Are you using five or more hashtags on your Facebook posts? Are you skipping hashtags on LinkedIn? These practices may have been okay in the past, but are considered faux pas today.
If you haven’t kept up with the best practices for using hashtags on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
Hashtags aren’t a huge part of Facebook posts; you likely only see hashtags in Facebook posts when someone has their Instagram set up to autopost across to Facebook. This likely stems from a 2016 study by BuzzSumo that found hashtags are actually detrimental to the reach of Facebook posts.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you absolutely cannot use hashtags on Facebook, but you have to be wise with them. Don’t use more than two per post, and if you see that engagement declines after using them, stop.
You can also use a single branded hashtag to group campaign posts together. This hashtag should be carefully researched and branded so that it is only used for the purpose of your campaign.
If you weren’t aware that LinkedIn brought hashtags back a couple of years ago after scrapping them in 2013, now you know. While they currently don’t carry much weight right now, since people are just getting back into the habit of using them, LinkedIn is encouraging users to add them to their posts by suggestings hashtags when a user creates a post. We will likely see them becoming a bigger part of the platform as they become more widely used.
We recommend using a few meaningful hashtags that make sense for your post and for your industry. Hashtagging is also recommended when you create a Pulse post, so be sure to research some of the best keywords for your post!
Did you know the use of the hashtag originated on Twitter? The practice was meant as a way to group together posts on a certain topic, and they are still integral to Twitter. Like all other platforms, though, they have to be used the right way!
Remember: relevance is key. Only use hashtags that are relevant to what you are posting about. Hijacking a popular hashtag just to get in on the reach won’t do you any favors.
Tweets that get more engagement on Twitter are those that include hashtags but don’t go overboard with it. One or two per Tweet is plenty, so do your research and choose ones that are relevant to the post and your industry.
Hashtags are super popular on Instagram and are used to organize photos into streams. We previously published a comprehensive blog on finding the most effective Instagram hashtags for your brand that you should definitely check out.
To recap, the key to finding the right hashtags on Instagram is research! Look at your industry competitors and inspiration accounts. Use keywords that apply to your brand and your target audience. Next, look at hashtags relevant to your location, which are widely used and a great way for users in your area to find your posts.
Unlike the other platforms we’ve gone over, you can use more than one or two hashtags. In fact, we encourage you to use at least 11! Don’t be shy, but also don’t go crazy. Instagram only allows up to 30 hashtags per post!
Research, Research, Research
We realize that we’ve said that a lot throughout this blog, but the advice we’ve provided really is important to using hashtags. Like with SEO for your website, you wouldn’t want to optimize your website for topics that have nothing to do with the product or service you sell, right? So, don’t use irrelevant hashtags! They may get your posts seen by someone new, but are they going to be in your target audience that is likely to become a customer? Probably not.
If you don’t have time to spend on hashtag research, that’s okay. Most small business owners don’t! That’s where a dedicated social media manager comes in. We constantly look for the best hashtags for our clients’ posts and include hashtag research in all account audits.
We’re here to help your business grow and thrive online. Contact us today to see how we can help you!