Still not using hashtags in your business’s social media strategy? Maybe it’s time to rethink!
It’s amazing how many businesses still aren’t utilising this free resource, including many business accounts on Instagram!
Hashtags are a major part of social media business use today and can be used to pick out responses and content for major events, brands, slogans and more. Brands, businesses of all sizes, and individual users use them to start and get involved in trending conversations and to categorise their posts about specific topics or subjects.
The first recorded use of a hashtag came in 2007 on Twitter. Since then they have steadily risen in popularity, with their use spreading to include most social media platforms. This has led them to become one of the most commonly used functions in social media today.
When a hashtag is posted on a social network, such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, it will be possible for other users to seek out similar posts, which include the same hashtag.
Even LinkedIn has started to recognise and actively promote the use of hashtags for searching content. This includes a new feature on LinkedIn company pages that allows admins to associate their LinkedIn Company Page with specific hashtags. This allows them to listen in and respond to conversations happening about their brand or relevant topics on LinkedIn.
So, what can businesses use hashtags for?
- Drive engagement: users who are looking for a specific type of subject matter, a trending event or news topic, will be posting and searching for content using a specific hashtag. To see the content generated by other users, businesses or news agencies. Posts with the appropriate hashtags can be picked out.
Businesses using hashtags often see higher engagement in their posts, over those that don’t.
- Tie in content from multiple sources: hashtags are a great way to link content from multiple sources. For example, if a business has an overall account and the owner or a designated member of staff has an account. They can then both send out messages that are on brand and tied to the business, using the same hashtags.
- Research: studying your target market through hashtags can be an excellent way to choose topics they are interested in. Allowing you to develop your products or services, based on insight and knowledge, instead of guesswork. It can also help resolve customer service issues, allowing a business to respond quickly and efficiently. This is especially true on Twitter, which is the go-to platform for consumers to complain about a brand, product or service.
- Cheap marketing: if you’re running your marketing on a tight budget, then using hashtags can be a way of extending the reach of your posts. Unless you’re spending money on social marketing then your reach isn’t going to get much further than your following. And, only a low percentage of them at that.
Using one, or a small number of well-crafted or trending hashtags (don’t overdo it), can sometimes improve your reach, especially on Twitter.
Hashtags in social media can be a great way to engage your online audience and can be a helpful marketing and communications tool when used correctly. Just don’t overdo it!
Update: 31/03/2023
Since I wrote this article in January 2019 not much has changed on the whole, regarding how hashtags are used by businesses, they are still a great easy way to engage your audience, without forking out ££££s
Considering this, there are still plenty of businesses out there that aren’t taking advantage of the benefits that hashtags offer to them.
Hashtag Use Observations
A couple of things I have noticed though is the uptake on usage by sporting events that are televised, such as F1, integrating the use of specific hashtags for each race.
Such as the next race is the Australian Grand Prix which will have the hashtag #AusGP.
Enabling F1 fans to easily find content generated using a hashtag for a specific race.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that Facebook appears to have stopped the use of hashtags on its business pages. It has been like
It is easy to spot business postings on Facebook that have been posted from Instagram. Using the same content for both posts in the Meta Business Suite. Facebook posts that are loaded with unusable hashtags.
Does it matter? No, not really but it can make a post look overcrowded, which could put a potential customer off reading it.
Spend a bit of extra time creating well-formatted eye-catching posts for your socials, taking into account each platform’s post image size and other nuances, such as if they use hashtags or not.