Your Hashtag Starter Guideline + Best Hashtag Approaches in 2022
Social media has provided businesses of all sizes with tools that allow them to expand their audiences, reach, growth rate, and much more, in ways no business owner would have imagined possible a few decades ago.
Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay (and evolve). Not only does it save companies thousands on marketing efforts, but it also allows brands to interact with their audiences in a personalized, meaningful way.
One of the most popular and free tools social media has offered since the beginning of modern social media are #hashtags. Hashtags were first introduced by Twitter in the late 2000s. The main idea behind them was to make it easier to follow conversations about specific topics. Then the rest of the social media platforms soon followed the trend with this new concept.
But are hashtags still relevant in 2022? And if so, how can you use them to your advantage? How many hashtags should your posts have? How do you determine the best hashtags for your posts, and should your approach be different across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter?
Continue reading to address these important questions.
A quick historical moment in social media: This was the first-ever use of the hashtag.
Where and when should I use Hashtags?
While most are familiar with the basics of using a hashtag, we want to provide a quick #Hashtags101 refresher on hashtags.
1. What are hashtags?
Hashtags are a way of connecting social media content to a specific topic, theme, or event.
2. Where are hashtags used?
Hashtags are used broadly on almost all social media platforms. The most popularized use of hashtags is on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
3. When/how are hashtags used?
Hashtags are used primarily to engage in relevant conversations and promote tracking of a specific topic or memes. You can add hashtags to your social media content by simply adding a pound symbol before any word or set of words you want to use.
Pro Tip: The average recommendation is to use 1 to 3 words max per hashtag. For accessibility purposes, it’s recommended to use Camel Case conventions in your hashtags, capitalizing the first letter of every word, such as #AccessibilityIsImportant, so they can be understood by screen readers.
Are Hashtags still relevant in 2022?
Absolutely. You might think #Millenials are the only ones using hashtags, but that's not the case. If you're a business owner or marketer using social media for your company, hashtags are a great way to get discovered by new people. By using hashtags, you're telling the algorithm to recommend your posts to people who follow accounts with similar content to yours.
Think of hashtags as a filing system: By adding a hashtag, that post is automatically sorted with other posts that have also used that hashtag, thus making it easier for people to find your content and for the social media platform to understand the type of content you're posting.
How can you use Hashtags to your advantage?
Although hashtags are used actively across almost all social media platforms, please note that different social media platforms have different hashtag rules. Here are a few tips on how to use hashtags effectively on the most popular social media platforms in 2022. Keep in mind that as these platforms continuously evolve, so do their hashtag approaches.
How to Use Hashtags on Facebook
Hashtags are helpful on Facebook, but don’t use as many as you do on Instagram content.
Be specific. Facebook has not recently commented about the number of hashtags recommended per post. However, many social media experts claim that posts with more than 10 hashtags, tend to perform up to 68% less in interactions than those that only use one to two hashtags. Try to keep it specific and directly related to the content you are posting.
Engage in relevant topics. Try to use trending hashtags on Facebook, and adapt your content to them. This article talks about how you can find relevant hashtags on Facebook in 2022.
Use industry-specific hashtags. B2B or B2C business models: be sure to use hashtags that summarize what your company does. For example, if you're a Marketing Agency, don't use simple hashtags like #MarketingAgency. Instead, opt to use hashtags like #MarketingExpert, #Marketing101, #MarketingHacks, etc. These will help catch the attention of the reader.
How to Use Hashtags on Instagram
Hashtags are much more common, popular, and effective on Instagram.
Less is more. In September 2021, the Instagram Creators account posted some tips for using hashtags. The last bullet point from slide 2 says: "Do keep the number of hashtags between 3-5." The Instagram Creators account has not posted an updated version of this post since 2021, meaning that this still applies in 2022.
Use emerging hashtags to stay up-to-date on the latest memes, news, and trends. This way, you'll find it easier to stay on top of relevant conversations happening around the world, country, and city.
If you notice a hashtag is slowly gaining more traction, create content that ties your account to the hashtag topic and post it. If the hashtag becomes viral, there's a higher possibility people will consider your account a trendsetter. Even if it does not evolve into a viral hashtag, at least you caught the attention of a small group of people, perhaps a new audience.
How to Use Hashtags on LinkedIn
Hashtags on LinkedIn provide a quick and easy way to discover topics and interests that interest you, as well as opportunities to interact with them.
Be straightforward. LinkedIn posts tend to be more direct. If you're hiring, looking for a job, inviting people to your webinar, or simply sharing advice, use hashtags with those words.
Use general and specific hashtags. Aim to use 1-2 general hashtags for your post, and 1-2 specific hashtags. This will help you reach the right audience.
Select popular hashtags for your topics. A simple way to select hashtags is using the autofill hashtag suggestion from LinkedIn. Some examples for hiring posts: #Hiring #HiringNow #HiringAlert.
Don't overdo it. LinkedIn recommends using no more than 3 hashtags per post.
How to Use Hashtags on Twitter
The original hashtag platform: Twitter. Here are some things that will help you out when using hashtags on Twitter:
Use hashtags consistently. According to Twitter, brands that use hashtags consistently see lifts all across the marketing funnel, such as +18% message association, +8% brand awareness, and +3% purchase intent. (The Dos and Don’ts of Hashtags, 2022)
Make them easy to remember. Great marketing is easy to remember: keep this in mind when using Twitter hashtags.
Do some research. If you want your brand to jump into relevant topic conversations, use the explore tab to see what trending hashtags people are using.
Be relatable. Being a relatable brand will encourage people to want to use your hashtags, so give them a reason to do it.
When used correctly, hashtags boost your marketing and communication efforts. If you or your business has a social media account, and are not effectively using hashtags, consider this blog a guide to starting your hashtag journey. Once you get started, it is important to stay updated on the latest social media rules and algorithms, and remember, innovation comes from taking risks.
At More Canvas Consulting, our Digital Marketing and Customer Analysis service can help you understand your audience and how best to communicate with each segment effectively. If you have questions about the effectiveness of your social media approach or how to best reach your unique audience, click here to schedule a complimentary initial consultation.