Blog - Tru North Design Co.

Things to Know About Hashtags

Published March 04, 2015
Tags: marketing social_media communication

In March of 2006 (an internet age ago), the monstrously successful Twitter platform came into being—shortly before taking the internet by storm. With the steady popularity of social media and mobile accessibility, the service has never been more popular than it is now. While Twitter’s launch was momentous, it spawned something much bigger: the growth of hashtags in mainstream media.

Since the introduction of hashtags, users everywhere have dug into them with reckless abandon. No one can blame them, either; hashtags are an incredibly useful tool that connect people everywhere to the same discussion. The ability to connect to a subject on an international level effortlessly broke down a lot of barriers in the marketing world, as well.

However, that reckless abandon that users dove in with spawned a lot of misuse when it comes to hashtags. It may not seem like a big deal, and it really isn’t when it comes to your average user. But marketers trying to promote their business and spending real advertising dollars need to make sure that the work they’re doing is effective. They also need to make sure that what they’re doing isn’t incredibly annoying.

That being said, here are a few guidelines on hashtag use:

1. Make sure you understand what Hashtags are.

Hashtags have two very specific purposes for marketers. They are used to a) connect and interact with users that are outside of your network but inside your target audience, and b) to direct communication toward relevant events or topics. Hashtags are not meant to be a highlighted form of expression (i.e., #bendgate, not #ibrokemyphone).

To be clear, I’m not saying nobody has done it. With over 280 million users, someone is bound to have done it once or twice. Maybe even a dozen somebody’s have done it. However, we’re aiming for the biggest target audience possible, not the tightest niche. Social marketing is a numbers game, and you’ll have a much better chance of interaction when targeting an audience of a thousand than an audience of ten.

2. Limit the number you post with.

In general, analytics have universally shown that 1-2 hashtags on a post receive much more interaction than posts that contain more. Posts with 3-5 tend to see a sharp drop in engagement, while 6-10 falls even further. If you have any more than that, I have a hard time imagining that there’s any real content in your post. That, and you’ve made it impossible for your followers to retweet your post because the character count is too high.

The notable exception to the rule is Instagram posts, which have a high interaction count regardless of how many hashtags get attached. Don’t get too crazy, though; somewhere between 5-15 is plenty for your selfie.

3. Don’t get too specific.

Remember, the whole purpose of a hashtag is to start or take part in a global discussion. If you create tags that are too specific, nobody will use them. Getting specific also means you’re driving up your character count as well, and that’s never a good thing—especially on Twitter. As an example, marketers may talk about things such as #SEO or #contentmarketing, but absolutely nobody else is going to say #facebookmarketingforsmallbusinesses.

…well, someone will. But we've been over this.

4. Pay attention to what your peers are doing.

While copying tends to have a very negative connotation, it’s a very good thing when it comes to hashtags. If your competitors and peers are using the same tags, you can all join into the discussion and remain competitive within that space. In this case, it isn’t theft—it’s sharing. Or at the very least, it’s throwing your hat in the ring. The larger the number of people using a hashtag, the bigger the discussion will be.

5. Use and reuse.

If you use a hashtag once and never again, it becomes a dead topic. It’s okay to create a tag aimed at a one-time event, but make sure you tweet or post about it more than once! Let people know that it’s happening, and get them excited about it. Sure, it's great to tweet about #sxsw2016, but it's significantly more beneficial to tweet about #sxsw so that you can re-activate the previous years' audience while continually building your following.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to create every hashtag you use. If what you’re saying or what your business does is related to an existing topic, feel free to join in! As long as you don’t spam it to death and try to overtake the tag (which is liable to get you blocked), people will welcome your input.