MultiBrief: New ways to use hashtags in your social media marketing

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Almost everybody on social media uses hashtags, likely including your brand. But even though hashtags are ubiquitous, that doesn't mean they are always used most optimally when it comes to garnering the most attention.

Your goals: make the most out of your wording; cover the right consumer communities; don't over- or undertag; and check your progress consistently to see how your efforts are playing. Here are the freshest, most creative, and most effective ways you should use hashtags to boost your marketing power right now.

New data from Sprout Social suggests turning to your customers to see how they are specifically using your hashtags in their posts and reviews about your brand and following suit. While it's good not to overuse hashtags in a single specific post (more in that a bit later), you definitely want to tap into every existing hashtag you see that is garnering attention and traffic for your brand. You can do this by using these hashtags in a spread-out fashion in a series of posts over a number of hashtags.

Personalized tags that your followers can easily adopt and apply to Instagram posts where they show your products in their own environments can be a key selling tool. For example, #yourbrandismybrand can be a fun hashtag to suggest and attempt to make go viral, as it builds a sense of team inclusion among your loyal consumers.

If your marketing is micro enough, you can also use tags that name-check loyal consumers, which can build excitement in social media communities and within targeted marketing tribes, too. Check on how influencers are using hashtags about your brand for ideas to jump on as well.

Choosing a less common hashtag can help you target the interests of small but mighty segments of your audience. You can incorporate niche product hashtags among broader trending hashtags to cover all your bases. Data from Crowd Content suggests that a niche approach can be a highly effective strategy.

This approach is another powerful way to build interest in more granular social media communities and marketing tribes, who can get the word out about your brand to like-minded followers who aren't yet on your radar.

A post crowded with hashtags looks cluttered and desperate. Stick to three good ones per post and streamline your audience's interest, so it pays undivided attention to the products you want to showcase.

Data from Evinex suggests that you should use a tool to identify and make the most out of the hashtags that are best for your business. There are a number of great options that can take care of various key functions for you in this way.

For example, Hastagify is a great tracking tool. Tweetreach by UnionMetrics is an analytics tool that lets you see reports on your tags in real time, and Brand 24 gives you access to the online mentions your brand is garnering in conjunction to your tags.

Given the info your garner from the tools you choose, you can change up your hashtags multiple times a day, gearing them toward new product launches, holidays, seasonal merchandise, and more. Tag often and watch what lands with your demographic. Then, adjust accordingly for fantastic results!