How to Use Hashtags Effectively on Social Media

Almost 73% of the U.S. population — 246 million people — uses social media. Whichever industry your business operates in, your customers are on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.



Audiences use these platforms to pursue their interests and solve their problems. If they find one of your posts among the millions out there, they could easily go to your website and buy from you.

Hashtags help you make those connections. Audiences use hashtags to find solutions and explore topics on social media. 

Learning how to use hashtags properly gives you a significant advantage. In this article, we'll review how to use them in your digital marketing strategy. We’ll start by looking at why they’re so important.

Why Should You Use Hashtags?

Hashtags boost your social media strategy because they meet readers' needs. People use hashtags to find posts related to specific topics, from "#fashiontrends" to "#heartdisease." Someone might see a post they like and click on a hashtag to learn more about that topic. Or if they already know what they want to see, they might search using a hashtag and browse what pops up.

Either way, hashtags help you get more from your social media strategy. Here's how.

Broader Reach

Showing up in someone's social media feed can be a game of chance. You have better odds of reaching users who follow you, but even then, you're at the mercy of the algorithms.

Social media algorithms choose posts based on expected relevance. If your post aligns with the type of content a user will like, share, or comment on, it has a better chance of reaching their feed.

Hashtags offer clues to your post's content. If someone often interacts with content about skincare and you use the "#skincare" hashtag, your post is more likely to appear in their feed.

Hashtags don't guarantee that you'll show up for everyone who's interested in a tagged topic, but they do improve your chances. And marketers see the results. In a survey from Sprout Social, 72% of respondents said hashtags improve their content's reach. 

Increased Engagement

Hashtags also encourage readers to interact with your post. 

Here's the thing — people who search for or click on a particular hashtag are ready to engage. They're actively interested in that topic and are seeking fresh perspectives, more information, and extra value.

Meet those needs, and you have an excellent chance of earning a like or follow.

For example, suppose you create a post on healthy grilling for the outdoor cooking market. You use the hashtag "#healthyeating" to engage the health-conscious crowd. You're the only one talking about grilling, so dozens of people comment with questions and personal anecdotes.

Hashtags have immense power in helping you engage new audiences. The first step is understanding the different types available.

Types of Hashtags

Anything can be a hashtag. Remove the spaces and punctuation, add the hashtag symbol, and there you have it. Some hashtags appear on millions of posts, while others are unique to a brand or campaign.

Almost all hashtags fit into one of three categories. Understand them, and you're ready to choose hashtags that will attract your target audience.

Content Hashtags

Content hashtags are ideal for marketers who are just learning how to use hashtags. They mention or allude to your products or services, which makes them relevant to your brand.

Remember, relevant hashtags have the best chance of increasing your reach and engagement. 

For example, if you run an auto body shop, potential content hashtags include:

• #autobodyrepair
• #accident
• #carcrash
• #collision
• #collisionrepair
• #carpaint
• #bodyshoplife

Look for the content hashtags that target your specific audience. Even within the same industry, each business has its own areas of specialization. 

For example, picture two beauty shops using hashtags on Instagram posts. One focuses on "#weddingupdos," and the other specializes in "#kidscuts." Both shops increase their reach and engagement by using niche hashtags. Those hashtags broadcast what each shop does best.

Trending Hashtags

While content hashtags draw attention to your business offerings, trending hashtags connect you to popular topics online.

Not up to date on trends? Try a quick Google search for "trending hashtags," plus the month during which you want to post.  For example, “trending hashtags February 2024.” Browse the results for the most up-to-date lists and then search for popular hashtags that align with your brand.

Use a trending hashtag only if you can deliver original and valuable content. Each of these hashtags has thousands or even millions of posts attached. Your contribution has to be original and valuable to avoid getting lost in the crowd.

Every trend-focused post you create should highlight your brand's personality. Remember, your goal is to stand out, like the Good Morning America team that jumped on TikTok's "Fireball" dance challenge in December 2023. 

Finally, if you plan to jump on trends, be ready to post while the hashtag is still trending. If you miss a trend, it's OK — another one is probably already here.

Branded Hashtags

The third and final type of hashtag is the branded hashtag. It helps you stand out from the crowd — one of the biggest challenges in learning how to use hashtags. 

Sometimes, there will be too many posts with a particular hashtag — even a highly relevant content hashtag. When 14 million posts use the same "#newbornphotography" hashtag on Instagram, for example, getting noticed is a significant challenge.

Brand-specific hashtags help you break the cycle. You create these niche hashtags for your brand, either for general marketing purposes or to support a specific campaign. One famous example is Spotify's "#spotifywrapped" campaign. Launched in 2016, this campaign generates millions of views at the end of each year.

You don't need to be Spotify to create a successful branded hashtag. Start by creating a hashtag using your brand's motto or slogan — assuming that no one else is already using it. Add it to all of your relevant posts to start building an audience. You can even add the branded hashtag to your trend-focused campaigns when it makes sense. People who like your style can search through posts using your hashtag to discover more of your content.

You can also create a campaign-specific hashtag like "#spotifywrapped." One popular strategy is encouraging people to submit user-generated content (UGC) through a contest or promotion. For example, you might offer a discount to customers who use the hashtag and tag your business in their posts.

These posts make great reshares on Facebook and Instagram.

How to Use Hashtags in Your Social Posts

Now that you know what hashtags you can use, it’s time to learn how to use them. Hashtagging has its own best practices, just like any other social media marketing technique. Here are three of the most important.

Keep It Short

If you force too many words into a single hashtag, audiences will give up on trying to read them. They'll never know that you have "#theabsolutebestpizzainspringfieldmissouri" because their eyes will skip right over it. 

You can still make your point; you just need to break it up. Promote that stellar pizza with hashtags like "#springfieldpizza" and "#bestinspringfield." You make the same point and have more chances to connect.

Creating new hashtags and want to keep them brief? Brainstorm 10 or 20 hashtags of no more than three short words. Eliminate the ones that other brands have already used, and then get input on the most engaging ones.

Don't Overtag

“Short” isn’t just about the length of the hashtag but also how many you use. Packing every social media post with dozens of tags may be tempting, but more isn't necessarily merrier. 

Some channels limit the number of hashtags you can use — Instagram's limit is 30, for example. But from a digital marketing perspective, that's still too many.

Your goal with hashtagging is to increase engagement. Audiences engage when the content relates to their interests. 

Think about the most significant ideas and words in your post. Put a hashtag symbol next to those phrases. Aim for three to five hashtags per post, allowing yourself an extra tag if it's essential to your strategy.

Think Strategically

Finally, it’s important to consider what tags will give you the best chance of increasing your visibility.

Visibility is a particularly important issue when you work with content hashtags. Branded hashtags are unique, so you won't have much competition, if any. On the other hand, trending hashtags are always going to be popular.

Content hashtags occupy the middle ground. Some competition here is helpful because it means new-to-you audiences are using that tag. 

However, as the number of posts with a specific hashtag increases, your chances of gaining visibility go down. For example, if you want that Missouri pizza shop to get attention, "#pizza" wouldn't be the right hashtag to use. There are already more than 70 million posts using it. Fortunately, "#springfieldpizza" has fewer than 150.

A quick search will show you how many posts are already using the hashtag you're considering. Research a few options and choose those that have a few dozen hits, but not thousands. 

Another option is to run hashtag analytics with Hashtagify or a similar tool. Such tools let you enter a potential hashtag to get popularity data, related hashtag suggestions, and more.

Most importantly, have fun with your hashtag search! It's exciting to learn which hashtags are popular, who's using them, and what types of posts go with each tag. You might even get ideas for your next campaign.

How to Use Hashtags in Your Marketing Strategy

As you get started with learning how to use hashtags, remember — tags work best when they're part of a solid social media management strategy. At Optimize, we develop a strategy based on your goals. We use that strategy to create posts that engage your target audience, using hashtags to boost your presence.

To learn more about Optimize and how our digital marketing services can help your business, book a call today!