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June 29, 2020 Content Chat Recap: How To Find And Use Hashtags To Expand Your Content Reach And Engagement

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Social media has become an essential tool for communications and marketing professionals to share content, drive engagement, and fast-track connections with relevant audience members. But if you’re not using hashtags, you’re definitely missing out on the full potential of your channels.

In this #ContentChat, we explain what hashtags are, how they can be used on social media to expand your reach, which channels you can use hashtags on, and how to find the best hashtags to reach your audiences.

Q1: Let’s talk branded #hashtags. Have you created any #socialmedia hashtags for use with your brand’s owned content? If so, what are they? And are you using them on an ongoing basis, for specific campaigns, or both?

Branded hashtags can be used for ongoing needs like content promotion or UGC collection, or for one-off or less frequent cases like events or time-sensitive campaigns. It’s fairly common for a robust social media program to have a mix of both hashtag types.

Hashtags act as a filter on social media, and hashtags help users find content on a specific topic or theme. You can also use hashtags to search through an individual user’s posts (search “from:@[handle] #[whichever hashtag you’d like to search]”).

By using the same hashtag across channels, you can more easily and quickly access your metrics.

But to Kevin’s point, you can never truly “own” a hashtag. That means you should research a hashtag before using it to see who else is using it and what for.

When creating a new hashtag, it will be a balancing act of being just specific enough to reach your audience without being too general or so focused that it accidentally turns away your prospective audience. And you should always read your hashtag aloud to ensure it is conveying the message you want it to.

Check out these examples from WriterGirl, Media Frenzy Global, and Rachel Wendte.

Q2: What is your primary goal for using hashtags?

Hashtags have a few common goals, such as expanding your reach outside your direct followers…

Finding conversations for social listening or networking…

Branding…

And curating content around a shared theme or event.

Q3: On which social channels are you using hashtags as part of your content distribution and engagement strategy? Does the way in which you use them vary by channel?

Hashtags are most commonly used on Twitter and Instagram, but they are gaining traction on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Kevin has seen 50%+ reach for his clients using hashtags on Instagram.

In general, it is safe to use the same hashtag across channels. That said, you should research a hashtag on different channels to ensure it is still serving the same purpose and to check whether it is as popular as an alternate hashtag.

One key difference across channels is how many hashtags you can/should use. In general, you should limit it to no more than three hashtags on any post, but that can vary based on your industry and audience.

The benefit of using the same hashtag across channels is it builds community, strengthens your branding, and can help identify your most active community members.

Q4: Have you associated 1-3 hashtags with your company LinkedIn page’s profile? Why or why not? For those of you who aren’t sure what I’m talking about, here’s an example from my brand new #glutenfree blog’s company page.

Check out Erika’s original tweet for an example:

While this is an emerging area of consideration, adding hashtags to your LinkedIn profile can help drive users to you and keep you notified of conversations on those topics.

Q5: How are you finding the right hashtags for your content marketing goals? What are your top-secret tools, resources, and strategies? Share them now!

There are plenty of tools to help find the best hashtags for you. Check out these community recommendations for some places to start:

Search for generic hashtags in your industry and see what other hashtags they are included alongside in posts.

Begin whittling your list down by getting rid of any hashtags that are too broad or could carry a different meaning than you intend.

You should not rush through your hashtag research. Take the time to understand your audience and the hashtags they use so that you can more authentically connect with them.

By no means should you use a trending hashtag that is associated with a community that you are not a part of (i.e. Twitter chats). If you use the hashtag just to get in front of that community without actually investing in the community, you will likely hurt your reputation.

Using the desktop version of your social media sites will be easier to conduct your research. Some sites like Instagram will even show you related hashtags that you should explore.

Be sure to document your research so it can easily be revisited.

Q6: How are you measuring the success of your hashtag use?

Some common markers of success include increasing the reach of your posts through hashtags, the frequency a hashtag is used (if it is branded/specific to your campaign), the reach of the accounts using your hashtag, the quality of conversations associated with the hashtag, and more. Read the #ContentChat community suggestions below, and comment with your top KPI(s) for hashtag success.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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