Nowadays, not only individuals but also many companies use SNS for marketing. Hashtag selection is extremely important when conducting SNS marketing. This is because the effectiveness of your SNS posts will vary greatly depending on the selection and usage of hashtags.
In this article, we will explain how to use hashtags correctly, how to use them effectively, and useful tools. Please refer to it if you are having trouble selecting hashtags or want to achieve results with SNS marketing.
What is a hashtag?
Hashtags are labels that classify posts on SNS such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook into specific genres or topics. You can “hashtag” a specific keyword by inserting “#” (hashtag) at the beginning of the keyword.
By adding a hashtag, you can clearly indicate what topic the post is about. SNS users sometimes search for posts they are interested in using hashtags, so adding hashtags to your posts makes it easier for your posts to reach users who are interested in the genre you posted.
Due to these characteristics, hashtags are positioned as one of the very important elements in SNS
marketing
.
Useful things to know when choosing hashtags
Hashtags are very useful in social media marketing, but if you don’t choose the right hashtags to add to your posts, your posts won’t reach the people who are interested in your posts. There are three things you should know when choosing hashtags.
- There is a certain amount of search volume
- Highly trendy
- Target is using
I will explain each in turn.
There is a certain amount of search volume
By using hashtags that have a certain amount of search volume, you can reach more users. This is because posts with hashtags that have high search volume are more likely to appear in search results.
Highly trendy
Posts with trending hashtags have a high virality and are seen by many users. Therefore, it is very effective in getting your account and posts seen and recognized by many users.
You can check trending keywords using the search function within SNS. On Twitter, trends are displayed, and on Instagram, trends can be read from the number of posts for each hashtag. Therefore, when looking for trending hashtags, be sure to check the search function.
Target is using
By posting using the hashtags used by your company’s SNS targets, you can accurately deliver your posts to your target audience.
For example, let’s say your target audience is women in their 40s who have a strong interest in beauty. In this case, check for posts with the hashtags “#40s women” or “#beauty.”
Many social networking sites allow multiple hashtags to be included in a single post, so other related hashtags are often used as well. By posting using hashtags that are also used at the same time, it will be easier to reach your target audience.
How to use hashtags correctly
Even if you try to post a post with a hashtag, it is not uncommon for the hashtag to not work or to have the opposite effect, making it difficult for the post to be seen. This is caused by using the wrong hashtag.
Here, we will explain common mistakes when adding hashtags and the appropriate response.
No spaces before or after
When adding a hashtag, if you put a space between the “#” and the keyword, like “# Gourmet”, it will not work. Be sure to use it without spaces, such as “#Gourmet”.
Also, a half-width space is required after the word. When arranging two hashtags, if there is no half-width space like “#Gourmet#Tokyo”, neither “Gourmet” nor “Tokyo” will be recognized as hashtags. When posting two hashtags side by side, be sure to include a half-width space after the keyword, such as “#Gourmet #Tokyo.” If recognized as a hashtag, the hashtag will be highlighted in blue. Make sure to check that the hashtag is recognized before posting.
Do not apply too much
At first glance, you might think that adding more hashtags will help your post reach more users. However, if you add too many hashtags, your target will be blurred, your post will be marked as spam, and other phenomena will be detrimental to the spread of your post.
When adding hashtags to your posts, be sure to use only those that are appropriate for the target audience you want your post to reach. A good guideline is 10 to 12 for Instagram and 3 for Twitter.
How to use hashtags effectively
Up to this point, we have explained the points and things to keep in mind when adding hashtags. Hashtags are not just about making it easier for your posts to reach your target audience.
Here we will explain how to use hashtags effectively.
Hold your own campaigns and promotions
You can create your own hashtag and hold your own campaigns and promotions. Let’s take a look at ”
Chayamachi Slow Day 2021
” as an example. In this campaign, one of the conditions for participating in the lottery is to follow the event’s official SNS account, add a specific original hashtag, and post a photo. As a result, many users posted with specific hashtags, and many users learned about the event through hashtags.
Campaigns and promotions using hashtags like this are very effective in gaining recognition from many users.
Increase engagement rate
Engagement rate is an indicator of how users interact with your posts, such as likes and comments. Many hashtags increase engagement rates. In particular, by running a lottery-based campaign or promotion and adding a hashtag like “#comment”, you can increase the probability that users will comment.
Be sure to actively use hashtags that encourage reactions.
Total number of posts
On Twitter and Instagram, if you enter a keyword with a hashtag in the search box, you can see the number of posts with that keyword. Therefore, hashtags can also be used later to aggregate posts with that hashtag.
For example, for the aforementioned “Chayamachi Slow Day 2021”, we created the original hashtag “#Chayamachi Slow Day 2021”. By looking at the number of posts with this hashtag, you can see at a glance how many users your event is appealing to.
In this way, hashtags make it easy to see how many related posts there are.
Discover influencers that are highly relevant to your company
In SNS marketing, tie-up with influencers is one of the essential measures. In order to successfully collaborate with influencers, you need to find influencers whose follower base matches the target of your product.
That’s where hashtags come in handy. Search for the hashtags used by your product’s target audience and ask influencers who get a lot of engagement. By employing influencers using these steps, you can effectively promote your products to your target audience.
2 useful tools for choosing effective hashtags
Now that you know what hashtags to add to your posts, finding the ones that actually work can be a daunting task. By using tools, you can quickly and accurately choose effective hashtags.
Here are two tools you can use to help you choose effective hashtags.
HASHTAGIFY
HASHTAGIFY is a hashtag research tool that can be used on Twitter. By entering the hashtag you want to check for popularity into the search window on the HASHTAGIFY page, it will quantify the popularity of that hashtag. You can also check hashtags that are likely to be used together with that hashtag, allowing you to use hashtags more efficiently.
You need to pay to use all the features, but you can use some of the features for free, so why not give it a try?
SocialDog
SocialDog is a tool that supports overall marketing using Twitter. It has all the functions necessary for Twitter operation, including hashtag search, follower management, scheduled posts, and tweet analysis.
There are plans for individuals and businesses, and within each, there are two levels of plans. You can get great deals by choosing a plan that suits your company.
Examples of successful promotions using hashtags
Finally, we will introduce two examples of successful promotions using hashtags, one on Twitter and one on Instagram.
On Twitter, Pepsi conducted a promotion in 2020 using “#Honda and Rock Paper Scissors.” As a condition of participation, it was necessary to post with the hashtag “#Honda and Rock Paper Scissors”, and many users posted using this hashtag.
In this way, by using hashtags in conjunction with giveaways and catchy projects, you can gain recognition from many users.
An example of an Instagram campaign is the Nagareyama Calendar Photo Contest, which takes advantage of the characteristics of SNS for posting photos. It is a community-based project in which photos are selected for use in the calendar from photos posted with the hashtag “#Nagareyama Calendar.”
In this way, campaigns that allow entry through hashtags rather than gifts can also involve many users.
summary
In this article, we introduced the correct way to use hashtags, how to use them efficiently, and examples of how to use them. The use of hashtags is an indispensable measure for SNS marketing, and whether or not you can use hashtags efficiently will determine the success or failure of your marketing.
Please refer to this article and use hashtags efficiently to succeed in your SNS marketing.