The Hashtag: What is it and How Do I Use it?

A hashtag is a growing marketing tool used on social media allowing for users to sum up a message behind their post and follow along with similar posts of other users.

The hashtag originated on Twitter, but has since expanded to other social channels like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and more.

Although the idea behind a hashtag is simple, the tool has evolved over the years to allow results to be filtered by geographical locations and by trending topics, which is commonly seen on Twitter.

With some basic knowledge in mind, here’s a list of Do’s and Don’t’s of using a hashtag in your next social media post:

DO

1. Think of the purpose of your post. If you’re sharing about a product, hashtag the product. If you’re following along with a trend, hashtag the topic in the post.
2. Think of the platform you’re posting on. Although most social channels these days use hashtags, some, like Twitter and Instagram are most receptive to hashtag use than others. For example, we do not recommend using hashtags on LinkedIn.
3. Integrate them into your next marketing campaign by including them on marketing materials.
4. Use for trade show promotion. See if the trade show you’ll be attending, or hosting, has a hashtag. Join along with the conversation using the designated hashtag to build a presence prior to the event. While at the event, live tweet or post on different social media platforms using the hashtag. This way others who aren’t attending can look at you as an influencer, and those attending can add or respond to what you’ve posted.

DON’T

1. Use multiple hashtags in one post. Studies show that two per post is plenty.
2. Overthink it. Hashtags are there to supplement the content. But if the other text of the post isn’t strong, the hashtag may not be effective.