We all know about hashtags and their ability to boost our content, but how do you know which hashtags to use? Many businesses fail with hashtags because they use random, vague ones that are too saturated or not relevant.
You need a hashtag strategy that not only gets your posts seen, but gets them seen by the right audience!
So, here are three ways to find hashtags that work!
1. Be specific
I started posting on Instagram and Twitter with vague hashtags like #marketing and #business. This seemed like the best way to do it, because they were popular hashtags, and therefore more people would see the posts, right?
The problem is, everyone in my industry was using them! The tags were so oversaturated that if someone searched it, my content had a very low chance of being seen.
So, I had to get specific. How could I reach my specific audience with hashtags that described my content?
Now, I use more specific tags like #digitalmarketingtips or #b2bmarketing to make sure my content is seen by those who are looking for it. These help my content to get engagement and allow clients to find me.
Consider how specific you can get for your business. How can you directly reach your ideal customer, rather than casting your net too wide?
2. Research your audience and how they use tags
Having great, specific hashtags isn't going to do much if your audience isn't searching for them! You need to research your audience and find out how they search for the content they want - much like SEO.
So, what is your audience searching for on social media? You need to look at trending topics within your target market that relate to your business. You might even choose to create content specifically for a hashtag!
As a cheat, you can look at similar businesses in your niche and see which hashtags they're using. Are they working? Which businesses seem to be getting more engagement? The tags you see used by the most popular businesses on social media are probably the best, so you should try them out and see if they work for you!
3. Keep your hashtags organised and up-to-date
Make sure you keep a list of your hashtags so you don't need to rewrite them each time. To go a step further, categorise them for specific types of posts so it's as simple as a 'copy and paste' when you're content planning.
But, make sure to keep your hashtag lists updated. Track the tags and see what people are posting in them. Sometimes they'll give you lots of value, but trends change! There's even the chance that hashtags will become redundant and you'll look outdated using them. So, you MUST stay up to date.
Remember - marketing is always based on research and analysis!
Try some of these tips in your social media content this week and let me know how your engagement changes!
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