Mastering the Social Media Game: Elvedon Social's Essential Guide to Hashtags 🚀

Hashtags are no longer just a digital trend; they are the cornerstone of a successful social media marketing strategy. For businesses looking to seriously boost their online visibility and connect with the right audience, understanding the power of the humble # is absolutely critical.

At Elvedon Social, we know that effective hashtag use is the secret sauce that transforms a great post into a widely-seen conversation starter. By correctly tagging your content, you make it immediately discoverable, allowing you to reach far beyond your current followers and tap into broader, more engaged communities.

Ready to stop guessing and start growing? Here is our guide to using hashtags like a pro! 👇

1. Understanding the Anatomy of a Hashtag 🧐

What exactly is a hashtag? It’s a simple word or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#) that acts as a digital filing system for all of the brilliant content you create.

Born on Twitter back in 2007, hashtags quickly migrated across all major platforms, becoming the global connector for shared interests. When a user clicks on a hashtag, they see a feed of every public post that has used it. For us marketers, this tool is revolutionary, allowing us to:

• Target Specific Campaigns: Group all related content under one banner.

• Track Performance: Easily monitor how many people are engaging with a specific topic.

• Engage in Current Trends: Jump into hot topics and national conversations.

2. Choosing the Right Tags for Maximum Reach 🎯

Selecting the perfect hashtags is the difference between shouting into an empty room and joining the right debate. Your selection must be relevant to both your content and your campaign's objectives.

We advise a balanced approach using two key types of tags:

Broad/Current Tags (for Visibility)

These are highly popular, high-traffic tags that aim to put your content in front of the largest possible audience. The primary goal here is to maximise visibility.

• Example: #SocialMediaMarketing or #DigitalStrategy

Niche/Specialised Tags (for Engagement)

These are less competitive tags that connect you with a highly specific, engaged audience. The primary goal here is to boost engagement with people genuinely interested in your area.

• Example: #UKSmallBusiness or #SMEGrowthTips

Pro Tip: Don't guess! Use tools (like Hashtagify or RiteTag) to research popularity and find relevant variations. Strategic inclusion of these tags will greatly enhance the popularity of your content across all target segments.

3. Creating a Signature Branded Hashtag 🏷️

A branded hashtag is your own unique digital flag. Exclusive to your business, it's a powerful tool for promoting brand recognition and simplifying audience monitoring.

Use your branded hashtag to group posts about:

• A major competition or giveaway.

• A new product launch or service.

• General brand-related community content.

Make it count: Keep it short, catchy, memorable, and easy to spell. Think of global examples like Nike’s #JustDoIt or Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke. These tags are brilliant because they foster a sense of belonging and encourage your audience to generate content for you.

4. Fostering Community and User-Generated Content (UGC) 🤝

Want people talking about your brand? Use a specific hashtag to invite them into the conversation!

Hashtags are phenomenal for building a community and encouraging valuable user-generated content (UGC). Think of GoPro’s long-running #GoProHero campaign, where they successfully encouraged users to share their wildest adventures.

By creating a unique hashtag and actively promoting it, you effectively involve your followers in your brand's story. You gain access to genuine, authentic content, and your audience feels a stronger connection to the brand. It’s a win-win!

5. Platform-Specific Best Practices 📱

The rules change depending on where you post. An effective social media strategy must tailor its approach to each platform's unique dynamics.

Instagram

• Quantity: We often recommend 5-10 tags, though you can use up to 30 to maximise discoverability.

• Placement: Place them in the main caption or, for a cleaner aesthetic, put them in the first comment after posting.

Twitter (now X)

• Quantity: Keep it to 1-2 tags only. Due to the tight character limit, you need to be condensed and laser-focused to avoid clutter.

• Placement: Integrate the tag naturally into the sentence or place it at the very end of the tweet.

LinkedIn

• Quantity: 1-3 are appropriate. Focus on professional, high-value industry terms that your peers and potential clients search for.

• Placement: At the end of the post or seamlessly integrated within the professional narrative.

TikTok

• Quantity: 3-5 highly relevant, trending tags work best here. Make sure to include broad reach tags like #fyp (For You Page) alongside your niche tags.

• Placement: Always in the video caption.

6. The Never-Ending Task: Monitoring and Adapting 🔄

Your hashtag strategy isn't a 'set it and forget it' job! To maintain an evolving and efficient social media strategy, you must constantly assess the performance of your tags.

Use analytics programmes (like Hootsuite or Sprout Social) to track which tags yield the best interaction and reach. This data will tell you:

1. Which tags are useless and need to be removed.

2. Which new trending tags you should experiment with.

3. Which high-performing tags you should double down on.

Regularly refreshing your strategy ensures your content remains relevant and appealing to your target audience, consistently boosting your reach and engagement.

Conclusion from Elvedon Social 🌟

Strategic hashtag use is absolutely central to increasing the exposure and engagement of your social media initiatives. By understanding their function, choosing the right mix of broad and specialised tags, and monitoring their performance, you can significantly enhance your brand's visibility.

Don’t forget to experiment, monitor, and adapt your tactics based on solid, data-driven insights. Get it right, and you’ll ensure your content effectively resonates with the people who matter most!

— Brought to you by the team at Elvedon Social.