Hashtags: why use them on social networks?

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Social networks have become omnipresent in our lives. There is no way to escape them, whether in our private sphere or to develop our business. Did you know that 72% of companies have increased their turnover and in-store traffic thanks to social networks 1 ? Social to store is therefore an important lever for attracting customers to the store.

But social networks are a world in constant israel mobile phone number list evolution. It is easy to get lost and not have integrated its umpteenth communication trends. This is why today we offer you an article on the use of hashtags , which has also changed a lot in recent years.


1. What is a hashtag?
2. Why use hashtags in your social media management?
3. How to use hashtags on social networks?
Conclusion


definition hashtag social networks

1. What is a hashtag?
Let's start at the beginning: what exactly is a hashtag ?
A hashtag (yes, it's already hard to write) is the hash symbol # followed by keywords. All attached and without spaces.
Here are some examples: #OpticienRennes, #Halloween, #VoitureCollection

Hashtags originally appeared on Twitter (now called X). We warned you that the social media world was hard to follow. Thanks to their success, they then spread to all social media . Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc… they all integrated this little hash mark.



instagram posts hashtags social networks

Example of Instagram posts with hashtags

For Internet users, hashtags allow simplified access to content on the same topic. They just have to click on it on a publication and they access all the posts containing the same hashtag.


use of social media hashtags and google

2. Why use hashtags in your social media management?
For a brand, using hashtags in social media has several advantages. First of all, they increase local visibility ! Let's take an example to understand this better. Let's imagine an Internet user who views a competitor's Instagram post about shoes. At the end, he clicks on the hashtag #SandalesCuir. If you have used this same hashtag in one of your publications, it will be presented to him. And the customer therefore interacts with you and no longer with your competitor.
Second advantage, social media hashtags are referenced by Google! Yes, go ahead and try it right away by typing a # of your choice in the search bar. Do you see? Let's complete with an example. A customer types #OpticienRennes on Google. If you are positioned on these keywords, your publications containing this hashtag appear directly in the SERP. Hashtags are therefore a great social media management tool to improve your local SEO!

hashtags google searchExample of a search with hashtags on Google

Hashtags on social networks also allow you to classify your content and themes according to keywords. This gives you precise indicators to analyze your performance.
Finally, hashtags have a different color in posts. This catches the eye of Internet users and helps increase the click rate .


how to use social media hashtags

3. How to use hashtags on social networks?
Now that you're up to date on hashtags and their usefulness on social media , find out how to use them in your communications.
How to determine your hashtags?
To define your hashtags, we advise you to draw on different sources of inspiration:

The content of your post . Your hashtags are related to your post, such as: #AutumnCollection, #ChoosingYourGlasses, #BrokenCar, etc.
Your sector of activity . Highlight your profession: #Optician, #Florist, #Real Estate Agency, etc.
Your location . Highlight your local presence by tagging your geographic area: #Rennes, #Guadeloupe, #Brittany, etc.
Your brand . If your name is well known you can use it as a hashtag such as: #CocaCola, #Pepsi, #Citroen, etc.
A communication campaign . Like for example KitKat with its #HaveABreak or #FingersCrossed.
An event or a commercial operation . You can create a specific hashtag and ask your community of followers to share posts with it. For example, let's imagine an Atol campaign that encourages consumers to post photos of their new glasses with #NouvelleTeteAtol2023 or #JeuxConcoursAtol2023.


kitkat advertising

Example of a KitKat #FingersCrossed advertising campaign


And there you have it, you now have plenty of hashtag ideas for managing your social networks and your next posts. Remember to mix these different axes for more relevance. For example, a publication from a florist for Mother's Day could contain: #FleuristeRennes #UnBouquetPourMaman #Roses #FêteDesMeres.



Best practices for using hashtags on social networks
Once you have determined your tags, we recommend that you follow these best practices to improve the reach of your posts:

Choose short and explicit hashtags . Favor #GarageNantes rather than #GarageAutomobileReparationNantesCentre.
Capitalize each word . To make it easier to read when several words follow each other in the same hashtag. For example: #EramParisSud instead of #eramparissud.
5 hashtags maximum on average per post. Even if there are disparities depending on the social networks , 5 is a reasonable and widely practiced average. Remember that Instagram posts with thirty hashtags are a thing of the past.
Do not put spaces within the same hashtag.
Do not use punctuation .
Stay alert to follow changes in usage and adapt to them constantly.
And there you have it, you now have all the keys in hand to use hashtags perfectly in your social media strategy !