Social Media Growth: everyone wants it, but how can it be used to achieve trackable and tangible results? As a top social media agency in NYC, my team and I are not foreign to questions like, “How do we increase our following and discoverability through social media?”
Hashtags are a powerful tool when it comes to expanding your reach on social media and driving more traffic, engagement and awareness on behalf of your brand. From increasing discoverability to sparking conversation around trending topics, these hashtag tips will set you up for success with meaningful results.
In today’s ever-evolving digital world, creating great content is only half the battle. The real challenge lies in making sure your content reaches its intended audience. By adding relevant and highly-trafficked hashtags to your social media posts, you can ensure that your content is seen by the right people. Not only does this increase the likelihood of engagement and interaction, but it also helps establish your brand and build a following.
TIP: using ultra-popular hashtags isn’t always the best strategy for getting more reach and engagement, as it’s a very cluttered space. That said, it’s helpful to know what’s trending on the app; research is a must to compile top-used hashtags each month! You can also use hashtags as a tool for community-building, sourcing user-generated content, and aggregating content for a campaign.
Social media has become a hub of countless conversations taking place every minute. With hashtags being an essential aspect of social media growth, using them can help you become a part of these engaging and lively discussions. But how many should you include in your post?
Instagram advises to use between 3-5 hashtags on posts, despite allowing up to 30. The tactic? Use fewer hashtags to become more reliable. Various studies have shown that using more hashtags still receives the best results, 20 hashtags being the golden number for reach. Quality hashtags should still be first priority.
Do you ever wonder how well your posts are actually performing? The answer lies in tracking your content. One technique to achieve this is by using unique hashtags for each post. Don’t just sprinkle hashtags on a post. Before selecting hashtags for your posts, it’s a good idea to consider the different types of hashtags you can include.
There are five main types of hashtags to consider:
So, how do you find relevant hashtags? Use a hashtag suggestions tool! Many social scheduling and analytic tools offer this capability, which will help you uncover hashtags based on your content. Another tactic is to conduct research within the “Explore Page.” For the best results search for keywords that align with your brand’s content, community, location, etc. and check out the top results.
Quick answer: BOTH! Hashtags are effective in both your post caption and comments section. Tip: timeliness is essential; hashtags should be placed in your comments section as soon as your post is published. The main benefit of including hashtags in the First Comment is it’s a great way to keep captions clean, descriptive and less distracting.
There’s no doubt – it pays off to invest in hashtag research and use them strategically! Pick the right hashtags so you can get the most out of your content and see tangible results from social media growth initiatives. Want more insight? Reach out to our team at info@socialflyny.com for a revised hashtag strategy.
Written By: Melanie Granuzzo, Senior Account Director