GV Explains Social Media Hashtags on Facebook and Instagram


Why are Hashtags so popular on social media?

Social media trends often begin without any obvious rhyme or reason. However, staying apprised of the latest developments in the social media space is essential if you want to connect with customers and keep your content relevant.

For years, one of the most popular trends on social media sites is the hashtag. But why is this seemingly meaningless symbol so popular? We found that many of our clients were asking that very question, which prompted the creation of this article. In it, you will find out everything you need to know about hashtags and how they can improve your online presence.

What Are Hashtags?

Originally referred to as a pound sign or pound symbol, the hashtag has been found on traditional phones for decades. It was initially used for marking numbers. The pound sign was not used as a hashtag until 2007 when a marketing pro suggested that Twitter incorporate this symbol into their Tweets.

Over the next 14 years, hashtags have become an extremely effective way of grouping related posts together. The goal of hashtags is to make associated posts easily discoverable. They aggregate all social media posts that have the same tags. While they first began to be used on Twitter, hashtags are now used on nearly all social media platforms.

How to Make the Most of Your Hashtags

If you want to get the most of your hashtag usage, it is important that you understand the basics. Any phrase that you want to tag must start with # and cannot include any punctuation or spaces.

In addition, your social media accounts must be set to a โ€œpublicโ€ status. Otherwise, the tagged content cannot be viewed by non-followers. For best results, you should keep your tags short and concise. Overly wordy hashtags are hard to remember and donโ€™t mobilize an audience as effectively.

Speaking of mobilizing the audience, you should choose your hashtag phrases carefully. They need to be relevant to your message. If they are not, it will most likely not catch on with other users.

One of the best pieces of advice that we can give when it comes to hashtags is donโ€™t overuse them. Many marketers make the mistake of incorporating too many tags in a single post. They are following the thinking that โ€œif one hashtag is good, five must be great.โ€

However, this is not the case. In fact, most users will view posts with lots of tags as spam or overly sales-y. For best results, use one or two hashtags on a single post. You can occasionally include three, but they better be attached to a stellar message.

Why Use Them?

Using hashtags is a great way to link your posts to existing causes or subjects. Who knows? You may even be able to create the next trending hashtag and significantly boost the notoriety of your brand.

While using hashtags may seem simple at first glance, coming up with a catchy phrase can be a challenge. If you need some help capitalizing on the hashtag craze, then you should partner with the experienced team at GetVisible. We have years of experience in the digital marketing space and can help you elevate your hashtag game. Contact us today to get started. #GV #GVExplains

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