How to choose the right #hashtags

Hashtags are crucial to social media success, whether you are using Twitter, Instagram, Linked In or any other social platform.

So, how do you select a good # and why are they important? Let's start with some basics first (these tips come from Hootsuite):

• They always start with # but they won’t work if you use spaces, punctuation or symbols.
• Make sure your accounts are public. Otherwise the hashtagged content you write won’t be seen by any non-followers.
• Don’t string too many words together. The best hashtags tend to be relatively short and easy to remember.
• Use relevant and specific hashtags. If it is too obscure, it will be hard to find and it won’t likely be used by other social media users.
• Limit the number of hashtags you use. More isn’t always better. It actually looks spammy.

So, why use # at all?

• They increase the reach of your posts, because they are searchable
• They increase engagement with your posts, because they add context
• They allow you to show support for a cause eg #blacklivesmatter
• They add context to your posts eg #socialmediatips

Finally, the all important question. How do you select a good #?

There are some great tools that you can use to help you, such as Hashtagify

Personally, I like Ritetag - this tools allows you to input the copy for your tweet and it will suggest popular # that relate to your post. Here is an example: 

As you can see, the suggestions are not perfect. Including a photo of me presenting, has led to some suggestions about what I am wearing as hashtags, but this at least illustrates that ritetag is interpreting both the picture and the wording of the tweet. 

Of course, you should also monitor # used by other people in your industry and what has worked on your previous posts too. On Twitter I would suggest limiting to no more than 3 hashtags (you have a limited number of characters and you don't want your post to look like spam. Whereas, on Instagram I would suggest using more, say 5-8 hashtags.

Newsjacking:

Newsjacking is where you use a # that is trending at the time, in order to attract people to your post, who are following that news story. An example might be using #Olympics this summer, if you want your post read by followers of the Games. But only use a hashtag in this way if you are adding value to the Olympics debate and your post is relevant. Make sure that you don't breach any copyright laws or restrictions too. The Olympics marketing team are pretty hot on unauthorised people trying to sell their services using their identity. You must not imply that you are a sponsor or involved in the Games if you are not.

Hope that helps you. #goodluck