Using Hashtags in Your Social Media Reach

Hashtags are crucial. They give your posts a wider reach than when you post without them. Using hashtags allows social media users that do not follow your account to still see your posts, and they can be used to build your brand, as well as a community around it. There is a however, a right and wrong way to use them. Below we have gathered some helpful tips on how to use hashtags on social.

Do Some Research
The most important thing is not to use overused hashtags. Avoid this, so your post doesn’t get lost in a sea of other posts. Instead, find hashtags specific to your audience and your business. This helps to narrow down the amount of posts associated to the hashtag, and instead engages an audience more specific to you. For hashtag ideas, seek out what brands similar to yours are using.

Using Hashtags Wisely
The amount of hashtags matter, not using enough won’t engage as many people, and using too many will cast your net too wide. Research has shown that a good amount of hashtags is between five and thirty. However, the ideal number, according to several studies, is closer to eleven hashtags.

Hiding Hashtags
While hashtags are effective, they are not the most aesthetically pleasing and there are a few ways to hide them. If you have a great caption and an even better post, the hashtag will not be the focus either way. One way is to hide them in the comments. After you have written the caption, post the picture and afterwards write a caption beneath. Another way is to hide hashtags in your story. Do this by pinching the hashtag to minimize it, and place it in an area of your photo that people are less likely to look at, like one of the four corners.

Create a Branded Hashtag
While hashtags that already work and draw attention on Instagram can be great for you, the best hashtag for you may be one that you can create on your own. Creating a brand specific hashtag can give your company and your followers an identity. Every time that hashtag shows up on someone’s feed, they will know that it belongs to you. Use the hashtag across the board, put it in your bio, in stories and in posts so everyone knows it is yours. Run a competition or giveaway on your brand page to have your followers use this hashtag and spread the message. Pietra Communications uses two branded hashtags, if you want to search them to see an example of this, search #heartofyourstory and #pietracomms