – after all, that’s the whole point!), 1/3 are between 5k and 300k, and 1/3 can be as huge as you want!
So how many?
- For smaller Instagram accounts up to 30 hashtags
- For larger Instagram accounts between 3 and 10 hashtags
Be hyper focused on the content and think “connection”. Watch for trending #s that you can jump on board with.
- LinkedIn recommends between 2 and 5 hashtags.
Using #’s on Fb is more like using them on LinkedIn than Insta. And again, being hyperfocused on content and connections that would come from using that #.
- Facebook recommends between 2 and 5 hashtags.
This is another platform where you should be hyperfocused on content and connections that would come from using that # and watch for trends you can jump on!
- On Twitter use between 2 and 5 hashtags.
Making the most of Hashtags
Now, before you rush in and change up your # strategy after reading this blog I recommend you do the following:
1. Do an AUDIT of your current #s and see if you are coming up in feed for that hashtag.
2. If you aren’t, then ask yourself why not (e.g./ it’s massive and has millions of posts against it)
3. THEN decide on any changes.
No matter the number of hashtags you use, remember the different types:
- Branded
- Industry
- Community
- Descriptive
And – make sure you are using a mixture of those because that’s how you can get more traction, more reach and hopefully, as we are doing all this work, more qualified leads of beautiful peeps who want to buy from us one day!
I would love it if you came and joined in my community to chat more about hashtags – head over to Facebook and my Like Minded Business Owners Group.
Or, let’s hang out and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fave LinkedIn.
CONTACT JENN:
I love to help people with their hashtags (and other strategy) for social media! Simply book a discovery call with me here!
And don’t forget to join my Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group. It is a great place to learn more! It’s such a wonderful community of people in business.
Or you can DM me on Instagram or send me an email jenn@jenndonovan.com.au
I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Yorta Yorta People, on which I conduct my business today and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reading this blog post today.
About the Author:
Jenn Donovan of Social Media & Marketing Australia. Jenn’s an expert marketing coach and mentor from rural NSW. She is all about empowering business owners to earn what they’re worth so they can make a bigger difference in the world. The Founder of Buy From a Bush Business, Co-Founder of Spend With Us – Buy From a Bush Business Marketplace and host of the very popular podcasts Small Business Made Simple and Stories from the Bush. Jenn is all about community and humans interacting with humans! H2H Marketing – human to human marketing. Jenn talks the talk but importantly walks the walk! Jenn’s online community is over 320,000 with her famous Facebook Group currently at almost 365,000 members and still growing every day. She’s the mayor of her own little online city!
Get in touch – www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au
On Instagram – @jenndonovan_
On Facebook – Jenn Donovan
Or on LinkedIn as Jenn Donovan
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