Smart Ways to use HASHTAGS

The hashtag, or pound sign, is a vital part of the social media experience that you can use to grow your business online. Every piece of content online now contains at least one hashtag, and the more hashtags you use, the better your growth will be. 

The use of Hashtags originated in 1988, and they were known as “metatags” on the original platform. In 2007, a blogger called them “hashtags,” and the term stuck. However, they didn’t become popular until Twitter adopted them in 2009. 

Now, we see them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Myspace, Google+, and everywhere content is created and shared. 

But how do they work?

Hashtags generally group topics and communities into a single, searchable entity. By adding the hashtag (#) to a word or phrase, you can easily find a variety of people and content based on the hashtag you chose. 

That’s where the growth is. 

Hashtags are an easy and effective way to get your content in front of the right audience by grouping you with other like-minded creators, but not all hashtags are created equal.

That’s why you need to put some thought into your Hashtags. Otherwise, your content may become buried within the social media void. 

And no one wants that!

Thankfully, there are three ways to find the right hashtags for your content without feeling overwhelmed. They are:

Know your keyword

Keywords are words of importance that help keep your content focused, cohesive, and memorable. They also make for great hashtags! 

When you know your keyword, you can find keywords that reflect your keyword and make sure your content gets to the right audience. 

For example, if your keyword is “copywriting,” you might use #Copywriting, #SEO, #Writing, #marketing, #advertising, or #author. 

Know what’s trending

Trending hashtags are the most popular topics over a given time, and they will ensure that your content gets views. They can also broaden your reader base by adding more than one category to your content. 

However, not every one will be relevant, so make sure you carefully select the ones you want to use. 

For example, if your content is about war, but one of the trending hashtags is #Wordle379, you might not want to use that one. Stick with the relevant ones for maximum exposure. 

Use a Generator

Yes, there are hashtag generators, and they’re perfect for times when you honestly don’t know which hashtags to use. 

All you have to do is put your keyword (or the topic of your content) into the search bar and sit back while the program pulls out all the relevant tags it can find. Then, you’re free to use the ones you like best! 

Two of the most popular generators are RiteTag and AllHashtag, and they’re a great place to start your hashtag journey!

Now that you know three ways to find your hashtags, here are some general rules for using them. 

1. Don’t overuse them. Studies show that overuse is almost as harmful as under-use, so pick 3-5 of your favorites and let your content speak for itself!
2. Hashtags are versitile, and you can use them at the beginning of the post for emphasis, in the middle to highlight your keyword, or at the end to provide contenxt. 
3. Don’t be discouraged! Despite their popularity, hashtags still require some trial-and-error to figure out which ones actually work. Thankfully, there’s no law that says you can’t re-post content with different hashtags, so if one set doesn’t work, try another! 

Hashtags are a vital part of the social media experience. They help organize and categorize all online content into easily-searchable topics, provide context and emphasis to a post, and can help your online presence thrive. 

All you have to do is find the right ones!