Hashtags have become commonplace in social media marketing, making it easier for you to reach specific audiences and encourage more engagement from both your followers and your potential soon-to-be followers. However, using hashtags isn’t as clear-cut as it may seem. Here are four of the biggest hashtag mistakes that businesses are making on Twitter and Instagram:
- Making them too long
Hashtags always make more of an impact when they are short and sweet. For example, #weloveshoes is going to get a better response than #headoverheelsinlovewithshoes. Not only is it easier to read, it leaves you with more available characters with which to grab your audience’s attention in the form of a catchy sentence of two, or valuable information about the product.
- Not doing proper research
Once you have come up with a hashtag that you want to use, type it into the search bar before you go for it. The chances are quite high that it is already in use, so you will need to establish whether you want to join/add to the current conversation that is being had… or use a different hashtag and start a conversation all of your own that is unique to your brand.
- Using too many
While hashtags are great for targeting the right audience, using too many can be overwhelming and annoying – and it can also make you come across as desperate. Play it safe by using a maximum of 2 hashtags per post.
- Not promoting your hashtag
So, you’ve come up with an awesome hashtag? Great stuff! Now don’t forget to promote it! Ultimately, it won’t have much of an impact on your digital marketing strategy if nobody knows that it exists. Remember, you don’t just have to promote your new hashtag online – you can (and should) do it offline too. For example, you can include it in flyers, on your billboard ads and even on your business cards.
Want to know more about social media marketing and how WSI OMS can help you with your online advertising (content marketing, SEO, link building, PPC, etc.)? Then be sure to get in touch with us today.