If you have your business active on sites like Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn, then you probably already know that you should be using hashtags. Hashtags push your social media account in front of the right people and help foster a brand presence online. But if you’re trying to build your brand’s social media presence, you might be asking: what are the best hashtags for my business?
We have 7 unique hashtag ideas for you to use online for your business. Use a mix of them to diversify for social media presence and boost your engagement.
But first, why use hashtags at all?
Hashtags accomplish two things: they boost your brand’s outreach, and they help foster community and discussion. The right hashtags boost your brand in front of the right audience, and they also help your customers participate in an ongoing conversation about a certain topic.
Depending on how you use them, a hashtag can do the following:
Here are the best hashtag practices for social media, with examples.
Some hashtags are great for building conversations with the internet. For example, a company might post about #WFH and #WorkFromHome on their LinkedIn page, then ask customers what their WFH space looks like.
Likewise, smart TV shows capitalized on the early days of social media to create discussions that boosted the show’s presence. Having a #watchparty for a new episode, like Game of Thrones’ #GoTWatchparty (or simply #GoT), launched the show further into the social zeitgeist.
Use current hashtags to start a discussion among your followers, or create a new hashtag and try to get it trending!
Public events often have hashtags or locations in social media. For example, many people use social media to document when they ran or participated in the #BostonMarathon.
When you participate in public events, be sure to link your company to that hashtag! That way, other people who interacted with your business at the live event can find you in the tags afterward, launching them down a potential sales funnel and generating loyal clientele.
Twitter and Instagram hashtags are where conversations are put into the spotlight. Sometimes, these trends only last a week, like the #IceBucketChallenge. Sometimes, these trends are evergreen to social media, such as #TBT for Throwback Thursdays.
Some trendy tags also exist within industries. If you’re in the cooking industry, for example, you’ve probably seen #mkr for My Kitchen Rules, a gallery of food and kitchen appreciation.
Just a warning, don’t use too many high-traffic tags, or else your account will be spammed by bots.
Of course, hashtags are always a way to promote your content. If you have a new blog post, resource, product, or brand design, hashtags are a great way to launch that content to the public. Use both relevant tags and fun ones to help your business get discovered!
Location tags are some of the best hashtags for building an organic audience. Using local hashtags will help insert your company into local social media conversations and help your profile get discovered.
Additionally, e-commerce sites might try to use location tags with their target demographic. If you think your business would sell well in #NewYork, #Chicago, #Toronto, or #Melbourne, find ways to incorporate those tags in your posts! Just make sure you post relevant content to those cities, or else you likely won’t get much engagement.
Competitions are a great way to use your following for brand awareness. You can post a giveaway or competition on social media and make it a requirement to use a custom hashtag. For example, imagine that Vela Creative launches a giveaway on Instagram. To win, you have to post a photo of your workspace and tag it to the Instagram hashtag #VelaCreativeWFH. Everyone who posts this tag to their profile will end up encouraging their followers to find out what #VelaCreative is all about, boosting us to a wider audience!
Like anything else on social media, hashtags are simply a way to have fun! Adding an #ouch, #oops, #LOL, or #unusual to your post doesn’t have any direct marketing benefits, but it certainly helps make your web presence light, fun, and personable. And who knows, maybe your next best customer was scrolling through the #noice tag!
Lastly, be sure to use hashtags tastefully and effectively. Only use 2-4 of them in posts on Twitter and LinkedIn. If you use more than 4 Instagram hashtags, hide them under the “keep reading” tab so that they don’t distract from your caption. Hashtags should help your content get discovered without detracting from your social media presence! Need help crafting a social media presence or finding the right hashtags? Vela Creative Co. is ready to help! Reach out today, and let’s get started on researching and crafting your social media strategy.
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