For several years, social media communication has been enhanced by a valuable tool in the field of marketing: the hashtag. Hashtags, like tags, correspond to keywords (single words or phrases without space between them) preceded by the pound sign (#), which helps label and easily research subjects of interest.

In practice, when posting content on a social network, you add an element consisting of the # symbol followed (without any spaces) by the topic the post refers to. When a user searches for that topic (or clicks directly from a different post), the post appears along with others that reference the topic in question, allowing the user to find all relevant information.

In other words, hashtags are bridges that connect users with similar interests. By using them, content becomes part of a broader conversation, thereby increasing visibility and reaching a wider audience. They also allow users to filter and discover relevant information among an ocean of other content.

Given this feature, it is clear that for companies and marketing professionals, hashtags are powerful tools for promoting campaigns, boosting visibility, monitoring customer feedback, and engaging in industry trends. Strategic use of hashtags can significantly increase post engagement, transforming simple messages into powerful marketing tools.

Selecting the right hashtags for social media posts is not a step to overlook. Various criteria should be considered when choosing a hashtag:

Relevance: the hashtag should be closely tied to the post’s content and message;

Popularity: popular hashtags can increase visibility but may also make your content one among many. In contrast, niche hashtags may reach a more specific and interested audience;

Uniqueness: some companies create their own hashtags—usually concise, memorable, and containing the company, product, or brand name. Sometimes these hashtags are even coined by customers, and companies simply incorporate them into their posts, boosting interactions and motivating customers to use the hashtag as well;

Memorability: this is an essential variable because a memorable hashtag is more likely to be used and searched by users.

Marketing experts advise companies to avoid improvising when choosing hashtags to reach their target audience. The first step is to define the goals of the hashtag marketing strategy (such as expanding reach, increasing links, or website visitors) and conduct thorough preliminary research. The goals of this research could include assessing the effectiveness of potential hashtags and scheduling regular reviews. The same applies to researching trending hashtags, which, if used, greatly expand content visibility (there are even curated lists online for this purpose). Analyzing competitors can also be helpful, and it’s essential to measure results by comparing metrics before, during, and after the campaign in order to adjust the strategy over time.

How many hashtags to use? Some platforms set limits: Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post and 10 for stories. However, the ideal quantity depends significantly on goals and the type of audience. Generally, experts recommend focusing on a few, even just 2, highly targeted and relevant hashtags to avoid overwhelming posts and to prevent a counterproductive result, such as being perceived as spam, which could alienate users.

 

Oscar Giacomin  / General Manager, Facto Edizioni

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