Hashtags were invented by twitter to tie different posts together in a single stream.  Hashtags are now used on various social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Hashtags are used for various reasons like allowing someone to find your post, marketing, and awareness.

Hashtag Guidelines

There are no real rules for what you can hashtag, however there are some simple guidelines that can help your hashtags to be more effective. Some of these guidelines include:

  • Don’t overtag a single post. This means don’t hashtag more than you have too. 50 hashtags on one post can be quite ineffective and confusing.

#Do #Not #Over #Hashtag #Your #Posts

  • Use less words. A hashtag like: #HowIDroveToCaliforniaInThreeDaysAndMetAFamousActor is just way too many words. Keep it simple like: #MyCaliVacation or #Vacation2017 or #California.
  • Use hashtags on relevant material. Hashtags link your post to similar posts so it would be not effective if your hashtag and post had two different meanings from each other.
  • Don’t spam with hashtags. Nobody likes spam. It’s ineffective and just clogs up feeds.

 

Why Hashtags Are Popular

Hashtags link important conversations together. Here are a few examples:

 

#inaugration

#prayforparis

#worldbookday

#motivationmonday

 

However, sometimes people use hashtags just because they are fun to use and you will see hashtags like:

 

#Friday

#CoffeeTime

#BestDayEver

 

No matter how you use hashtags, they have become increasing popular and you can always find the hashtags that are trending on any given day. Sometimes these hashtags are controversial, fun or even the most newsworthy. Hashtags are also great to promote your business on social media outlets and help bring traffic to your sites.

 

How To Use Hashtags On Twitter

Twitter breaks down the tags for you. You will see top hashtags, hashtags by influential companies or people, the latest hashtags and even photo hashtags. There is a section on Twitter called trends where you will see the top tweets and hashtags. Twitter links all the same hashtags to the same stream so that anyone can see them and click on them. Here are some important things to remember about hashtags on Twitter:

 

  1. As long as your account is public, anyone can search and find your hashtag.
  2. Hashtags on Twitter can be used for events, campaigns, conversations, to promote awareness, to promote a business, and even for Q&A sessions. The possibilities are nearly endless.
  3. You can search for hashtags several ways. For instance, you can type the hashtag directly into the search engine and it will pull up every tweet that used that hashtag. You can also type in the URL: twitter.com/inserthashtaghere. Replace insert here hashtag with the hashtag you are looking for.
  4. For a business account you can hashtag things like: #sale #promotion #free or whatever it is your business is promoting, and it will link that to your site and to that hashtag to increase traffic to your page.
  5. Keep your hashtags simple and user friendly. You want a hashtag people can easily remember in order to remember you and your cause. For instance Avon Walk For Cancer uses the hashtag #avonwalk. It is simple enough to remember and still accurately describes their campaign.

 

Keep in mind most of the latest and hottest trends on Twitter are hashtags. This is not the case for all of social media outlets.

 

How To Use Hashtags On Facebook

Hashtags on Facebook are quite similar to Twitter. These hashtags will link similar hashtags into the same feed. While Twitter trends typically revolve around hashtags, that is not always the case on Facebook. Some of the trends may not have hashtags link to them at all. Here a few tips for hashtags on Facebook:

 

  1. You can search for hashtags much like you do on Twitter with Facebook’s search engine. You can also type in the URL:facebook.com/hashtag/inserthashtaghere. Just like twitter insert the hashtag you want in the insert hashtag here section to find the hashtag you are looking for.
  2. If you are looking for popular hashtags check out the Trending section on Facebook. However, keep in mind it doesn’t necessarily mean they are all hashtags.
  3. To use a hashtag on Facebook, you would write a post and at the end of the post insert your hashtags. For example you could write: I had the best day ever with my daughter. #familytime #bonding #love
  4. Keep your hashtags simple and meaningful on Facebook. If you are using them to promote your business, make sure your hashtags are relevant.

 

How To USe Hashtags On Instagram

Hashtags on Instagram are widely used on pictures. It ties posts together like Twitter and Facebook. People who are not following each on Instagram can see similar hashtags in the same stream. Hashtags are a bit easier to find on Instagram. You can see related hashtags, popular hashtags and most recent hashtags. Instagram is a lot more streamlined than Twitter or Facebook. Here are a few things you need to know:

 

  1. On Instagram, it is common not to see a written post before a hashtag. Typically you will see a picture and a hashtag or two following it. For instance, you could see a picture of a dancer and it be followed with the hashtag #dance.
  2. Instagram is more focused on pictures than it is on statuses. So, keep it simple. People don’t want to read a lot on Instagram.
  3. To find a specific hashtag on Instagram, use their search engine, which looks like a magnifying glass, and type the hashtag right into the search engine. It will then pull up all similar or related hashtags.
  4. Your account, even if private, may make hashtags public. So be careful what you hashtag on Instagram.

 

No matter how or where you use hashtags, they can be fun, powerful tools. Hashtags are especially useful in business to bring clients and customers to you. If you have never used a hashtag,  it may be time for you to check them out. You will be surprised at how quickly people respond to them.