Using Hashtags on Social Media

What are hashtags?

Let's start there - it is a word or phrase that begins with a hash/pound symbol (#). It is something you have undoubtedly seen, or maybe even used on social media.

But what is it for?

Great question! Hashtags are clickable links that allow one to categorize their content to make it discoverable. If you include a hashtag in your social media post, and somebody sees and clicks it - they will find other posts that also include that hashtag.

Tips for effective hashtag use

Make sure your account is public, otherwise people outside of your sphere of followers will not see your posts.

Use a mix of very common and more niche/specific hashtags on your posts. If you use only common hashtags, you are going to compete with a TON of other content, use only niche hashtags, and not enough people will ever find your post. Using a blend gives you the right balance, but make sure you...

Don’t use too many hashtags. Your posts will come across looking spammy, which isn’t great.

Research your hashtags! Twitter will actually show you which hashtags are trending, so if you see something that fits your post - include it. Instagram is a bit different, but if you search for a specific hashtag you can see how many people are using it to help you gauge its effectiveness.

Why you should use hashtags

Promote your business

Using hashtags allows you to possibly expand who sees your posts. It is a way to get more eyes on your posts/products/content outside of your existing followers.

Increased engagement

When you include a trending hashtag you are actively taking part in a popular conversation. This encourages others to respond to your posts, helping to make them more visible/popular, in turn - getting more eyes on your brand.

Support a cause

The ability to stay connected and help support those that are struggling is so important. Especially in the socially distanced pandemic life that we have all been living. You can use a hashtag to spread awareness and help others.

This is something we are actively doing right now with our Restaurants Are Back promotion. We wanted to support restaurants that are struggling due to the restrictions of Covid-19. One way we are doing this is by offering free and heavily discounted software solutions to restaurants. The other way we are doing this is by spreading awareness through the use of the hashtag #RestaurantsAreBack.
Woman eating pizza

We are encouraging dining enthusiasts to post their dishes, include the hashtag #RestaurantsAreBack, as well as tag and/or mention the name of the restaurant they are getting their food from. Now people can use the hashtag to discover new restaurants and it allows the restaurants to get added exposure and generate more business!

Do you have any questions?

If you have any questions or comments about hashtags, please contact us. And for more information on Restaurants Are Back you can visit our informational site, or search the hashtag on Twitter or Instagram!
If you are using the hashtag #RestaurantsAreBack, share your post with us! We would love to see what delicious food you are eating and shout you out for supporting a good cause!

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPinc Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

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