5 Tips on how to implement a Hashtag Strategy for your Business

The hash symbol (#) has become a very important tool in engaging and operating with numerous social media platforms. Originally a function that began on Twitter, hashtagging is now used on most other popular platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Pintrest. Through targeting specific topic audiences, a hashtag strategy can be a great tool for your business to connect with new and relevant users.

Before we even discuss the technicalities of implementing a Hashtag Strategy it is important to note how to compose a hashtag. For a hashtag to register there are some important grammar factors to consider, or more precise, the lack of grammar that is necessary. Hashtags cannot have any spaces or punctuation in it. Forget about speech bubbles, semicolons or even exclamation marks – they will result in an invalid hashtag. Simple and short wordings should result in more engagement and develop better results with a hashtag strategy.

Keep it simple when realising a hashtag strategy and understand the social media platform that you are working on. Depending on which platform you are using can potentially change the execution and desired results.

According to our friends at Buddy Media, tweets that include hashtags have double the engagement than tweets without any. However tweets that use more than two hashtags actually show a 17% drop in engagement.

Meanwhile Instagram is quite the opposite. Posts with 11 or more hashtags actually have a higher interaction than those with less. Then of course there is Facebook who has only been using hashtags since June 2013 and currently there is still not much evidence to suggest their effectiveness.

Developing a hashtag strategy involves focused research into the effectiveness and reach of any particular hashtag.  Understanding what hashtags people are searching and being able to take advantage of this enables you to better connect with your audience.

There is little point in manipulating a longwinded statement for a hashtag strategy if no conceivable user is actually going to search for this term. A practical approach would be to implement logical hashtags while trying to battle the fine line between using obscure terms and overused ones.

Keep up to date with popular trending hashtags and if appropriate take advantage of these trends in your own posts. Located on the home page, it is easy to find current trending hashtags on Twitter. The other platforms are less liberal with this information but a quick Google search and you can find many websites who document the popular tags. Websta is one example that presents all the hot and popular hashtags on the Instagram app.

Remember not to jeopardise your business’s integrity and hop on popular hashtag trends like #MileyCyrus if in fact your business is not remotely associated with the term.

There are plenty of tools out there that you can utilise in conducting a hashtag strategy. Depending on how big or small your budget is you will be able to find a worthwhile online tool. Below are two examples that could be useful for your business:

RiteTag has been around for nearly three years and you can access either a basic free account or pay to upgrade for better features. Currently only optimised for Twitter this hashtag strategy tool is planning to branch out to other popular platforms.

When developing Twitter Posts RiteTag suggests relevant and current hashtags along with estimating the expected reach. It even gives you immediate feedback on chosen hashtags, whether they are Good, Great or Overused.  It also records results and statistics allowing you to determine which hashtags give you the greatest impressions. Along with auto scheduling features for Twitter, it helps eliminate any worry that you will forget to update your account.

TagBoard allows you to search for any hashtag and connect with people talking about it on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and Vine. It’s a great and easy way to gauge what kind of audience is using a particular hashtag and more importantly determine how feasible it could be used within your own hashtag strategy.

Hashtags are a great way to target and connect with users that are discussing relevant topics to your business. Understanding how and why you should use them will help you develop an intelligent hashtag strategy that can boost your business and leave your competitors in the dust.

If you have any of your own tips for creating a hashtag strategy for businesses, share it with us!