It’s back – that wee li’l fellow that can push your social media marketing a bit further: the hashtag. Let’s just refresh a bit…

What you’ve learned so far

Here are a few things about hashtags discussed in part 1 of this article:

• Hashtags are words or phrases with a “#” in front.
• A hashtag gets your post indexed so it comes up in search results.
• Hashtags can grow engagements, leads, followers, and sales.
• Following some rules of thumb can make hashtags more effective. (See part 1 [INSERT  LINK] if you missed it.)

Here’s a summary of how you can heat up your posts with hashtags:

• Use letters (uppercase or lowercase) and numbers.
• Don’t use symbols, punctuations, special characters, and spaces.
• Use hashtags that are relevant to your content or your brand.
• Do keyword research to help you come up with relevant hashtags.
• Use hashtags that already brought results for you, your competitors, or top influencers.

Use better hashtags

Here are other things that will make it worth the effort of using hashtags.

Aim precisely

Use specific hashtags, as they’re often more potent than generic words. Because #shoes is a general term, it can reach a broader audience. But when aiming for a niche, #canvassneakers would be more effective. Of course, you can target both at the same time. But if you’ve got just one shot, then be more specific.

Shorter is sweeter

Use shorter hashtags rather than very long ones. Here, “shorter” means 6-20 characters and “very long” is more than 20. See, #pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is unique, but #lungdisease might work better.

There may be times when a longer hashtag is needed, and that’s your call. Just keep aiming for relevance and your target audience. 

Categories, adjectives, and types

Use categories for hashtags, like #summerfashion, #organicfood, or #cosmeticdentistry. These are actually a good go-to because they can come right off the top of your head. A few more examples:

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Make memorable hashtags 

Use catchy hashtags, but make sure people will use them. For example, #randomramblings is catchy but would you look for that? On the other hand, nobody will forget these:

• #IceBucketChallenge – drove ALS awareness up and raised funds for the ALS Association
• #NationalFriedChickenDay – was trending and relevant, so KFC used it
• #ShareACoke – successfully combined a personalized product, community connection, and a simple yet well-thought out hashtag

When doing a campaign, you’d want to have a unique hashtag that would trend. Part of the strategy is for people to use your hashtag. It could get tricky, so some use up to three hashtags for a campaign.

Your very own hashtag

Of course, use your own branded hashtags. Create a hashtag or two with your brand or product name. They’ll be useful for a promotion or when people are searching for you online.