How can I use hashtags effectively on social media?

What is the best usage of hashtags on social media?
Are hashtags important and why?
And how many hashtags should I use per post?

Frequently asked questions for me as a business development director especially for my new clients so I wish I could answer these questions here:)

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What are hashtags #:

Hashtags refer to the usage of the pound or number symbol, “#,” to mark a keyword or topic on social media. Hashtags originated on Twitter and have since become common on Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms.

Importance of Hashtags:

Simply put, a hashtag is an easy way for people to categorize, find and join conversations on a particular topic. And Hashtags help you to find your right target audience as well

Hashtags Best Practice

• You have to be specific and choose relevant hashtags for your industry.
• The recommended limit for hashtags is 6 letters or fewer.
• Don’t overuse or spam hashtags.

• Check For Uniqueness. If you’re going to start a new hashtag and plan to use it regularly, then make sure it’s unique.
• Keep them short.
• Use trends wisely.
• Understand hashtag use on different sites.
• Track hashtags.
• Use capitals when you need them.
• Use the same hashtags on all your platforms.

How many Hashtags should I use per post?

before answering this question, let’s look at results from a study by Social Bakers, which examined how Facebook engagement correlates with hashtag use.

• Posts with 1 or 2 hashtags averaged 593 interactions.
• Posts with 3 to 5 hashtags averaged 416 interactions.
• Posts with 6 to 10 hashtags averaged 307 interactions.
• Posts with more than 10 hashtags averaged 188 interactions.

So, two hashtags per post are more than enough if the hashtags are well selected.

Written by Abeer El-leithy